Krasae Chanawongse

Krasae Chanawongse (, , born 1 March 1934) is a Thai physician, professor of medicine, and politician. He is the recipient of the 1973 Ramon Magsaysay Award 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.

Early life and education Krasae Chanawongse was born in Phon District, Khon Kaen Province, in rural Northeastern Thailand, 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. He studied medicine at Chulalongkorn University and the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital. 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 in 1967, and took his Doctor of Public Health degree from Columbia University in 1980. Having become a member of the Palang Dharma Party in the meantime, he served as Deputy Governor of Bangkok, responsible for health services and public welfare, in 1993. When Palang Dharma leader Thaksin Shinawatra left the party to found his Thai Rak Thai Party, 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 considered Krasae a "strong monarchist".

Decorations

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