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The 13th International Conference on Thai Studies wrapped up Tuesday evening in Chiang Mai.
The conference, which was said to be the largest ever conference on Thai Studies, was considered a huge success. The four-day conference, held at the Chiang Mai Convention and Exhibition Centre, saw 900 registered participants and 200 walk-ins.
Despite a lingering sense of fear in the air and undercover police officers mingling in the crowds, the academics managed to present their ideas to public.
On Monday afternoon, 176 foreign and Thai academics signed up to the four-point declaration, “Return the Space of Knowledge, Rights, and Civil Liberties to Thai Society,” demanding that the military government return the rights and freedom to people enabling them to access information, news, facts, and knowledge that have been considerably suppressed following the coup in 2014.
The conference reached its peak when respected scholars – Pitch Pongsawat, Yukti Mukdawijitra, Tyrell Haberkorn, Pinkaew Laungaramsri, and Pandit Chanrochanakit – held a talk in “Unlearned Lessons from the 22 May 2014 Coup D’etat” during the afternoon session.
During the closing ceremony, Craig Reynolds and Yukti Mukdawijitra provided closing speeches.
In his closing speech, Mr. Yukti, an Assistant Professor of in the Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology at Thammasat University, admired his academic fellows for their courage while everyone including himself had to learn when and what to say or not to say.
“How can we live in this Age of Anxiety? I have no answer,” he told the audience.
“I admire all academics who have the courage to present their ideas under the threat they are facing,” he continued.
Charnvit Kasetsiri, a respected scholar, praised the organizer and the management team for being able to successfully hold the largest-ever conference on Thai studies with a diverse set of topics.
Keynote presentations were exceptional; especially Katherine A. Bowie who brought a surprisingly new perspective to an old topic like Khruba Srivichai.
Despite the sense of fear, Mr. Charnvit noted that many academics managed to talk and convey their ideas to the public. Another equally successful session was the film screening. Film has become a new form of media to present ideas. “Filmmakers have been able to convey their ideas better than academics,” he said.
Ms. Bowie, whose keynote presentation opened the conference on Saturday, said the event was not only wonderful in being able to see old friends but also to see new scholars and research.
The conference was special because it was held in both Thai and English, unique for an event on Thai studies. This provided a sense of comfort for panelists and audience members enabling all participants to have meaningful discussions and freely conveying their ideas.
Ms. Bowie finally praised her colleagues for being able to beautifully handle the situation.
“There was a silence that was allowed as to what could not be talked about. And everybody knew there were certain subjects that could not be discussed. However, everyone handled this complexity with tremendous grace,” said Ms. Bowie.
