Yingluck: I am the real prime minister

Yingluck: I am the real prime minister

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday brushed aside a report in the <i>New York Times</i> that during her year-and-a-half in office most of the important political decisions were made via Skype from overseas by her elder brother and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (Photo by Thiti Wannamontha)

Ms Yingluck insisted she is the real prime minister, that she runs the administration of the country and that policy-level decisions are made by the cabinet under her leadership, when asked by reporters to comment on the New York Times report.

The prime minister said she could not stop people from expressing their opinion, but wanted criticism to be fair.

Recent polls indicated that her leadership had been acceptable to the people, Ms Yingluck said, adding that she would rather let the government's achievements prove her worth.

On a suggestion that Thaksin might have even talked to the cabinet via Skype, Ms Yingluck said people should be considerate and study news reports analytically. Anyway, use of a mobile phone was not allowed during a cabinet meeting.

The prime minister said what she wants the most is moral support, and that she believed many people were  giving her credit.

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