Dr. Titipol Phakdeewanich is a political scientist, at the Faculty of Political Science at Ubon Ratchathani University, in the Province of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. He completed his studies and research at the University of Warwick, in the United Kingdom (M.A. in International Political Economy, 1998; Ph.D. in Politics and International Relations, 2005). He was a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), at Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan (January to June, 2014. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation (CSGR), at the University of Warwick, United Kingdom (July 2016 – July 2017).

In addition to teaching at his current faculty, Titipol has expanded his focus beyond the theoretical perspectives relating to interest groups, pressure groups, and political participation in the context of both domestic politics and international politics, and has moved more and more into an understanding of the application of theory into practice. This has involved extensive fieldwork, and in addition, the responsibility for organising a variety of projects, and active collaboration with both Thai and international institutions (such as the European Union, the United States Agency for International Development or USAID, and the United Nations Development Programme or UNDP), and with other academics and universities within Thailand and internationally.

Abstract:

After the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) staged a military coup d’état on the 22nd of May 2014, the NCPO has claimed that reforming Thailand and restoring democracy are its main priorities. Nevertheless, the NCPO and Thai establishment continue to alienate and undermine the principle of ‘liberal democracy’, arguing that this is a foreign and Western concept that cannot fit well with Thailand. As such, the NCPO has argued that Thailand has to search for its own form of democracy, one enshrined by Thai cultural heritage, known as Thai-style democracy. However, the notion of Thai-style democracy remains largely ambiguous, and is often perceived as a mechanism used by the military and establishment to undermine the liberties and freedoms of the country’s citizens. A question arises to what extent the notion of Thai-style democracy has become an obstacle to democratisation, and the promotion and protection of human rights in Thailand. In addition, this seminar will also discuss how the Thai societal structure and cultural heritage both are the contributing factors and beneficiary to the enforcement of Thai-style democracy.