Universities, schools will not participate in 3-day strike
Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang said on Tuesday that Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban's call for three-day strike would not affect schools or universities. He said that though the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT) had expressed its st
He added that the Office of Basic Education Commission had also said that no school was interested in following Suthep’s “civil disobedience” call, as it wasn’t rational. He said the closure of a school was based entirely on the school director’s decision over basic problems such as traffic issues or flooding.
Meanwhile, Chulalongkorn University’s Demonstration, Elementary and Secondary schools announced that they would be closed on Tuesday due to traffic congestion caused by ongoing protests. Also, Rajavinit Prathom, Satriwitthaya, Wat Bowonniwet and Mathayom Wat Makutkasat schools announced they would be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday over fears of rallies escalating and students’ travel becoming inconvenient. Several school directors have also said that lessons might be extended by 10 minutes per class in order to compensate for lost time.
The Srinakharinwirot, Silpakorn, Rangsit and Thammasat universities have announced that no classes will be cancelled and that it was up to individuals if they wish to join the rallies.
The Rural Doctors’ Society has said that it will not join the three-day strike, but has promised to continue taking action against the controversial amnesty bill.
“Medical workers need to treat people round the clock,” the society’s chief Kriengsak Watcharanukulkiat said.
The society has also called on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the 301 MPs who voted in support of the bill to offer the public an apology.
Yingluck, meanwhile, called on protesters to give her government a chance to continue working, adding that it had many tasks pending, including the work of the joint Thai-Cambodian commission on border issues. She also called on protesters to end their rallies so foreign confidence in Thailand does not wane.
“Please give us time to prove ourselves. We have listened to [people’s] opinions, so it is time they returned home and stopped protesting. We don’t want to hear that foreign tourists have changed their itineraries and will not be visiting Thailand,” she said.
