A group of pro-democracy academics has demanded the National Council for Peace and Order to release seven student activists recently arrested by authorities for campaigning against the August 7 national referendum on the draft constitution.
A written statement which was signed by 292 academics who called themselves network of academics for people’s rights said, in essence, that, for the sake of legitimacy, the referendum must be conducted under free atmosphere.
Among the lecturers who signed up the statement were Dr Anusorn Unnano, dean of the faculty of sociology and humanities of Thammasat University, Puangthong Pawakarapan of Chulalongkorn University’s political science faculty, Kasien Techapira of Thammasat University’s faculty of political science, former senator Jon Ungphakorn and Charnvit Kasetsiri.
