Thai Academics Shut Down
Warned not to air political views
Thai academics are being intimidated out of speaking out on a large scale, according to University World News, a London-based publication for academics. In an article by Yojana Sharma, published on July 11, the publication said that “broadcasting freely is no longer a simple and safe matter since the government crackdown against Red Shirt protesters in May.”
Radio stations have been shut down and academics have been warned by their own universities to not openly broadcast their opinions, the story said, quoting Suda Rangkupan, a lecturer in linguistics at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, who told Sharma that “Regular commentators on mainstream radio and television stations have also become more cautious although the change is sometimes subtle: ‘Many professors are reluctant to take sides, often they censor themselves. If I talk about linguistics I have to be [politically] neutral.'”
Suda has considerably reduced her broadcast appearances, according to the story. Her reluctance and that of her colleagues has tended to strangle open debate given that Thai academics appear on broadcast media far more than in most other countries.
“Many academics have a show on mainstream radio, especially the law and politics professors who are famous. They may be interviewed every week, once or twice a week,” she said.
