Romance is in the air

I took this photograph of the prime minister and his wife on the flight back to Bangkok from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit held this past Friday to Sunday in Singapore.

I normally photograph the prime minister in the course of his official duties. This time, though, I asked for permission to capture this image, mainly because he and his wife were rarely seen together during the summit.

The PM had to attend meetings with other leaders, while his wife had to stick with other leaders' spouses.

So when I saw them together, I thought it would be the perfect time to grab a shot. When I first asked them, the couple started posing for the camera. I did not want that, so I said I would not press the shutter if they did not relax.

That's when the PM suddenly leaned towards his wife and closed his eyes. And even though the first lady looks a bit embarrassed, I believe I have captured the love they have for each other.

I have never seen the first couple acting this affectionate with each other in public. They are usually seen talking and relaxing together, which is why this photograph is so impressive and rare - the first couple look absolutely adorable. I never thought I would be able to capture an image like this.

The prime minister looked relaxed even though the situation was growing tense between Thailand and Cambodia. (The Cambodian Foreign Ministry had expelled one of the first secretaries from the Thai Embassy and arrested Siwarak Chotipong, a Thai engineer, on spying charges.) I don't think he was thinking about these problems at the time.

Still, when I told the premier that The Nation was publishing this sweet image on its front page, he did not seem very comfortable with the idea. He complained his eyes were closed in the photograph, but he finally agreed when I insisted this was the best shot.

Enjoy more photographs of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva taken by Peerapat at www.pm.go.th or PM_Abhisit on Twitter.