| Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal | |
| Native Name: | เนติวิทย์ โชติภัทร์ไพศาล |
| Native Name Lang: | th |
| Birth Date: | 10 September 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Samut Prakan province, Thailand |
| Nickname: | Frank (Thai: แฟรงก์) |
| Years Active: | 2012–present |
| Alma Mater: | Chulalongkorn University |
| Movement: | Education for Liberation of Siam |
| Signature: | เนติวิทย์ โชติภัทร์ไพศาล.png |
Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal (Thai: เนติวิทย์ โชติภัทร์ไพศาล; born 10 September 1996), nicknamed Frank (Thai: แฟรงก์), is a Thai student activist, librarian, preservationist, conscientious objector, producer, publisher, and author. He is a founder of TERA (Thailand Educational Revolution Alliance) and Education for Liberation of Siam.[1] Both groups aim to reform the Thai education system. In addition, he has established Samnak Nisit Sam Yan Press for publishing thoughts and ideas in Thai language, and also Humanity Beyond Borders for giving assistance to refugees and those in needs of protection.
Netiwit is an outspoken activist who speaks against the Thai Junta both on Facebook and in public. In 2018, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) filed a police complaint against him and six activists for being leaders of the protest[2] and accused them, along with thirty-two other protesters, of violating the 2015 Public Assembly Act,[3] which might cost him 7–9 years in jail.
Netiwit was elected as the student council president at Chulalongkorn University,[4] but was removed from the position and had his behavior score deducted by university authorities in consequence of 2017 Chulalongkorn University incident. This was in spite of support from eight Nobel laureates, as well as noted academics such as Noam Chomsky, Steven Pinker, and others. However, after he filed a petition with the Administrative Court against Chulalongkorn University, the court ruled in his favor a year later, and his position and behavior score were restored.[5]
Netiwit is currently studying political science at Chulalongkorn University while being a librarian at the Santi Pracha Dhamma Library.
In April 2020, he was voted by students of Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University to be the President of the Political Science Student Union of Chulalongkorn University for 2020–2021.
On 31 March 2021, Netiwit was elected by Chulalongkorn University undergraduates to be the President of Chulalongkorn University's Student Union (SUCU) with a landslide victory, the highest votes received for the position and highest-turnout rate over decades.[6] [7]
Netiwit was born in Samut Prakan province on 10 September 1996.[8] He is the youngest child of a middle-class family of shopkeepers.[8] [9]
In 2012, Netiwit and a group of fellow students formed TERA (Thailand Education Revolution Alliance). A student-led organization, TERA aimed to pressure education authorities to reform the Thai education system. This includes abolishing strict uniform codes, increasing the quality of teachers and curriculum, reducing rote-style education, and increasing the number of public schools.[10] Netiwit gained public recognition after appearing on a television program to speak about the organization and its cause.[11]
Education for Liberation of Siam was formed in December 2013 by Netiwit and other student activists. Netiwit serves as the first secretary of the organization. The purpose of the group is to provide a platform for student activism and disseminating questionable actions and misconduct by authority figures in the Thai education system. In 2014, under the secretary general Nattanan Warintarawet, the organization gained prominence for protesting against educational reforms put in place by the Junta.[12] [13] [14] [15]
In July 2016, Netiwit and a friend caused controversy by refusing to prostrate before the statue of King Rama V at an annual Chulalongkorn University event citing that King Rama V himself abolished the act. He received both praise and criticism from the act, notably the ire of General Prayut Chan-o-cha, leader of Thailand's junta.[16] [17] [18] Netiwit has also spoken out against hazing in a common Thai initiation tradition known as (Thai: รับน้อง; ; in Thai pronounced as /ráp nɔ́ːŋ/).[19]
In 2016, Netiwit personally invited activist Joshua Wong to speak at an event commemorating the 1976 Thammasat University massacre. Wong was detained for twelve hours upon entering Thailand but managed to speak to attendees via Skype after being deported.[20] [21] In May 2017, Netiwit was elected as Student Council President at Chulalongkorn University.[22] [23]
See main article: 2017 Chulalongkorn University incident. Netiwit and seven other members of the student council walked out of an oath-giving ceremony requiring them to prostrate in front of a statue of King Rama VI in symbolic protest. As a result, one of the members was assaulted by a professor, Reungwit Bunjongrat, and the protesting members had their "behavioural scores" cut by the university as punishment. Subsequently, this led to the members, including Netiwit, being removed from their position on the student council.[24] [25] Netiwit has since received support from academics and activists internationally,[26] including Nobel Prize laureate Roald Hoffmann, scholar and political activist Noam Chomsky, and Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. In January 2018, seven Nobel laureates sent a petition to Chulalongkorn University to appeal for Netiwit and his seven friends and to criticize the university.[27]
In 2019 after he filed a petition with the Court against Chulalongkorn University, the administrative court ruled in his favor since then Chulalongkorn university authority returned his position and behavioural points to him.
In June 2020, Netiwit and his team, Demosingh Party, were elected to serve as the board of the Political Science Student Union of Chulalongkorn University (PSCU) . Netiwit was the President of the Student Union in the Faculty of Political Science.[28]
During his term in PSCU, he had addressed and engaged in many social and political issues, such as Chao Mae Tubtim Shrine, Scala Theatre.[29] Moreover, his student union had published many public statements involving contemporary events and political developments in Thailand, including the forced disaprearance of Thai activist-in-exile Wanchalearm Satsaksit, 2021 Myanmar Coup d'etat, condemning the State's violence against demonstrations and charge of article 112, and so much more.[30] [31]
This term of Netiwit's team has changed the University along with the development of protests across the country against Prayut Chan-o-cha's government.
In June 2021, Netiwit, alongside his Chula for ALL Party (Thai: พรรคจุฬาของทุกคน), secured a victory in the Student Union of Chulalongkorn University (SUCU) elections, assuming the role of the Student Government of Chulalongkorn University (SGCU) (Thai: องค์การบริหารสโมสรนิสิตจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย). The elections saw an unprecedented voter turnout, with Netiwit's party winning by a considerable majority.[32]
Netiwit's leadership, however, was not without controversy. On July 20, the student union, under his guidance, held an orientation for incoming students. The event featured prominent activists like Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul and Parit Chiwarak as guest speakers, both of whom have faced detention under Thailand's lèse-majesté law. The union also introduced a revised student handbook emphasizing freedom of speech and social rights.[33]
The new handbook drew criticism from the university's student affairs department. In reaction, pro-monarchy alumni formed the "Chulalongkorn University Defense Committee," which pushed the university to penalize Netiwit. The pressure culminated in a letter on August 4 from the vice president of student affairs, threatening disciplinary action against him.[34]
International organization PEN America weighed in on the issue. Karin Deutsch Karlekar, the director of free expression at risk programs at PEN America, stressed that students at globally recognized institutions like Chulalongkorn should enjoy freedom of expression without external influence from alumni.[35]
As the head of SGCU, Netiwit also initiated a petition via Change.org in remembrance of the October 6, 1976 massacre. This called for the global recognition of "The International Day for the Protection of Students’ Freedom of Expression." His plea gained international backing, including support from personalities like Nathan Law, Mu Sochua, Zoya Phan, Edipcia Dubon, and Yevgeniya Chirikova, along with various organizations like Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and various Thai student bodies.[36]
Another major decision by the Student Union was to abolish the traditional Phra Kiao parade during the football match between Chulalongkorn and Thammasat Universities, denouncing it as a symbol of authoritarianism and inequality. This decision ignited debates, with Minister of Digital Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, an alumnus of Chulalongkorn, expressing pride in the event.On October 25th, a news report at the Thai parliament showed Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, mentioning the Student Union’s resolution. He asked the ministers whether they are alumni of Chulalongkorn University. Chaiwut and another Minister of Culture presented themselves. Prayut then told them to “take a look over that situation.”[37]
Following this, reactionary news outlets targeted the student union members, with Thai newspaper ThaiPost News particularly condemning Netiwit's leadership, painting it as an attempt to "destroy Phra Kiao." The situation escalated when the university administration framed the union's resolution as an assault on revered figures, hinting at punitive measures against the involved students.[38]
The climax of Netiwit's tenure came in February 2022. After only nine months as president, he faced disciplinary action stemming from an alleged violation during the Freshmen Orientation live stream of 2021. The university implicated both Netiwit and Pitchakorn Roeksomphong, the First Vice President of SGCU, accusing them of organizing activities contrary to the prescribed objectives of the Office of Student Affairs.[39]
Chulalongkorn University Students’ Union publicly opposed the university’s order, saying the July 2021 event was organised to raise awareness of student rights and freedoms and to encourage new students to be critical of the university’s administration, which it said was permissible under the Constitution.
Student unions and councils from 19 other universities across the country have opposed the Chulalongkorn decision and demanded the order to remove union heads be revoked, saying it violated academic freedom.[40]
Due to the mounting pressures and accusations, Netiwit was eventually removed from his position as the president of the Student Government of Chulalongkorn University.
On 25 January 2018, Netiwit joined as an observer in an anti-junta protest organized by the Democracy Restoration Group (DRG) in the subway close to the MBK Center. On 29 January, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) filed a police complaint against him and six activists for being leaders of the protest[2] and accused them, along with thirty-two other protesters, of violating the 2015 Public Assembly Act.[3]
On 8 February, the court released him unconditionally, along with the other thirty-two activists.[41] However, the police sent the appeal to the court, so the case has still not been ruled on.
On 25 December 2020, the Criminal Court dismissed all charges against Netiwit and activists including Anon Nampa, Sombat Boongamanong, Rangsiman Rome and Sirawith Seritiwat.[42]
On 10 February 2018, Netiwit joined as an observer in an anti-junta protest "Stop power Stop late election time up NCPO. start Democracy" in Mac Donald near Democracy Monument.[43] The next week he was accused of violating the 2015 Public Assembly Act and disturbing peace in the country. The case has still not been ruled on by the court.[44]
On 24 March 2018, Metiwit joined as an activity of Thammasart University and Royal Thai Army.[45] He was one of 57 people accused by police of violating the 2015 Public Assembly Act and disturbing peace in the country. The case has still not been ruled on by the court.[46]
On 22 May 2018, Netiwit joined as a protester calling the Junta to give the general election to the Thai people and resign from the government. That day, protesters went to protest in front of the United Nations headquarter in Bangkok. Netiwit did not go there. However, the following week he was accused by police of violating the 2015 Public Assembly Act and disturbing peace in the country. The case has still not been ruled on by the court.[47]
In May 2018, the Humboldt University student council made a public statement on the official website calling on university leaders and student representatives in Germany to stand with him and asking the Thai government to drop all charges against him and others immediately.[48] [49]
In 2018, he ran as board member of Amnesty International Thailand, AIT, and to be elected in the Annual General Meeting 2019 on 21 July 2018. AIT then filed a request to the Bangkok Association Registrar to have a replacement of board member. However, the Bangkok Association Registrar informed AIT that they could not register and issue a permit for the registration of all-new board members invoking Netiwit's improper demeanor or lack of qualifications to be a member of an association's board. An appeal was filed, as a result of which the authorities accepted the registration of three new board members save for Netiwit.[50]
AIT later filed an appeal with the Minister of Interior furhishing and was further informed that Netiwit was being held criminally liable in four cases for "being complicit in an act to defy the Head of the National Council for Peace and Order no. 3/2558 on "The Maintenance of Public Order and National Security's Article 12". The authorities therefore deemed his demeanor unfit for administrating an association serving the public interest and for setting an example for the general public and youth. He was therefore considered unqualified to sit as a board member of the association since it may affect public order and national security.
The alleged police document leaked to Netiwit in 2020 outlines four points regarding his 'unsuitable behavior' from when he was in high school to his time at Chulalongkorn University.[51] [52]
The four points are:
In October 2019, AIT and Netiwit filed a lawsuit with the Administrative Court, the defendants are the registrar for alleged abuse of power in disqualifying Netiwit and Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paochinda for neglect of duty for failing to deliver the appeal result in the stipulated timeframe.
On 17 February 2023, the Central Administrative Court overturned the 2019 decision of the Minister of Interior, which had rejected an appeal by Amnesty International Thailand (AIT) to register Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal as a member of its Board of Directors. The Court cited the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand’s Section 29, emphasizing the principle of presumed innocence until proven guilty. Given that Netiwit had not been judicially declared guilty, his prior activism shouldn't render him unsuitable for the AIT position.
The Director General's refusal to register Netiwit was deemed an unlawful violation of constitutional rights, seen as an excessive measure unrelated to public order or national security. Both the decision of the Director General of the Department of Provincial Administration and the Minister of Interior's appeal dismissal were declared unlawful.
Ms. Thitirat Thipsamritkul, Chairperson of Amnesty International Thailand, noted Netiwit's association with AIT since March 2012 and his election to the Board in July 2018. She hailed the Court's verdict as a pivotal move in upholding the freedom of association in Thailand and reaffirming the boundaries of state power in respect to individual rights.[53]
In 2014, after the Thai coup, Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal publicly announced his position as a conscientious objector on the War Resisters' International website.[54] This wasn't merely a token gesture; it echoed his deeper convictions against enforced military service.[55]
Upon entering university, he navigated the provisions of Thai law that allowed him to defer his military service. This deferral, however, was not without its annual challenges. Each year, he was mandated to report to the military center to reaffirm his deferment. Never one to miss an opportunity for activism, Netiwit used these visits to raise awareness about his cause. Accompanied by banners and posters, he criticized the enforced conscription and highlighted the alleged corruption within the Thai military system.[56] On one occasion, he, along with a group of friends, conducted a poll at the center, querying young Thai males about their stance on enforced recruitment. The results were telling; a majority voiced their reluctance to be coerced into service.[57]
The narrative took another turn in 2023 when Netiwit, at age 26, embraced monkhood. With the end of his deferral period looming and no possibility for further deferments, he faced a decision concerning his military obligation. Instead of enlisting, Netiwit penned a thoughtful letter to the sheriff, citing his unwavering stance as a conscientious objector since the age of 18.[58]
Some speculate that his entry into monkhood is a strategic move, meant to thrust the military conscription issue into the spotlight. Given the revered position of monks in Thai society, the act of arresting one would undoubtedly be controversial.[59]
While donning the monk's robes, Netiwit spoke to Tricycle. He articulated the stark contrast between the militaristic values championed by the establishment and the pacifist principles central to Buddhism. He remarked, "I don't wish to subject my temple to state-led pressures because of my actions. Yet, I'm cognizant of the fact that my decisions might lead to legal consequences, potentially even a three-year prison term. But irrespective of how the courts might judge, I stand steadfast, ready to face the repercussions of my choices."[60]
Netiwit disrobed in April, 2023.
Netiwit has been credited as a transnational activist for Thai and Hong Kong democracy movement[61] ahead of the arrival of Milk Tea Alliance in 2020 through an invitation to Joshua Wong to speak at Chulalongkorn University in 2016 and issuing a translation of a book in support of the Hong Kong movement in 2017
He has been one or the organizer of a protest to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in front of the Chinese embassy in Thailand since 2018.[62] The police did not allow him to hold protests in front of the Chinese embassy in 2020, he made Tiananmen cookies to commemorate the events instead.[63] [64]
In 2018, Netiwit co-founded Humanity Beyond Borders aiming to raise funds in order to help refugees in Thailand organize activities and produce academic works to encourage knowledge and understanding of the problem of human rights violations in other countries.[65] Netiwit has written a profile of Muay,[66] Houayheuang Xayabouly, a Lao environmentalist who has been arrested by the Lao Government since 2019, and campaigned to release her. In 2020, Manushya Foundation, Human Rights Foundation and Humanity Beyond Borders sent the joint submission on behalf of Muay to Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) with success; on 23 January 2021 the UNWGAD published a decision declaring Muay's detention to be arbitrary under international law, urging Laos to release her immediately, and calling for a full and independent investigation into her arbitrary detention[67]
Netiwit has strongly against gentrification of Chulalongkorn University's neighbourhood [58] In June 2020, He and Chulalongkorn University students demonstrated against Chulalongkorn University's decision to demolish the Chao Mae Tubtim Shrine located near the campus[68] for building new condominiums. Claiming the shrine as the last remaining Sam Yan neighbourhood heritage, he quoted Oscar Wilde's phrase that "The cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."[69] In 2021, Netiwit and the Chulalongkorn University's student union raised banners in front of Scala against the demolition of the historic Scala Theatre, then the largest standalone cinema in Southeast Asia.[70] He criticized Chulalongkorn University for acting less like an institute of higher learning and more like a big business.[71]
In 2023, Netiwit served as the producer for "The Last Breath of Sam Yan," a documentary that delves into the students' struggle to preserve the Chao Mae Tubtim Shrine from being demolished by CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY. The film touches upon the broader theme of gentrification, illustrating how historical landmarks and cultural sites are often under threat from modern development. The documentary received positive reviews from prominent international publications, including The Guardian[72] and Nikkei Asia[73] It was showcased at both House Sam Yan and the Doc Club and Pub, further establishing its cultural significance and the importance of the issues it addresses.
Samnak Nisit Sam Yan Publishing House, aka Sam Yan Press, has been established by Netiwit and his friends after removed from the Student Council in 2017.
After he was stripped of the position of the president of the student council, Netiwit and his colleagues founded Sam Yan Press (SCPH), a non-profit publisher, with the aim of publishing students' books and Thai translations of foreign political and philosophical works concerned with human rights and democratic ideas. In a statement on SCPH's website, it emphasizes bridging knowledge from the East and West in order to promote a secure foundation for upholding human rights both in and out of Thailand as well as the means to strengthen communication between professors, students and the general public.[77]
The first work published by SCPH was the book published while Joshua Wong was in jail due to his conviction being overturned by the Hong Kong court in October 2017. The book, Time is on our side: A birthday book for Joshua Wong, which was translated by Netiwit himself, contained translated essays from Martin Luther King Jr. ("Letter from Birmingham Jail") and Liu Xiaobo ("Tiananmen Square: The hunger strike declaration, 2 June 1989"), as well as a translated interview with Joshua Wong. SCPH has also published the works of philosophers such as Isaiah Berlin, Liu Xiaobo, Cass Sunstein, Timothy Snyder, Vaclav Havel, Rebecca Solnit as well as other activists' work.[78]
Joshua Wong, a prominent activist, stated, 'Sam Nak Nisit Samyang Publishing offers to youngsters of Thai a lesson on how to confront authoritarian oppression under a hard-line policy of the regime.'[77]
Netiwit has written many books on his experience with Thai education in general and his school in particular; his most well-known book is A Bad Student In an Excellent Educational System concerning his struggles in high school. He also wrote about his opinion on Thai politics and on the Chinese abusing the human rights of Uighurs, Hong Kong, and Tibetans. In 2018, he wrote a pamphlet called 'I Can Love My Country Without Having to be Drafted' arguing why enforced conscription in Thailand is obsolete.[79] Netiwit translated Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and Liu Xiaobo's "Second June Hunger Strike Declaration" to raise funds for the twenty-first birthday of his friend Joshua Wong, who was in jail at the time. Netiwit has also worked with his friends to translate a selection of Isaiah Berlin's essays into Thai and sent it to Deputy Police Commissioner Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul which charged Netiwit with false PR (public relations).[80] He also translated 'On Tyranny' by Timothy Snyder as well as the work of Vaclav Havel, Thomas Paine, Noam Chomsky and Tony Judt. Netiwit published his Thai translation, I Have No Enemies, the first collected essays of the late Liu Xiaobo, Chinese dissidents, in which Joshua Wong and Perry Link wrote the foreword, and translated work on the devastating Uighur situation in China.[81]