Organizer: Sigur Center for Asian Studies at The George Washington University
Type/Location: In Person / Washington, DC
Description:
In April 2024, the US State Department released the 2023 report on the Human Rights Practices in Thailand. The report painted a grim picture of the Thai human rights situation at a critical juncture in which the then government of Srettha Thavisin failed to address the human rights problems and the monarchy continued to challenge the constitution leading to intensifying application of laws to suppress its critics. Since the release of the report, Thailand made another dangerous turn, with Srettha forced to step down, the pro-reform opposition Move Forward Party dissolved, and now with Paethongtarn Shinawatra becoming the prime minister.
This talk will focus on the human rights problems facing Thailand in a specific context of the excessive use of lèse-majesté law, or Article 112 of the Criminal Code, which forbids anyone to criticize the monarchy. Since the enthronement of King Vajiralongkorn in 2016, there has been a sharp increase of lèse-majesté cases, particularly against young activists who called for immediate reforms of the monarchy and Article 112. In May 2024, a young activist, Netiporn Sanesangkhom, charged with lèse-majesté, died in prison due to hunger strike. Her death reiterated the fact that the monarchy has remained at the heart of the Thai political crisis. Meanwhile, the new Paethongtarn government has announced that it would not support the reform of Article 112, supposedly because of its close partnership with the monarchy. The speaker will discuss the lèse-majesté situation and his own international advocacy in raising awareness of the problems of lèse-majesté law.
The speaker will also bring with him a mobile exhibition. Titled “Objects of Disruption,” this exhibition will showcase 10 images that convey the ongoing activism among Thais who have sought to “disrupt” the political status quo. The speaker has worked with a group of Thai artists in Thailand in the production of these artworks.
About the speaker:
Pavin Chachavalpongpun is professor at Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies. He is also the chief editor of the online journal, Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, in which all articles are translated from English into Japanese, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Filipino, Vietnamese and Burmese. In the aftermath of the coup, Pavin was summoned by the junta to have his “attitude adjusted.” He rejected the summons. As a result, a warrant was issued for his arrest and his passport revoked, forcing him to apply for a refugee with Japan. In 2021, he set up his own project “112WATCH” as an international advocacy to raise awareness of the lèse-majesté issue in Thailand and to seek global support for the reform/abolition of this law.
Registration link:
To attend the event, please register here.