Noted pro-democracy Chula historian passes away at 61
Associate professor Suthachai Yimprasert, a noted historian at Chulalongkorn University’s Department of History, passed away on Wednesday morning due to a lung infection. He was 61.
He was being treated at Chulalongkorn Hospital for cancer before he succumbed to the infection.
Suthachai was respected for his dedication to promoting democracy during the time of deep divisions among political groups since the 2006 coup. He used his historical knowledge to explain the country’s development to forge a better understanding of democracy.
He was arrested for seeking facts about the violent crackdown on red shirts during their protests in 2010, and for demanding that top political office holders be held responsible for the fatalities.
The professor was also summoned to report to the military after the 2014 coup, but he remained vocal about his ideology.
“Ajarn Suthachai was honest to his academic profession. He was rational and brave to do the right thing and to confront the wrong,” posted one of his admirers on Facebook.