BANGKOK (UCAN) -- Thailand's first Catholic senator hopes to be able to reflect her faith community's views as well as promote the rights of women and children, her area of expertise.

The national Election Commission endorsed the appointments of 74 senators on Feb. 19. Teresa Yuwadee Nimsomboon, 62, president of the Catholic Association of Thailand, was among them.

"It is God's will that I have an opportunity to serve his people," Yuwadee told UCA News. "Besides working for women and children's rights, I hope to be a voice for Catholics in Thailand."

The 2007 Thai Constitution provides for direct election of 76 members of the 150-seat Senate, one from each province counting Bangkok as one province. A special Selection Committee chooses the other 74 senators from the list of qualified nominees forwarded by the Election Commission. An elected senator serves a six-year term and an appointed senator three years.

Kirti Bunchua, an academic and one of the few Catholics to have served as a legislator, confirmed to UCA News that Yuwadee is the first Catholic senator. Election of senators began only within the past 10 years, but appointment of senators goes back decades.

Yuwadee pointed to great disparity in the opportunities available to women in Thailand, with poor rural women having the least chance to advance. She sees education, leading to better livelihood prospects, a higher degree of self-dependence and a larger role in societal affairs, as a crucial need.

"In our globalized world, many children are getting lost in technology," she added. "We should guide them and help them choose between bad and good by teaching them morality and ethics. Parents should take active roles in raising their children."

Asked why she thought the Selection Committee chose her, she answered: "Maybe they selected me because they realized the importance of having Catholics and other (minority) religious communities represented." Close to 95 percent of Thailand's 64 million people are Buddhists.

"I intend to work for justice and use my position to protect human rights," Yuwadee said, acknowledging that she also felt a duty to set a good Christian example of living by God's word. "I hope to be a coordinator between the government and religions," she added.

The Senate has a mandate to consider legislation passed by the House of Representatives, to monitor administration of state affairs, to approve nominees to head independent bodies established under the constitution and to remove high-ranking office holders for malfeasance.

The 74 appointed senators represent a broad spectrum of society, from farmers to a former army general, including at least one disabled person and media people. They comprise 62 men and 12 women. Nine have doctoral degrees, 41 hold master's degrees and the remaining 24 all have bachelor's degrees.

Yuwadee has served as president of the Catholic Association of Thailand since 2003. Before that, she was named adviser to the Women's Association of Thailand in 2000 and appointed a member of the National Economic and Social Advisory Council in 2001. She also has been active internationally and became president of the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) Confederation of Women's Organizations in 2002. Earlier, in the 1990s, she chaired the organization of associate judges in Pathum Thani province, based about 30 kilometers north of Bangkok. She was born in the capital.

Bishop George Yod Phimphisan of Udon Thani, who heads the Thai Catholic bishops' Social Communications Commission, welcomed Yuwadee's appointment. The Selection Committee may have chosen the president of the Catholic Association of Thailand in an effort to ensure various religions are represented, he said.

"At least she can be a voice for us," the Redemptorist bishop told UCA News. He considers it "a good thing that the government gives attention to Catholics and selected her, because she can give opinions and viewpoints of the Thai Church."

Polling for the 76 elected senators was held on March 2.

According to Election Commission chairman Apichart Sukhagganond, 25 million people voted, or 55.9 percent of the 44.9 million eligible voters. About 2 million voters abstained and 909,894 ballots were ruled invalid.

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(Accompanying photos available at here)