Photo: Same Sky Books
The launch of a book on the military's role in Thailand, scheduled for this Friday, is being moved from Chulalongkorn University to the Jim Thompson Museum, the book's author, Puangthong Pawakapan, wrote on her Facebook page today.
“I was informed by the dean of the Faculty of Political Science last week that the campus will no longer allow the launch of the book to be held there. He did not provide a reason or explanation,” she wrote.
Puangthong, a scholar at the Faculty of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University, is the author of “Infiltrating Society: The Thai Military's Internal Security Affairs.”
The change of venue occurred despite the fact that the English version of the book won an award from the university. Thammasat University’s Faculty of Science also offered to host the book launch, she said, but this offer came after she had reached an agreement with the Jim Thompson Museum.
The event will take place from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. One of the key speakers will be Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
The book largely addresses what its author sees as the attempts by and activities of the Thai military to indoctrinate people to accept its control over politics and its dominant role in society.
According to the book, the ‘infiltration’ by the military includes projects that expand its political domain into civilian society. Among these are village development projects, community groups, military scholarships and paramilitary intelligence units.
Through such projects, the book claims that civilian participants are taught to obey authority, respect the monarchy and cooperate with the government.
They are also re-educated to believe that the military's involvement in politics and civilian affairs is necessary.
Puangthong’s book was first published in English in 2021 and its Thai translation was released recently.
Maj Gen Winthai Suwari, the spokesman for ISOC, strongly criticised the contents of the book, claiming it was poorly researched and contained a lot of misinformation.
He stated that the book damages the image of the armed forces and questioned the author’s qualifications and academic background, insisting that she lacks experience in security affairs.
In her response, posted on Facebook, Puangthong stands by her writing, which she insists is based on research and information, provided and endorsed by both Thai and foreign experts on Thai political and security affairs.
She suggested that the military should address the concerns raised by the book through a formal written response or public debate, to foster open dialogue and transparency, rather than resorting to a ban.
