Social scientist summoned by police following CMU academic event

[webfact]

Social scientist summoned by police following CMU academic event

By The Nation

 

CHIANG MAI: -- A noted social scientist from Chiang Mai University (CMU) has been summoned to appear before the police following a recent academic event that the university jointly hosted.

Since the “13th International Conference on Thai Studies”, which was held at CMU from July 15 to 18, at least four academics have now been summoned by the police after displaying banners saying “this was not a military camp, but an academic forum”.

 

Chayan Vaddhanaphuti, director of CMU’s Regional Centre for Social Science and Sustainable Development, is the latest to be called upon by the police for alleged violation of a ban on political gatherings or activities. 

 

He will meet the police on August 23, the Transborder News online news agency reported on Tuesday.

 

Chayan was quoted as saying that he had not asked for permission from the military to organise the event in the first place, as it was academic-based. 

 

It was probably the banners that were displayed at the event that had prompted the latest call from the police, he acknowledged.

 

Chayan insisted, however, that no political activities had been held at the four-day conference, despite what he was being accused of, so he had no idea why he had been summoned. 

 

He added that he had consulted the Chiang Mai governor about the event, and that the governor had even presided over it.

 

Chayan pointed out that organising academic forums in the future would become harder because people would feel threatened, despite the fact that the July academic event was open for discussions on problems the country faced, and potential solutions to them, as well as on policies that needed to be addressed. 

 

Some of the discussions had touched upon trans-border problems and other development issues that the government was also concerned about, he explained, adding that these issues would not be thoroughly analysed and tackled without such an “academic lens” being present. 

 

The event should therefore be seen as beneficial to the country, and not the opposite, he suggested.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30323865

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-15

[Lupatria]

What does it say about a country when social science becomes a thread to "national security"?

[heybruce]

4 hours ago, Lupatria said:

What does it say about a country when social science becomes a thread to "national security"?

It says a lot, but the post would be deleted and the poster might be visited by the police or army if he/she said any of it.

[wakeupplease]

This lot spend all day and night on the web looking for those who do not see it there way. lazy sods get out and do some real police work like looking after the roads

Edited August 15, 2017 by wakeupplease

[Srikcir]

14 hours ago, Lupatria said:

What does it say about a country when social science becomes a thread to "national security"?

First the junta had satire terrorists.

Then freedom of speech terrorists.

Now a new threat to Thailand - social terrorists!

Next year it will be electoral terrorists.

Followed by elected official terrorists.

National security is job security for the RTM.

 

[stephen tracy]

16 hours ago, Lupatria said:

What does it say about a country when social science becomes a thread to "national security"?

Social science is most definitely a threat to "national security". It's right up there with twerking and saying "Ja" on Facebook.

[stephen tracy]

"Chayan pointed out that organising academic forums in the future would become harder because people would feel threatened".  That's the idea.

[webfact]

Civil groups call for charges against academics dropped

By The Nation

 

Prof. Chayan with a Karen villager. Photo credit/ Pianporn Deetes.

 

CHIANG MAI: -- Nearly 30 civil-based organisations promoting sustainable development and human rights issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling on Thai authorities to drop charges against a prominent academic and another four people accused of violating the military ban on public assembly at an academic conference recently held at Chiang Mai University.

Since the “13th International Conference on Thai Studies”, which was held at CMU from July 15 to 18, at least four academics have been summoned by the police after displaying banners saying “this was not a military camp, but an academic forum”. 

 

Chayan Vaddhanaphuti, director of CMU’s Regional Centre for Social Science and Sustainable Development, is the latest to be called upon by the police for alleged violation of a ban on political gatherings or activities. He initially planned to meet the police on August 23, the Transborder News online news agency reported on Tuesday.

 

Chayan was quoted as saying that he had not asked for permission from the military to organise the event in the first place, as it was academic-based. It was probably the banners that were displayed at the event that had prompted the latest call from the police, he acknowledged.

 

Chayan insisted, however, that no political activities had been held at the four-day conference, despite what he was being accused of, so he had no idea why he had been summoned. He added that he had consulted the Chiang Mai governor about the event, and that the governor had even presided over it. 

 

The civil organisations, mostly working with him in the development field, insisted that Chayan is an academic who always works side-by-side with the poor, with knowledge and expertise serving the people and the country’s fundamental problems. 

 

They said the conference he helped supervise was definitely not a political gathering but a forum where the problems of the poor discussed and solutions proposed – something the group viewed that the government should listen to. 

 

In addition, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights –to which the country is a signatory and had ratified – guaranteed rights to academic expression. The government should protect such rights rather than violate them, the group said.

 

They called on the authorities to drop the charges against Chayan and his fellow academics immediately.

 

Among those signing the statement were the Thai Network of 8 Mekong provinces, Kaeng Sua Ten groups, Living River Siam, the Foundation for Integrated Water Management, and others.

 

Source: 

[cmsally]

One presumes the foreigners also in the photo will be making statements in their colleagues defence.

[greenchair]

On 8/17/2017 at 10:28 AM, cmsally said:

One presumes the foreigners also in the photo will be making statements in their colleagues defence.

What foreigner, there's a Thai professor and a Karen villager ?

[cmsally]

3 hours ago, greenchair said:

What foreigner, there's a Thai professor and a Karen villager ?

In the original photo which the article is talking about at “13th International Conference on Thai Studies”, which was held at CMU from July 15 to 18 .

There were at least 3 foreign participants in that photo, not sure whether it was the key speakers or not ; who should also be commenting.

(The photo above is just a file photo of one participant - nothing to do with incident)