Sudarat Keyuraphan is a Thai politician and former member of the Pheu Thai Party. She participated in protests in May 1992. She is a former minister who held various positions during Thaksin Shinawatra and Chuan Leekpai governments. Currently, she is the chairman of the Thai Pueng Thai Foundation, as well as the founder, and leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party.

Family and personal life

Sudarat was born on 1 May 1961 in Bangkok to Sompon Keyurapan and Renu Keyuraphan. Her father was the former Member of Parliament from Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Sudarat is married to Somyos Leelapunyalert, who is a real estate entrepreneur. They have 2 sons and 1 daughter, including, Sudarat graduated high-school from St. Joseph Convent School in Bangkok. She earned her bachelor's degree from Chulalongkorn University in commerce and accountancy and a master's degree from the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration. In 2018, she earned her doctoral degree in Buddhist studies from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University and received an honorary Doctorate Degree in Arts Department of Social and Environmental Development from Nakhon Phanom University Council

Political work

Sudarat began her political career as part of the Palang Dharma Party, being elected an MP for Bangkok's District 12 in the election of March 1992. She was reelected in September of the same year and was appointed deputy government spokesperson for Chuan Leekpai's Government. In 1994, Sudarat was appointed Secretary-General of the Palang Dharma Party and was also appointed Deputy Minister of Transport. In the 1995 Election, Sudarat was re-elected MP and was appointed Deputy Minister of Interior in Banharn Silpa-archa's Government. In 1996, Sudarat was once again elected MP and was the only member to be elected from Palang Dharma. Two years later, in 1998, Sudarat co-founded the Thai Rak Thai Party together with Thaksin Shinawatra and 21 others, including Somkid Jatusripitak, Thanong Bidaya, Purachai Piumsombun, Thammarak Isaragura na Ayuthaya, and Prommin Lertsuridej. Sudarat was appointed Deputy Leader of Thai Rak Thai In the 2001 election, Sudarat was elected a Member of Parliament and was appointed Minister of Public Health on February 17, 2001 under the Thaksin government. She was involved in a long-running scandal over the purchase of overpriced computers for hospitals by the Ministry of Public Health. The 2006 election saw her party win over 61% of the vote, becoming the largest party, and Sudarat was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives. She lost her position following the September 2006 coup. As one of 111 executive members of the TRT, she was banned from political activities for five years after the 2006 coup d'état. Sudarat later returned to Thai politics, contesting the 2019 election as a party-list MP and prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai Party. However, although the party won the most constituency seats, it did not win any party-list seats. Later, Sudarat has resigned from the Pheu Thai Party and co-founded the Thai Sang Thai Party and served as the leader.

Social role

Sudarat established the Foundation for Women for Democracy and a group of women and politics in 1993, which later evolved into an institution of women and politics (To encourage women to have knowledge and understanding of Thai politics and to be more interested in participating in political activities). In 1998, she established the "Thai Pueng Thai" project to help unemployed women to have jobs and build their own careers when the country experienced an economic crisis. In 2011, Sudarat was appointed to be the chairman of “Together...to assist all victims and fight national disasters” project under the Miracle of Life Foundation in honor of Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Siriwattana Phannawadee and is a chairman of the Thai Pueng Thai Foundation, Founding Chairman of the Sang Thai Institute and Leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party

Notable awards and honors

Honours

Sudarat has received the following royal decorations in the Honours System of Thailand: