Rosana Tositrakul (; born 27 September 1953) is a Thai politician and former Senator for
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
. She was first elected in 2006, only to find the polls scrapped by
a military coup. She was voted into office a second time in 2008 with over 740,000 votes. In 2019, she announced her intention to contest in the
2022 Bangkok gubernatorial election
The 2022 Bangkok gubernatorial election was held on 22 May 2022, this was the eleventh election for the governorship of Bangkok. The election took place 9 years after the latest election in 2013, long delayed due to military rule from 2014 to ...
as an independent candidate.
Early life and education
Rosana graduated from secondary school from
Mahaprutharam Girls' School and a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at
Thammasat University
Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...
in 1974.
Activist work
After graduating from
Thammasat University
Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...
, Rosana formed the
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
"Traditional Medicine for Self-Curing", later renamed the "Thai Holistic Health Foundation". She spent a year studying with
Masanobu Fukuoka
was a Japanese farmer and philosopher celebrated for his natural farming and re-vegetation of desertified lands. He was a proponent of no-till, herbicide and pesticide-free cultivation methods from which he created a particular method of agr ...
, the developer of
natural farming
Natural farming ( 自然農法, shizen nōhō),1975 1978 re-presentation ''The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming''. also referred to as "the Fukuoka Method", "the natural way of farming", or "do-nothing farming", is an ...
, and helped introduce organic farming to
Kut Chum District,
Yasothon Province. She studied medicinal plants in the district and helped form the "Natural Medication and Herb Interest Group" there.
Rosana worked for many years as a
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
activist
for the Thai Health Foundation, calling for the resignation of
Rakkiat Sukthana on corruption charges. She also called for the resignation of
Purachai Piumsomboon over a supposed cover-up of the spread of
bird flu
"Bird Flu" is an urumee melam-dance song by recording artist M.I.A. on her second studio album '' Kala'' (2007). It was released as a digital download in 2006 through XL Recordings under exclusive license to Interscope Records in the US. Cri ...
in Thailand.
She represented a coalition of over 30 NGOs in an appeal against a government plan to establish special economic zones around Thailand.
She is an Independent candidate in the
2022 Bangkok gubernatorial election
The 2022 Bangkok gubernatorial election was held on 22 May 2022, this was the eleventh election for the governorship of Bangkok. The election took place 9 years after the latest election in 2013, long delayed due to military rule from 2014 to ...
. but not elected
Religious views
Rosana Tositrakul has stated she has no political leanings. Instead, she advocates what she calls an "engaged" form of
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
feminism.
Royal decorations
*2014 - Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class)
Order of the White Elephant
__NOTOC__
The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...
.
*2022 - Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class)
Order of the Crown of Thailand
The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) for Thais, the royal family, governmental employees, and foreign dignitaries for their outstanding serv ...
.
*2015 - Companion (Fourth Class)
Order of the Direkgunabhorn
The Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn (; ) was established by King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) on 22 July 1991 (B.E. 2534) to be bestowed upon those who have rendered devotional services to the Kingdom of Thailand. The title ''Direkgu ...
.
[The Royal Thai Government Gazette]
ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่สรรเสริญยิ่งดิเรกคุณาภรณ์ ประจำปี 2558
เล่ม 132 ตอนที่ 32 ข หน้า 27, 4 ธันวาคม 2558
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tositrakul, Rosana
1957 births
Living people
Rosana Tositrakul
Rosana Tositrakul
Rosana Tositrakul
Rosana Tositrakul
Rosana Tositrakul
Rosana Tositrakul