Students, alumni members and lecturers at Thammasat University remain divided over the use of its main campus as a venue for the Nitirat group to engineer a campaign to amend the controversial lese majeste law.
Alumni and present students of Thammasat University’s journalism and mass communication faculty hold banners at the Tha Phra Chan campus yesterday protesting against the Nitirat group’s campaign to reform the lese majeste law. APICHART JINAKUL
More than 200 current and former student members of the Journalism and Mass Communication Faculty staged a rally against Nitirat at the Tha Phrachan campus. Students and lecturers from other faculties and supporters joined in the demonstration.
They were countered by a group of students who gathered at Thammasat's Rangsit campus in Pathum Thani who oppose the ban on Nitirat. The group will hold a rally at Tha Phrachan campus on Sunday.
Thammasat rector Somkit Lerpaithoon thrust the school into the spotlight after he banned Nitirat from using the Tha Phrachan campus to push its campaign to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code due to concerns it could lead to clashes with groups who want to keep the status quo.
Nitirat opponents urged the university to set up a committee to look into disciplinary and legal actions against Nitirat members, mostly Thammasat academics who are led by law lecturer Worajet Pakheerat.
They handed a list of demands to deputy rector Pornchai Trakulwaranon that included a call for the Thammasat community to oppose outright Nitirat's proposal, for the government to declare its stance on protecting the monarchy, and to take legal action against anybody who violates the lese majeste law in any way.
"We are here to ask the Thammasat community to take a stand opposing the amendment of Article 112. People are confused about the university's position," Euthana Mukdasanit, a leader of the anti-Nitirat group and a university alumni said.
At the Rangsit campus, about 10 students came out to oppose the ban, saying it restricted freedom of speech.
Waranyu Kateju, vice-president of the Thammasat University Student Union, said the student group would discuss what steps should be taken following the ban by the university.
On Wednesday, the student union called on the university to lift the ban. Mr Waranyu said this did not mean the student union agreed with Nitirat on its push for the amendment.
Mr Somkit said he did not believe the demonstrations by either group on the two campuses would escalate into a confrontation as they were only there to express their positions.
He said he would send the petition from the student union asking for a review of the ban on Nitirat's activities to the university council meeting to be held in two weeks.
Mr Somkit said it takes only a small trigger for a tense confrontation to escalate into violence, which is why he decided to ban Nitirat's Article 112 amendment activities on the campus.
"When you have two groups with extremely different opinions gathering in the same place at the same time, somebody may throw anything into Thammasat and the encounter can tip and turn violent," Mr Somkit said.
As the university's rector, he is responsible for the order, safety and prestige of the university.
Democrat Party and opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva urged Thammasat executives and Nitirat to meet and thrash out their differences on the issue.
Mr Abhisit said it would be proper for the university to maintain academic freedom of expression.
Somsak Jiamthirasakul, a lecturer in Thammasat's Liberal Arts Faculty, said in a message posted in his Facebook page that Nitirat is the sole target for heavy criticism partly because the Pheu Thai Party and the red shirts had been insincere when originally showing support for the group's campaign to reform the lese majeste law.
He added that critics have linked Nitirat to ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra even though the group has nothing to do with him.
Nidhi Eoseewong, a member of the Campaign Committee for the Amendment of Article 112, said if the fear of violence or a coup is cited as a reason to bar people from expressing their opinions, then there is a question if we have democracy at all.
"We have to prevent a coup from being staged but the act of prevention must not infringe on people's democratic rights and freedom," the former Chiang Mai University lecturer said.
"Otherwise, there is no point discussing democracy."
He said Thammasat's decision to ban Nitirat from using its facility to discuss ideas _ no matter how debatable they are _ raises the question of who gets to decide what ideas are dangerous or which are prone to inducing conflict or violence.
"In my view, it is equally dangerous to cite the fear of violence as a reason to curtail freedom," Mr Nidhi said.
Thammasat University students lay flowers at the monument of former university rector Puey Ungphakorn on Rangsit campus while protesting against a decision by university executives to prohibit the Nitirat group from using its grounds to campaign for an amendment to the lese majeste law. TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD