Institute not to blame for student death

The unfortunate death of a bright student of AIT did not occur on transportation provided by AIT, but due to an accident when his motorcycle collided with a speeding vehicle while negotiating a turn on a busy road in Hua Hin. The tragic circumstances have been thoroughly investigated by the police and fully understood by Sandeep’s family.

Mr Thanin’s letter gives an erroneous impression and seeks to apportion the blame on AIT for the student’s death, which is preposterous and without substance. Hua Hin is a town associated with royalty and is home to several institutes of higher learning, with thousands of students. The decision to relocate temporarily to Hua Hin was supported by AIT’s Board of Trustees, which is the supreme governing body of AIT.

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) repeatedly requested students to desist from renting motorcycles and venturing out on their own. Repeated advisories were issued by the Institute, and this includes ardent pleas by the Institute asking students not to rent motorcycles and drive on their own, especially when the Institute is already providing transportation facilities.

The remarks by Mr Thanin that AIT chose to desert its campus and shift to Stamford University for six months is also false. AIT is actively engaged in clearing and cleaning the campus, and as of today many research students have already returned to the mother campus. However, the Institute had to restart classroom education immediately to avoid loss of time and opportunity to students who come from 42 countries. It was in this context that the decision was taken to shift classroom education to various locations in Hua Hin.

The Nation’s readers are surely well aware that AIT is located in a very low-lying area, hence the Institute remained under water for considerably longer. Further, our academic and administrative buildings are two storeys, hence half of our infrastructure was inundated. Other universities in the area have multiple storeys, and the percentage of damage to their infrastructure was much less than ours. This was an important factor in deciding to relocate temporarily.

The statement by Mr Thanin that the shift to Stamford University was done because it is linked to Laureate Inc. is again false. In Hua Hin, AIT students are studying not just at Stamford International University, but also at Silpakorn University and Rajabhat University – and Mr Thanin should know that the latter are Thai public universities and are not associated with Laureate in any way. Moreover some of our students are pursuing studies all over the world in other partner institutes, and none of them are associated with Laureate. 

Let me add that accidents can occur anywhere, and even at the Rangsit campus of AIT, we have had the unfortunate case of a student killed while she was trying to cross the Paholyothin highway. Several students and staff of Thammasat University also died in a horrendous crash on the tollway in December 2010. Luckily for us, an AIT student travelling in the van survived with bruises. 

To hold the Institute responsible for the accident is false. Mr Thanin’s motive becomes clear when we read the last line of his letter where he calls for en masse resignation and appointment of a new team at AIT.

It is with deepest regret that I have to state that Mr Thanin is playing politics. Courtesy demands that we grieve the death of a bright young student of AIT. Playing politics over the death of a student is not only unethical and unwarranted, but cruel, callous and despicable.

Prof Said Irandoust, 

President, Asian Institute of Technology