By Kornkritch Somjittranukit |
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<div>The “most political” Thai studies conference was held last week, with calls for academic freedom in Thai society. The junta, however, responded by summoning three scholars.</div>
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<div>Every three years, the International Conference on Thai Studies (ICTS) is held as a platform for scholars and researchers. This year, the 13th ICTS was hosted in Chiang Mai and 385 papers were presented between 15 and 18 July. </div>
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<div>But the 13th ICTS was also a symbolic protest against the ruling junta.
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<p>The Ministry of Defence has claimed that soldiers merely asked for cooperation from a high-school student activist who was visited by plainclothes soldiers. </p>
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<div>Soldiers have visited the school of a student activist, asking him to stop criticising Prayut with threats of further intimidation. </div>
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<div>On 21 July 2017, Sanhanutta Sartthaporn, the Secretary General of the education reform group Education for Liberation of Siam (ELS), <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=253389001818992&set=a.104002506757643.1073741828.100014436812203&type=3&theater">posted on his Facebook account</a> that he was visited by two plainclothes soldiers on Wednesday morning.</div>
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<div>The soldiers appr
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<div>Last week, student activists organised events to make fun of the paternalism that underpins Thailand’s National Children’s Day.</div>
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<div>On 4 February 2016, the student activist group Education for Liberation of Siam (ELS) held an event called “National Seniors Day: Seniors in the Era of a Changing World” at Banglamphu Museum, Bangkok. </div>
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<div>The event aimed to mock National Children’s Day, a day where adults seem to impose certain values on children.
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