Student Council slams Chula move to axe elected reps

By WASAMON AUDJARINT, 
KANITTHA THEPPAJORN 
THE NATION

 

 

THE REMOVAL of Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal from the presidency of the Student Council of Chulalongkorn University (CU) over alleged misbehaving by not kneeling during an oath taking ceremony, has raised questions about whether CU has exercised its mandate excessively over elected student representatives.

 

Netiwit and four other student council members were sanctioned on Wednesday as a committee set up by the university concluded that they violated university regulations. Three other students were also punished for the same charge.

 

Each student was deducted 25 “behaviour points”, disqualifying them from serving on the student council. No more than 20 points can be deducted for student politicians to remain at their posts.

 

CU reasoned that the students intended to disrupt proceedings in a way that damaged the university’s image. Their actions brought “disrespect to the rest of the university community members, who highly value the oath taking ceremony to express gratitude to our founding Kings [Rama V and Rama VI]”, the committee concluded.

 

“They were aware that their attitudes did not go along with the tradition and they could have stayed in our specially arranged area,” CU said in a press release yesterday. “Yet, the eight students did not perform their roles as student representatives properly."

 

CU also explained yesterday that this is because the students broke five articles stipulated in CU’s 1984 regulations on student discipline. 

 

They are:

 

Article 4: “Students must always strictly follow all laws, rules, regulations, announcements or orders of the University or their faculty”;

 

Article 5: “Students must follow Thai good moral, ethical and cultural principles on all occasions”;

 

Article 6: “Students must maintain unity, orderliness and the University’s image and prestige”

 

Article 7: “Students must behave themselves gently and not behave in ways that may damage themselves, their parents, their guardians, or the University” and

 

Article 12: “Students must not perform any tradition or practice deemed inappropriate to Thai culture.”

 

 

Netiwit, the student council and progressive scholars challenged the investigative process, saying that it took a relatively short amount of time.

 

In a statement released on Thursday, the council said that it does not accept results of the probe. Netiwit and other accused students should be allowed more time to gather evidence to appeal the decision, they said.

 

The council also called for the committee to clarify its investigation process and results to the accused students.

 

Netiwit said that he planned to appeal the decision within a week, following CU’s regulations allowing sanctioned students to appeal within 30 days of an order being issued.

 

“Being ousted from the presidency stopped me from carrying on important projects that benefit the university and its students,” he said. 

 

Netiwit, who is also being investigated for his attempt to organise public hearings on how entrepreneurs are treated on CU-managed property, feared that he could face probation if he loses another 15 behaviour points.

 

Social critic Sulak Sivaraksa who also accompanied Netiwit during the investigation as a caretaker, said that the student leader and his friends were judged unfairly even though Netiwit had stressed his loyalty to the monarchy and followed tradition.

 

Netiwit could not even bring his lawyer to a public hearing during the investigation, Sulak said.

 

The eight students were accused of “stirring up a scene” at CU’s traditional oath taking ceremony, where freshmen would line up, pay respects, and take an oath before statues of the university’s highly respected Kings. Instead of sitting down on their legs and paying obeisance to the late Kings, Netiwit and other council members stood up and bowed to them before leaving their designated spots.

 

The students’ action prompted assistant rector Reungwit Banjongrat to approach economic student Suphalak Bumroongkit. A widely circulated photo shows Reungwit holding the student in a headlock and dragging him out of the grass field.

 

 

 

CU has investigated Reungwit for alleged assault, while separately investigating the students for misbehaviour.

 

Reungwit’s investigation is still ongoing, while that of the students has concluded.

 

CU has said that the probe of the assistant rector’s behaviour should be wrapped up soon. Students are set to provide testimony to the inquiry next Monday. The student council, however, has expressed concerns about the process of the alleged assault case, they said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30325554

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-09-02

I think I might have an idea about the result of Reungwit’s investigation...

Students pressured into prostrating themselves to a statue of the king who ended the practice of prostrating.

Strange world we live in.

Cant the students just overthrow the university board, appoint themseves and write a new set of regulations giving themselves unlimited power to do as they please.?

 

Surely they could just follow the Thai tradition of the PM big bwana.

1 hour ago, edwinchester said:

Students pressured into prostrating themselves to a statue of the king who ended the practice of prostrating.

Strange world we live in.

No, just Thailand. 

26 minutes ago, Reigntax said:

Cant the students just overthrow the university board, appoint themseves and write a new set of regulations giving themselves unlimited power to do as they please.?

 

Surely they could just follow the Thai tradition of the PM big bwana.

Don't give them ideas, they might just follow your advice, which in effect probably isn't all that bad, as from what I have noticed many universities are being run for the benefit of the board members and their boot-licking cohorts - with the students just a cumbersome pain in the arse. 

26 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Don't give them ideas, they might just follow your advice, which in effect probably isn't all that bad, as from what I have noticed many universities are being run for the benefit of the board members and their boot-licking cohorts - with the students just a cumbersome pain in the arse. 

 

You could apply the same to almost every organisation in Thailand starting at the very top and all the way down.

Gee whiz,  these regulations were formulated in 1984....30+ years ago. A real "cutting edge" educational facility?????

I suppose the PM will make another a speech about Thailand 4.0, education, critical thinking, and all that, soon. 

Thai students have always seemed so conformist. In other parts of the world students have been at the forefront of anti-Government and anti-establishment demonstrations. Here, they seem more likely to join the Government's anti-vice campaigns.

 

Good luck to these guys. Just a small step towards modernisation that may one day be seen as significant.

37 minutes ago, madmitch said:

Thai students have always seemed so conformist. In other parts of the world students have been at the forefront of anti-Government and anti-establishment demonstrations. Here, they seem more likely to join the Government's anti-vice campaigns.

 

Good luck to these guys. Just a small step towards modernisation that may one day be seen as significant.

As most university students would be lucky to be rated as mid high school students in the West, it will be a long time before  99.9% of them ever become significant. 

Rather than debate or discuss what happened the university prefers to choke and gag its students into submission.   What sort of higher learning takes place at such an institution ?

16 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

   What sort of higher learning takes place at such an institution ?

Very little...

 

What reasons did the students give for their change of protocol?

16 hours ago, Reigntax said:

Cant the students just overthrow the university board, appoint themseves and write a new set of regulations giving themselves unlimited power to do as they please.?

 

And give themselves an amnesty!

14 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Rather than debate or discuss what happened the university prefers to choke and gag its students into submission.   What sort of higher learning takes place at such an institution ?

 

Exactly the same as all aspects of society here react - business, political, NGO's, public sector and civil service and education.

 

Choke, gag, and attack the victims. And how convenient to have the defamation laws and all these lovely rules to fall back on!

 

I've been in a room with several PhD students at a university here. The farang students continually challenged the visiting professors and speakers. The Thais never ever did. Simply ate their snacks, consumed their drinks, made a few notes and left. There were many visiting lecturers who wanted and welcomed challenge and debate and expected to see critical thinking. Oh well, never mind!

One question, does the customary tradition of undergraduate hazing begin after this ceremony or was it completed before the event?

Surely the hazing, which has gone on for years, is protected under one of the Articles on student discipline? Articles 6, 7 and 12 fit the bill.