Academics condemn crackdown

Sixty academics from 16 universities across Thailand have issued an open letter condemning the military and the police for forcefully stopping an academic discussion and arresting academics and students at Thammasat University on Thursday.

The discussion was titled “Democracy Class, Lesson 2: The Downfall of Dictatorships Abroad”.

Three students as well as the speakers and the moderator of the event were arrested. 

The academics arrested were Prof Nithi Eowsriwong, Chaowarit Chaosaengrat, Janjira Sombatpoon-siri, Panu Traiwech, and Prajak Kongkirati.

The academics who signed the open letter said the military and the police action constituted a “severe infringement of academic freedom” and was “absolutely unacceptable”. 

They called on the junta to immediately stop intimidating students and academics.

Anticha Sangchai, a lecturer at Prince of Songkla University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, also signed the open letter.

Anticha said the authorities’ using martial law as the reason for shutting down the event showed that they had the power to intimidate and arrest academics and students, but that did not mean it was right.

Another signatory, Kanokrat Sathitniramai, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science, said the police forced the arrested academics to sign a document in which they gave their guarantee they would not hold any more discussions without the military’s approval. This was a clear infringement of academic freedom, and an academic discussion vetted by the authorities was pointless, she said.

Junta spokesman Winthai Suvari urged academics to halt all political-related activities, saying the political atmosphere in the Kingdom was still tense.

Third Army Region Commander Lt-General Preecha Chan-ocha, the younger brother of junta chief and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, reportedly urged a group of students and academics at Chiang Mai University to cancel their plan to hold a seminar on political issues on Thursday. 

 

‘Send ideas to NCPO’

Winthai said: “If any person or agencies have some ideas on political development, I think they should propose it in written form to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha or the National Council for Peace and Order. Speaking [about political issues] in public could deepen social divisions.” 

In response to an Internet post by red-shirt activist Kritsuda Khunasen, Winthai said the self-exiled activist might be trying to raise her profile by commenting on Prayuth, who mentioned her in a public statement last week.

Prayuth apologised to Kritsuda for speaking rudely about her. 

The activist was accused of being involved in many violent incidents before going into exile.

Prayuth’s criticism came after she claimed she was tortured while being held by the military earlier this year.