The curtailment of academic freedom in Thailand
Student protest at Chulalongkorn University (NanWdc / Shutterstock.com)
Academic freedoms are important not only for truth-seeking within the university but also for the wider community. Academic freedom is a universal and fundamental basis for guaranteeing the quality of education in all forms of education. A society can only function properly if these freedoms exist. In Thailand, these academic freedoms are largely absent.
This concerns freedoms for research within the university, but also about sharing the results with other institutes, such as other education, the media and society in general. This requires the university to have independence, integrity and self-control, without outside interference.
Academic freedoms
Let me name a few, maybe there are more. First, freedom of expression in the spoken and written word. Furthermore, the freedom to appoint competent people in university life without being influenced from within by favoritism or patronage or by political interference from outside. And finally, being able to organize and attend study and other meetings and allow demonstrations by both groups on the university grounds.
The degree of academic freedom in Thailand
The numbers I give here come from the website mentioned in sources. They are collected on the basis of information provided by academics in the countries concerned. On a scale from very little (0) to a lot (1) freedom, the following applies to Thailand.
1975 0.4
1977 0.14
2000 0.58
2007 0.28
2012 0.56
2015 0.11
2020 0.13
In terms of academic freedoms, Thailand is now in the same group as China, North Korea, the Middle East and Cuba. The other Southeast Asian countries are clearly doing better: Malaysia 0.5, Cambodia 0.35 and Indonesia 0.7.
In comparison: the Netherlands 0.9 and the US also 0.9.
It is also clear to see how each time after a military coup academic freedom fell sharply (1977, 2007, 2015) and then recovered, except now after the coup of 2014.
Some examples for illustration
My attention to this topic was drawn to a recent post about David Streckfuss. He has lived in Thailand for 35 years, is married to a Thai. He has worked at Khon Kaen University for 27 years in support of the International Student Exchange Organization (CIEE) and is a key founder and contributor to The Isaan Record website. In 2011 his book 'Truth on Trial in Thailand, Defamation, treason and lèse-majesté' was published.
Recently, a number of immigration police officers visited the rector of Khon Kaen University to complain about his involvement in local politics after he organized an event in February for writers, artists, academics and activists to talk about Isan affairs. Then the university canceled his work permit and I understand that he could lose his residence permit as well. The university says his work permit has been revoked due to "inability to properly perform his duties." He has submitted a new work permit application for his work at The Isaan Record. There is no answer to that yet.
The more right-wing and royalist media in Thailand accuse him of being a paid CIA agent involved in the recent protests. He would like to abolish the monarchy.
Titipol Phakdeewanich, Dean of Political Science at the university in Ubon Ratchathani was kindly requested to visit a military base there a number of times in the period 2014-2017. In 2017 he was told that a conference on human rights could not take place.
Chayan Vaddhanaphuti was charged with 4 other academics from Chiang Mai University for organizing an international conference on human rights in 2017. Military officers attended the conference. The teachers then protested in front of the university with a banner that read: 'A university is not a military camp'.
Nattapol Chaiching, now a lecturer at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University in Bangkok, published the 2020 best selling academic book 'The Junta, the Lords, and the Eagle' which discusses the monarch's role in Thai politics. An earlier dissertation of his has now been censored by Chulalongkorn University, and he faces a number of libel charges.
Protests at Mahidol university (kan Sangtong / Shutterstock.com)
Two academics on academic freedoms
saowanee alexander, an assistant professor at Ubon Ratchathani University who studies the relationship between language and politics told the Times Higher Education publication:
“The recent protests (2020-21) are about people's freedoms in general. Thai academics involved in these protests in any capacity have been critical of the government since the coup [2014] and have been intimidated in various ways.
When it comes to academic freedom, especially the lifting of top-down views and rules, it is unlikely to happen any time soon,” she said. “A deeply rooted system of traditional beliefs about what to learn and how to learn is at the heart of Thai education.”
James Buchanan a visiting lecturer at Mahidol University International College and a PhD candidate studying Thai politics at City University of Hong Kong says:
'Academic freedom is definitely a problem in Thailand. Fear of lèse-majesté has sometimes hindered the work of academics both inside and outside Thailand. Some academics may choose to self-censor or avoid research on certain topics, while others may have chosen to write using pseudonyms. And conferences on sensitive topics tend to be rather tense affairs. But we are now seeing a strong desire in the recent Thai protests to break these taboos, and the academic community – both in Thailand and scholars about Thailand abroad – has a duty to support that. The demonstrations of mainly young people in the past year were regularly about freedom of expression. Many universities banned these gatherings'.
Conclusion
I cannot do better than to quote Titipol Phakdeewanich from the article in The Nation mentioned below. That article is from 2017 during the junta rule, but I believe that little has been improved in the meantime. I have not heard any reports that the universities themselves are committed to more freedoms, on the contrary.
Titipol writes in 2017:
While leaning toward the junta, Thai universities have been reluctant to protect campus freedoms, in part because they viewed the military's attacks on academic freedom as a personal concern. Once universities take the lead in endorsing military rule, academic freedom is in jeopardy. It is time for Thai universities to revisit their commitment to protecting academic freedom. The main purpose of a university is to serve the public and the academic community, not to function as a government agency whose job it is to follow the orders of the junta or government. Academic votes and events should not be viewed as a threat to national security and the junta's timeline for democracy. This dangerous trend has been exacerbated by the growing distrust of politicians amid the polarization in Thai politics over the past decade at the expense of freedoms. Democracy functions on the principles of freedom and liberties, while the military functions on command and obedience. So democracy and the military are mutually exclusive and exist in opposite areas. Thai universities cannot afford to mislead the public if they want democracy to survive and flourish. Unfortunately, Thai universities are unlikely to find the courage to protect academic freedom any time soon. The continued decline of academic freedom in Thailand is therefore not only due to military pressure, but also to the fact that universities allow that freedom to be suppressed. '
Source reference:
The data on academic freedoms in Thailand (and other countries) over the past decades come from the site below. They are roughly equivalent to the numbers I found on other sites: www.v-dem.net/en/analysis/VariableGraph/
- Titipol Phakdeewanich's 2017 story: 'Academic freedom is dying under military rule: Universities must step up' in The Nation:www.nationthailand.com/opinion/30326197
- Why freedom in education is important for the quality of education: www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210311071016522
- Another website with a global overview of academic freedom: www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/03/30/new-index-rates-countries-degree-freedom-scholars
- A more comprehensive overview of academic freedom violations in Thailand since 2014 from the Prachatai website: prachatai.com/english/category/academic-freedom
- A contribution from Mark S. Cogan in the Southeast Asia Globe Apr. 21: southeastasiaglobe.com/academic-freedom-thailand/
David Streckfuss was involved with the Isaan Record early on, but he is not a founding member, the website emphasized this again in a message last May 20. Prachatai paints a picture of David's sudden early withdrawal of his work permit. Various parties involved have made a number of, sometimes contradictory, statements about the withdrawal of the work permit. Officially, the reason why David has not done his job well in the past year is: he is responsible for a student exchange program and little has come of it in 2020 (gosh, are you serious?). But another explanation is that the authorities have visited the university to let them know that David's activities are not appreciated (talking about decentralization and standing up for Isaaners doesn't sit well in Bangkok?). After which the university came to the conclusion that David did not do his job properly…
https://prachatai.com/english/node/9185
The authorities love visits from soldiers and/or police, be it through conversations with people (networking is very popular in Thailand) or by visibly observing (state security and so on...). Freedom of expression, critical examination, criticism and presenting facts that do not suit those in power are of secondary importance to the importance of 'unity' and 'state security'. Get out of step and you are a potential danger and you will know that with subtle and less subtle hints... If these professors take their place again, the sand will be over again, it was "a misunderstanding" (ความเข้าใจผิด , came khâo-tjai pìt). If you don't know your place, then there is actually no place for you in society... And as long as the hypocritical military has quite a few tentacles in the political and administrative system, this will not change quickly. A free society with healthy discussions, transparency, accountability and the ability to put issues to the test is not possible in the short term. Such a pity.
It would do Thailand good if the professors (and journalists, the FCCT had a debate not too long ago about curtailing the press in Thailand) could just do their thing. That would benefit society and therefore the country.
I have also read other stories.
He is director of an organization that organizes student exchange programs for mainly American students. He is seconded to the university (does not work for a faculty) and his salary is officially paid by the university (also because of his work permit) but the exchange organization in the USA pays it back to the university. At the university he has no boss, only a desk/workplace and he does NOT work for the university.
Due to the Covid issues, the exchange flow of students has been reduced to 0 and therefore there is no more work for him. The organization in the USA has therefore terminated his contract (expectations for the future are also not favorable) and there is no reason for the university to employ him or merely 'keep him employed' on paper.
His critical book was already published in 2011 and if people really wanted to get rid of him, they could have done so immediately after one of the many coups d'état since 1990. He has been working here for 27 years.
Yes, Chris, it is quite possible that you are right about David Sreckfuss and that his work permit was not denied or revoked because of restrictions on freedoms, but indeed because his duties were terminated.
I now read that the CIEE student exchange program for which he worked and had a room at the university has already ended in June 2020 (because of covid-19?), that he then received a new work permit in August, which was now withdrawn prematurely. The stories circulating in the media assume that it happened because of his political stance, but I now also have my doubts. My apologies.
I'll stick with the rest of my story.
Given the questionable quality of education, you constantly get the feeling that the small elite who still rule in Thailand prefer to keep the interlect in their own circles.
Of course, the question arises, which country can still afford to lose so many talents forever?
@Tino,
Thanks for the contribution and here's a question.
Are there also restrictions for academics who do not explore the boundaries of political events?
Every day, numerous Thai officials are working nationally and internationally on policies and international treaties to serve the interests of the country. Eg. trade agreements with details down to the last decimal point and it doesn't seem to me that these are stupid geese who are not allowed to express an opinion, but yes I could be wrong.
Yes, Johnny, there are certainly many good and brave academics out there.
These restrictions on academic freedoms are certainly largely about political views, but they are also linked to opinions about socio-economic and foreign policy. Freedom of expression plays a major role in this. Different rules apply to civil servants, although there is also too much pressure from above. Speaking out about corruption within the government is an almost impossible task. This is of course true for other governments, but to a lesser extent.
I hear that favoritism and patronage are common in the academic community. This hinders the appointment of good academics who think independently. This too is a curtailment of freedoms. I also mentioned the constant monitoring of what happens in the university by police and military services, the frequent bans on holding discussions and other gatherings.
There are also the necessary barriers within the university when it comes to environmental issues that affect business interests.
I believe everything in terms of patronage and if I have understood correctly that also happens in the Netherlands where employees are rewarded with a place in the 2nd chamber (including VVD) because they are so comfortable without the voter noticing it.
Regarding environmental issues, I am very curious about what you mean. It has been known for years that export rice should only be grown in the Chao Praya delta and that Isaan rice should be for own use. This is due to a different climate in Isaan. Due to salinization (the size of Belgium), more and more unusable land is becoming available that can be filled with solar panels. Is something like this being fought out at a university?
of the 304 universities and higher institutes in Thailand, 4 are in the world top 1000, and none in the top 500. Then you know, don't you?
source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1979459/thai-universities-in-global-rankings
I work as an academic (teacher and researcher) at a Thai university and have great difficulty with Tino's story and do not endorse his conclusions at all.
I shared the reasons for this with Tino in the preliminary stages of this posting:
– the index of academic freedom is based on quicksand: about 15 academics in Thailand completed the questionnaire (probably in English so that 80% of Thai academics are excluded); perhaps those who are the most angry;
– the link between this index and the coups is just as valid as the link between the number of storks and the number of births;
– I have been working here since 2006 and have really not noticed any of these limitations, not in my teaching (I discuss all topics with my students, including the taboo ones but I learn to think for myself and rarely give my own opinion; that is NOT my job as a lecturer), not in my research and conference papers;
– academic researchers must adhere to the conclusions of their research. And as far as education is concerned, the quality conditions set by the government in addition to their own design of their classes. What they think, do and publish in private (as I do here on Thailandblog and Mr. Streckfuss in Isaan Record) has nothing to do with academic freedom but with freedom of expression that applies to everyone. Some 'academics' abuse their MBA and PhD status by expressing private opinions which then gain more weight;
– there are public and private universities in Thailand. These private universities are not dependent on the government for funding (education and research), so not on 'Prayut and the army';
– a lot of research is NOT financed by the Thai government or companies, but (partly) by foreign institutions and funds. And often also presented outside Thailand (magazines, conferences);
– casuistry of cases involving academic lack of freedom does not mean that it is a general trend.
I don't want to repeat my discussion with Tino so I'll leave it at that.