Venue: Medium-sized Meeting Room, Inamori Building

Abstract:
Thailand will hold its first elections since the military seized power from the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014. The elections will take place on 24 March 2019. Despite the return of power to civilian rule through the electoral process, nothing guarantees the full return of democracy. Previously the military appointed its allies to draft the constitution as a vehicle designed to obstruct the pace of democratisation. The military has been criticised in its attempt to maintain a position of power for the traditional elites. Meanwhile, other political forces working in the wings, such as the Thaksin Shinawatra faction, have continued to shape the Thai political landscape. The emergence into the political spotlight of Princess Ubolratana and the dramas that followed must be examined. The rise of new political faces, including the leader of the Future Forward Party, Thanathorn Jungrungruangkit, will also be assessed. The key question is whether the elections will diminish the decade-long political crisis. This conference brings together experts on Thailand from various fields to offer candid analytical views in regards to the March elections.

Program:
Session One

13:30-13:50
Associate Professor Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun, CSEAS, Kyoto University
“Assessment of the Thai Elections: A Political Ouroboros?”

13:50-14:10
Professor Dr Charnvit Kasetsiri, Former Rector of Thammasat University
“Look Back: Reflection on the 2019 Elections”

14:10-14:30
Dr Patrick Joy, University of Queensland and CSEAS Fellow, Kyoto University
“Thailand’s First Election in the post-Bhumibol Era”

14:30-15:00
Discussion

15:00-15:15
Coffee Break

Session Two
15:15-15:35
Dr Edoardo Siani, Post-Doc Fellow, CSEAS, Kyoto University
“Sovereignty in Thailand’s Tenth Reign”

15:35-15:55
Dr Philip Hirsch, CSEAS Fellow, Kyoto University
“Competitive Populisms and Rural Thailand”

15:55-16:15
Associate Professor Dr Decha Tangseefa, CSEAS, Kyoto University
“Thailand’s Democracy and the Conundrum of Transnational Alterity”

16:15-16:45
Discussion