One can't help but be reminded of Abhisit Vejjajiva when they meet Parit Wacharasindhu, a 25-year-old political novice and would-be member of the Democrat Party.
The resemblance is no coincidence; they are closely related in more ways than one. Mr Parit's mother is an older sister of Mr Abhisit, former prime minister and leader of the Democrat Party. Mr Parit also graduated from Eton College and then Oxford University, having completed the same degree course in politics, philosophy and economics. If that was not enough, the way Mr Parit speaks is surprisingly similar to his famous uncle.
"It's automatic for people to jump to the conclusion that Mr Abhisit and I share the same views, but that is not true. Even twins have different minds," he told Bangkok Post in an exclusive interview.
The political novice is learning to deal with the perils of having a famous family member and is trying hard to step out of the formidable shadow of his uncle.
On one level, he managed to make his own mark recently. Last week, his decision to apply for military conscription drew media attention. Participation in the military conscription lottery is mandatory in Thailand, although many men try to avoid it. Not him. "It is not that I agree with military conscription. Indeed, I believe this military conscription should be revised. But I believe you have to comply with the law like everyone else," he was quoted as saying to reporters.
Before deciding to enter national politics, Mr Parit worked briefly at McKinsey & Company as a consultant for public sector projects in Sri Lanka. Even after reading economics at Oxford, he had no interest in a career in finance or profit-making, believing instead that politics might be a better fit for his desire to help society.
Touted as a "New Democrat", and key to the reinvention of the 72-year-old party in its drive to do away with its image of representing the conservative elite, Mr Parit is adamant that "the new Democrat Party needs to be more firm in supporting democracy". Indeed, Mr Abhisit recently came out to ask members that might support Gen Prayut to return as an outsider prime minister to join a different party.
Mr Parit admits that he doubted the party's stance when some of its members joined the People Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) and supported the military regime.
"If I were in the country, I would have taken part in the initial stages of the protest against the Amnesty Bill. But then, I would have gone home. I feel that it was wrong to continue with a protest which, ultimately, led to an undemocratic solution by removing the government," Mr Parit said, adding that if he were elected as an MP, he would never vote for an outsider prime minister.
Upon being asked why he had not sought to form a new political party, Mr Parit said he still believes in the 72-year-old organisation.
"The Democrat Party is the only party in this country that allows all its members to elect who becomes its leader. This is very different from how other party leaders are chosen or nominated," he says.
The party, he said, has always embraced the younger generation and people from all walks of life, such as Samart Maluleem and the late Surin Pitsuwan who came from diverse backgrounds. He also mentioned that Mr Abhisit became a member of parliament at the age of 27 while both Chuan Leekpai and Mr Abhisit were leaders in their 40s.
For his political ideology, Mr Parit described himself as a firm believer in liberal democracy -- a political system that he believes is a third option for Thailand.
Thai politics has been a fierce battle between two political cultures over the past 15 years, he said.
"The first political culture we are mired in is a distrust of democracy and belief that the government knows better than the people, which is a good explanation for why the current government is in power. The second is to simply view democracy as a process in which just holding a national election is sufficient in itself," Mr Parit said.
Liberal democracy, according to Mr Parit, advocates the decentralising of administrative power to the local level, with an appropriate system of checks and balances, as well as a free press and open society. These are goals that the young politician pledges to strive towards for the duration of his political career.