On 13 August 2020, historian Professor Nidhi Eoseewong released a written statement about the 6 October 1976 massacre to the public after a news agency incorrectly reported the views he shared during an interview. Prachatai disseminated the statement in Thai on the day it was released and here Prachatai English shares a translation as both the ongoing protests intensify and the 44th anniversary of the massacre approaches.

Many people have said that what the students said on 10 August were sincere expressions of opinion that remained within the lines. People have said that the stance of the university should be to protect freedom of thought and expression to the farthest degree acceptable by the society at the time. They have said that the university should not be afraid of unconventional ideas and provocative thoughts, and, as much as is possible, must protect students from threats from the state. I agree completely with all of these views.

It’s been barely one month since Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha told the press that His Majesty the King had instructed him not to use the lèse majesté law. Now we’re seeing a new protocol exercised by the administration and it’s even more disturbing.

A bus passenger with a face mask on.  For many of us, the reality of COVID-19 went from being a distant tremble on the horizon to a full-on earthquake, in very little time.

Part 2 of an article by Atchara Rakyutidharm on how the state creates a climate of fear through the use of Article 112.