Thai university 'accidentally' sells 3 tons of rare books to recyclers

[webfact]

University 'Accidentally' Sells 3 Tons of Rare Books to Recyclers
By Khaosod English


File photo of Silpakorn University in Bangkok [Matichon].

BANGKOK — A prominent state university in Thailand is frantically buying back 3,000 kilograms of rare books and magazines that it mistakenly sold as recycling materials to a vendor for 6,000 baht last week.

According to Matichon, library staff at Silpakorn University's Thapra campus arranged for a recycling truck to pick up piles of books and magazines that were marked for disposal at the library on 30 June. However, the staff somehow mixed up the order and gave away 3 tons of the library's archival collections instead, at the meager price of 2 baht per kilogram, according to university officials.

The collection includes essays, books, pamphlets, and dissertations on historical and anthropological subjects in Thailand. The collection also reportedly included magazines published by student activists in the years leading up to the 1973 student uprising that toppled the military junta at the time.

Matichon said the university administration discovered the mix-up a few days later, and ordered an investigation into the incident.

"Silpakorn University has already convened a committee to investigate to see how many important books are missing," said Sakdipan Tanwimolrat, director of Silpakorn University's library department.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1436436079&typecate=06&section=


-- Khaosod English 2015-07-10

[noitom]

Burn the books. The traditional solution for erasing dissenting history.

[Fiddlesticks]

However, the staff somehow mixed up the order and gave away 3 tons of the library's archival collections instead

Probably because they couldn't be bothered to read the labels! Reading is not a very popular pastime in Thailand for sure!

[NongKhaiKid]

What's the chances that the recycler still has them as they represented money to him and he would be looking to make a profit asap ?

If he does still have some / all and has heard the story I'm sure he'll be happy to sell them back but it won't be for Bt 6,000.

[Manbing]

Rare books get sold, key evidence in murder trials gets destroyed, accidents happen.

Mai pben rai

[Laughing Gravy]

I imagine the person responsible will be the next dean of the university. Outrageous.

[LannaGuy]

I'm not a 'conspiracy theorist' but was it Thaksin who gave a 'hidden order'?

[PatOngo]

What's the chances that the recycler still has them as they represented money to him and he would be looking to make a profit asap ?

If he does still have some / all and has heard the story I'm sure he'll be happy to sell them back but it won't be for Bt 6,000.

One thing for sure............he won't be reading them.

[Emster23]

Wait til we find out that University was also part of Chain of Custody of Koh Tao DNA samples....

[Assurancetourix]

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury published in 1953

[Borzandy]

How Thais could recognise a rare book, most of them never opened a real book.

[AlQaholic]

Mebe them wes Disclectic and mixed up the the txt "Disposal" for "This imortant"?

[rijit]

However, the staff somehow mixed up the order and gave away 3 tons of the library's archival collections instead

Probably because they couldn't be bothered to read the labels! Reading is not a very popular pastime in Thailand for sure!

Oh it is, if its on an iphone walking to the skytrain !!

rijit

[mmh8]

this will get interesting when we find that some military figures ordered the recycling .......

all books not authorised by the government will be censored before returned

[rijit]

this will get interesting when we find that some military figures ordered the recycling ....... all books not authorised by the government will be censored before returned

Not returning ,, reburning ?!!!!

rijit

[Srikcir]

A buy-back proce of Bt6,000 per kg sounds about right.

The recycler might chance that the university doesn't have a listing of every book sold to the recycler and throw in a hundred "ringer" books for more cash.

[slapout]

i would venture a guess that those who were tasked with physically handling the movement of books etc were from a labor group who can barely spell their name. no0 supervision was provided of course as that would be beneath their position/title

[Guest]

I'm not a 'conspiracy theorist' but was it Thaksin who gave a 'hidden order'?

I am not paranoid, but why is everyone watching me and texting each-other about what I do?

[Lupatria]

Inactive books- inactive history.

Sometimes unskilled workers are worth the meager pay...

Now I expect a horde of Winston Smith's at the "Ministry of Truth" is rewriting the most important scripts already from their "memory".

[sammygood]

what do you expect guys, TIT

[jackanapes]

whoever supervised the loading of these books obviously didn't know they were rare ,why were they removed from the shelves in the first place it all seems very odd .

[glasswort]

I imagine the person responsible will be the next dean of the university. Outrageous.

Dean - an inactive post!

[Jimlove]

Did this happen or is it a Monty Python sketch ... The Idiocy is unheard of here ...

[rijit]

i would venture a guess that those who were tasked with physically handling the movement of books etc were from a labor group who can barely spell their name. no0 supervision was provided of course as that would be beneath their position/title

No it'll be those burmese's fault

rijit

[Mot Dang]

Stupid careless mistake. If the books were destroyed the uni administrators responsible may as well get a sledge hammer and join ISIS.

[whimsy]

I was wondering where todays '<deleted> ?' piece of news was. Found it

[SupermarineS6B]

Ha ha, only in La la land ! I don't think they were concerned about the "Rare books," just the fact that they'd sold them for only two baht a kilo.......... Why not ? Nobody was reading them !............

[TEFLKrabi]

A mistake was made, they're trying to rectify it. Well done for spotting the mistake before it was too late and admitting to the mistake too. That's got to be a good sign!

[flyingdoc]

Risible !

[diehard60]

An accident???? I don't believe it.