PM remains adamant about politically-active academics
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Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha would not back down on prohibiting academics from expressing political views, saying "If they don't fear [the] laws, let them [go ahead]."
The remark was made at his weekly press briefing at Government House. It was in response to the case of Chiang Mai-based lecturers being summoned by the police for violating the National Council for Peace and Order’s ban on gatherings of more than five people.
The academics held a press conference last month to deliver a statement entitled “Universities are not military camps” to counter criticism that higher education institutions’ teachings were against the government.
Five academics, including Chiang Mai University professors Attachak Sattayanurak and Somchai Preechasilpakul, were called to the police yesterday. They denied the charge and were discharged without bail, but they were scheduled to appear in court later, a policeman said.
PM Prayut said that they were the old faces. Military men had been sent to ‘talk’ to them and ‘ask’ for cooperation to give lectures that conformed to the law, he said.
