Chula Academics, Students To Ask Pm Thaksin To Leave

[george]

Chula academics, students to ask PM Thaksin to leave

BANGKOK: -- Chulalongkorn University academics plan to hold a major demonstration Thursday to urge caretaker prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to leave politics after the next general election and called on the nation's new election commissioners to introduce themselves to the public.

Charas Suwanwela, dean of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science, announced that many of the university's teaching staff and students, as well as non-university related political activists and members of the public, will demonstrate on the theme of ''United Chula for Solutions to the Country'' at the university campus Thursday.

Dean Charas called on Mr. Thaksin to leave the political arena after the next election and to let political reforms be made to the extent that independent agencies play more active role to keep the government in check while the people will have better welfare.

Besides, he said, the newly-elected election commissioners should introduce themselves and listen to viewpoints of the demonstrators regarding political reform on that day.

--TNA 2006-09-12

[rcm]

Is this starting again????

[sriracha john]

Scholars, students mobilise to expel PM

Academics at three universities tomorrow launch a campaign to remove caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from politics.

The campaign kicks off simultaneously at Chulalongkorn, Rangsit and Srinakharinwirot universities.

Meanwhile about 30 members of a group of academics representing eight national universities will visit Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda this morning.

"Students and academics will mobilise until peace has returned. The upcoming election cannot whitewash a leader who is accused of a lack of ethics, has committed policy mistakes and faced numerous corruption charges," said Anant Laulertvorakul, a coordinator of the Chulalongkorn University Network for Ethical Democracy and a lecturer at its Arts Faculty.

Anant argued: "Thaksin should quit politics. It doesn't need to be permanent but he has to undergo scrutiny. If he passes, he can return. We want to see an election that leads to political reform."

Anant said for academia to stand by and do nothing as the country was "in flames" would be irresponsible.

"We may be afraid to be killed [by dark political forces] but no more than we fear we may not be able to save the country for future generations. In this time of crisis, we can't steer the country back to peace if each citizen does not do their part."

Charas Suwanmala, the new political science dean at Chulalongkorn, and a key member of the network, said the group would continue to question Thaksin's legitimacy even if the Thai Rak Thai won the next election and Thaksin was returned to power.

He said a "genuine system of checks and balances" needed to be put in place.

"Being elected is no guarantee of a politician's morality," he said, adding he could not trust the caretaker government in the election.

Charas criticised Thai Rak Thai populist policies as "undemocratic", "unsustainable" and based on illusion.

"In the future, I want to see people provided with welfare by the state transparently and in a way not dependent on electing a certain party to office. He hoped without Thaksin a new government could initiate political reform.

The campaign kicks off at 4.20pm when about 1,000 academics and students assemble on the lawn of the main library at Chulalongkorn.

Music and symposiums running into the evening would follow.

They would discuss politics, the news media and the role of students in the current climate.

Anant stressed the campaign was not about revolt but about awakening a spirit among students that recognised politics not simply for politics' sake but for national survival.

The campaign follows anti-Thaksin activities at the National Institute of Development Administration - one of the eight institutes of the nationwide Network of Academics for Democracy.

It said it was not associated with the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy.

- The Nation

[sriracha john]

The predictable government response? Intimidation...

TRT warns state university academics

The ruling party yesterday warned state-employed university academics they would be breaking the law if they campaigned to oust the caretaker prime minister.

Legal experts for the Thai Rak Thai Party demanded that university lecturers and students stop campaigning against the Thaksin Shinawatra government.

They argued the Constitution stipulated government officials must be politically neutral.

The party's Peerapan Palusuk added that a Royal decree for a general election was effective and political moves risked breaking election laws. He claimed executives of universities such as Chandrakasem Rajabhat and the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) had denied anti-government activities were sanctioned by the schools.

He said a Nida rector informed him that a campaign led by lecturer Thaweesak Sootakawathin had nothing to do with the institute. Protesters had been asked to take their demonstrations off campus.

But, Peerapan claimed Chandrakasem Rajabhat and Chulalongkorn universities and Nida groups were "exploiting their institutes' names for personal gain. They must stop confusing the public",' he said.

Another member of the Thai Rak Thai legal team, Surachai Baochanya, said Article 70 of the Constitution stipulated that government officials must be politically neutral.

Meanwhile, Chiang Mai University Mass Communications Faculty Dean Assoc Prof Sodsri Pao-inchan denied there were moves on her school's part to seek Thaksin's ouster.

But, she said law, social sciences and mass communications departments had exercised their right to express a political opinion.

She expressed respect for academics with courage to gather signatures seeking political reform or the removal of Thaksin.

"Being an academic and a teacher does not mean just providing knowledge to students but thought, too. If academics are not bold enough to express their political opinions they cannot fulfil their roles completely, she said.

Teachers had a right to express rational and logical opinions as long as they were not influenced by emotion. She had been doing so for three decades and no university executive had dared to stop her, she said.

- The Nation

[veteran]

:TIT:

[farangsay]

They argued the Constitution stipulated government officials must be politically neutral.

Typo ?

Neutered ?

[Rhys]

555555.. this is the same group.. that ask for students to turn in their homework....

And the response is.....

[Ricardo]

They argued the Constitution stipulated government officials must be politically neutral.

Would the same principle not apply, to all the Thaksin-cronies & TRT-members, who are currently taking-over the Army, and were already in control of most other institutions ?

Friends in the South told me, at the time of the PAD-rallies, how the local-government workers were being 'volunteered' for a trip up to the capital, to make-up the numbers at the 'anti-protest'. n

Then there is the case of the Forestry-Department workers, who are renowned, for their 'neutrality'.

Or perhaps neutrality depends on whose side you're being 'neutral' ? Surely not.

Edited September 14, 2006 by Ricardo

[Plus]

One of Thaksin's favourite tactics - how to create an image of legitimacy for an outright dead idea. Create as much noise as possible then claim "rights" and demand a compromise, then blame and threaten everyone for not being neutral.

Remember what Anand said about neutrality - there's no "neutral" between good and evil.

[sriracha john]

Arriving and Leaving:

Pramual Virutamasen (second from right), of Chulalongkorn University's faculty of medicine, and 25 medical experts and academics on their way to meet Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulanonda at his Si Sao Thewes residence yesterday to discuss ways to ease the current political tensions.

- Bangkok Post

Academics leave Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda’s residence after discussing their concerns with him yesterday.

- The Nation

[Jai Dee]

Chulalongkorn University lecturers, students and alumni gather before the statues of Kings Rama V and VI yesterday to pledge to adhere to morality and fight against a ‘vicious regime’.

Source: The Nation - 15 September 2006

[ilyushin]

This will be interesting to see. Arrest the teachers and students? This will be the smoking gun!