Krasae Chanawongse ( th, กระแส ชนะวงศ์, , born 1 March 1934) is a

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

physician, professor of medicine, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He is the recipient of the 1973

Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealis ...

for Community Leadership. In 1995, he served as Foreign Minister of Thailand. From 2001 to 2005 he was Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister and advisor of

Thaksin Shinawatra Thaksin Shinawatra ( th, ทักษิณ ชินวัตร; ; ; Chinese: 丘達新; cnr, Taksin Šinavatra; born 26 July 1949), is a Thai businessman, politician and visiting professor. He served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, a ...

Early life and education

Krasae Chanawongse was born in

Phon District Phon (, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the southern part of Khon Kaen province, northeastern Thailand. Geography Neighbouring districts are (from the west clockwise): Waeng Noi district, Waeng Noi, Waeng Yai district, Waeng Yai, Chonnabot distr ...

, Khon Kaen Province, in rural

Northeastern Thailand Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...

, as one of eight siblings in a poor family. After leaving school at age 13 and an unpaid apprenticeship in a lumber shop, he resumed his secondary education while earning money as a delivery boy.1973 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership - Krasae Chanawongse
Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, retrieved on 25 February 2012
Speakers, USC Asia Conference, University of Southern California, retrieved 25 February 2012 He studied medicine at

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

and the

Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warra ...

. He graduated with an MD degree in 1960. He added postgraduate studies for a Diploma in Tropical Public Health from the

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The inst ...

in 1967, and took his Doctor of Public Health degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1980.

Professional career

From 1960 to 1973, Krasae worked as a physician in Phon. From 1973 to 1975, he led the rural mother and child health program of Khon Kaen province. From 1982 to 1990 he was the director of the

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

Institute for Health Development in Bangkok. He was the research and development director of the

Naresuan University Naresuan University (NU) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยนเรศวร, ) is a government university in Phitsanulok Province, northern Thailand. It was established as a separate university on 29 July 1990, the 400th anniversary of t ...

from 1989 to 1991. In 1973, Krasae received the

in the category "Community Leadership". The awarding foundation honoured his commitment for health care development in one of the least-developed rural regions of the country, citing his "12-year crusade for sanitation, preventive medicine and curative treatment".

Political career

Krasae founded the progressive liberal and moderate left-wing

New Force Party The New Force Party ( th, พรรคพลังใหม่, ) is a political party in Thailand. It was founded in 1974, following the successful democratic uprising of October 1973. The New Force Party was one of the more successful left-wing ...

in 1974. He was elected Member of Parliament representing Khon Kaen in 1975 and 1976. He was named Deputy Minister of Public Health in 1979, serving in the short-lived cabinet of

Kriangsak Chomanan Kriangsak Chamanan ( th, เกรียงศักดิ์ ชมะนันทน์, ; 17 December 191723 December 2003) served as prime minister of Thailand from 1977 to 1980. After staging a successful coup, he was asked to become Prime ...

. Having become a member of the

Palang Dharma Party The Palang Dharma Party ( th, พรรคพลังธรรม, ; translated as "power of Dharma", or "moral force", PDP for short) was a Buddhist-inspired political party in Thailand founded by Chamlong Srimuang in 1988, associated with the S ...

in the meantime, he served as Deputy Governor of Bangkok, responsible for health services and public welfare, in 1993. In 1994, he was appointed Minister of University Affairs in the cabinet of

Chuan Leekpai Chuan Leekpai ( th, ชวน หลีกภัย, , ; ; born 28 July 1938) is a Thai politician who is the current President of the National Assembly of Thailand as well as the incumbent Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives. Previous ...

. In February 1995, he switched to the

Foreign Ministry In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

, but resigned again as early as in May of the same year. When Palang Dharma leader

left the party to found his

Thai Rak Thai Party The Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT; th, พรรคไทยรักไทย, , ; "Thais Love Thais Party") was a Thai political party founded in 1998. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under its founder, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawat ...

, Krasae followed him. Upon becoming Prime Minister in 2001, Thaksin made Krasae Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister. He served in that office for four years. In 2010, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' considered Krasae a "strong monarchist".

Decorations

* Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order (decoration), orde ...

(1994) * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

(1995) *

Grand Cordon (First Class) of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

(Japan; 2004)

Works

*''Rural Health Care in Thailand: an Assessment and Strategies for the Future''; Columbia University, 1982 *''Primary Health Care in Thailand: Theory and Reality''; ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, 1985 *''A Decade of Primary Health Care in ASEAN Member Countries''; ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, 1988 *''Rural Development Management: Principles, Propositions, and Challenges''; Research and Development Institute, Khon Kaen University, 1991 *''Participatory Development in the Context of Southeast Asian Nations''; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 1998

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chanawongse, Krasae Living people 1934 births

Krasae Chanawongse Krasae Chanawongse ( th, กระแส ชนะวงศ์, , born 1 March 1934) is a Thailand, Thai physician, professor of medicine, and politician. He is the recipient of the 1973 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership. In 1995, he s ...

Ramon Magsaysay Award winners Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health alumni

Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun