BANGKOK — A well-known history professor and outspoken critic of the Thai monarchy living in exile has been formally fired by Thammasat University for his absence.

The order, released by Thammasat University yesterday, states thatSomsak Jeamteerasakul, 56, violated university regulations by failing to report for work for more than 15 days despite a notice that ordered him to do so in late December 2014.

The order was signed by Thammasat University rector Somkid Lertpaitoon, who is also a member of the interim legislature appointed by the ruling military junta. 

"The aforementioned behavior and action of Dr. Somsak Jeamteerasakul constitutes a deliberate dereliction of duty,” the order reads. "It has caused grave damage to the University's reputation and funds.”

The document noted that Somsak submitted a letter of resignation in December 2014, but said the university administration declined to approve it. The university’s decision to fire Somsak instead of accept his letter of resignation means that the professor will be denied a pension and other benefits despite having taught at the university for more than 20 years.

A historian by trade, Somsak is a rare outspoken critic of the monarchy in Thailand, where offending the Royal Family is a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. He is believed to have fled Thailand shortly after the military staged a coup against an elected government on 22 May 2014.

The junta summoned Somsak and hundreds of other academics, activists, and politicians for "attitude adjustment” after the coup, but Somsak did not comply, prompting the military court to issue an arrest warrant and eventually revoke his passport.

After six months of silence, Somsak posted on his Facebook that he was living in exile in Europe. Although he has never specified which country he is living in, many others have confirmed that he is residing in France. Over the past few months, Somsak has published dozens of historical documents and criticism of the monarchy on social media. 

Somsak posted on Facebook yesterday that he was disappointed by university's decision to fire him instead of accept his letter of resignation.

"My savings are not much," he wrote. "What's more important is that I worked there for more than 20 years, so they should at least not punish me for not going to work … the punishment should not affect the pension that is supposed to reward all the work I have done."

Somsak also defended his reason for not returning to Thailand, namely the junta’s intensified crackdown on perceived anti-monarchists. At least 20 people have been prosecuted for violating Thailand's lese majeste monarchy law since Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, a staunch royalist, staged a military coup last May. Gen. Prayuth has also granted martial courts jurisdiction over lese majeste cases, removing the option for appeals.

"Throughout the 20 years of my career as a professor at Thammasat University, I have performed my duty to my utmost ability (for example, I almost never missed any class)," Somsak wrote. "I have also conducted myself as a good citizen of the country, and a good member of Thammasat University."

He added, "However, in the situation that individuals who severely violated the laws have installed themselves as rulers of the country by illegal means, and aimed to cause harm to my life, body, and liberty in such a direct manner, I regard it as the rights and duty of a bureaucrat, citizen, and member of the Thammasat community to disobey, oppose, and reject their effort to jail and harm me."

Somsak was referring to the drive-by shooting that targeted his home in February 2014 after he urged Thais to think critically about the monarchy in a Facebook post. Police have never identified the perpetrators, though the attack came only several days after a spokesperson of the Royal Thai Army threatened to use "social measures" to punish Somsak for his comments.

Today a member of the ruling junta denied speculation that the military pressured Thammasat University into firing Somsak. 

"It was in accordance with the regulations of the university,"  said Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. "The military is merely administering peace and order. But we ended up facing these accusations. The procedure of the university was in accordance with its rules, regulations, and laws."

BANGKOK— Officials at Khao Yai National Park are urging tourists to abide by the park’s new hours, which were shortened following several incidents of elephants attacking cars earlier this year.

Tourists are now prohibited from entering the park after 6pm, officials say. The closing time was changed from 9pm in an effort to reduce encounters between tourists and elephants who often come out to feed along the road.

Last month, there were at least 4 cases of young male elephants assaulting cars. Wildlife experts attributed the attacks to bull elephants' increased aggressiveness during mating season, food shortages in the forest, and disturbances to the environment caused by the increasing number of tourists visiting the park.

Kanchit Srinapwan, the park’s director, said officials are trying to spread the word about the park’s new hours after at least five groups of hikers disobeyed the new regulations and got lost in the park at night in February alone. 

Chukiat Ratchasit, the head of The Association of Khao Yai Natural & Environment Reserve, said he agrees with the new hours, as they will also lessen tourists’ impact on the natural environment.

“What should be done urgently is to encourage all travel agents, tourists, visitors, and hikers to obey the rules and regulation and the new passing time imposed by the national park,” he said.

BANGKOK — Thailand’s anti-corruption agency has spared junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha from its inquiry into the government's 67.9 million baht purchase of unusually expensive microphones and other equipment last year.

The 192 microphones, which cost 145,000 baht each, were purchased for the Cabinet conference room in the Government House last September, days before Gen. Prayuth and his Cabinet ministers moved into their offices. The newly-installed military government also ordered a 520,000-baht television screen, 19,000-baht TV wall mount, and 110,000 LED lamps for the room.

The unusually high price tag of the equipment caught the attention of media agencies and critics of the government, who speculated that corruption lay behind the deal. Suspicions were further raised after the Thai supplier of the microphones, Bosch, changed the price of the equipment from 99,000 baht to 199,000 baht several days after criticism started to mount. 

NACC spokesperson Vicha Mahakhun announced yesterday that ten officials from the Department of Public Works, including the department's director Monthol Sudprasert, will be investigated over the purchases.  

"They are connected to the calculation and bargaining of the price that [could have] violated bureaucratic regulations and benefited certain private companies," Vicha said.

However, top executives like Prayuth and Panadda Diskul, Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, will not be investigated because they merely "approved" the purchases, Vicha said. 

The NACC was initially reluctant to launch an inquiry into microphone purchase, leading to accusations that the agency was collaborating with the junta. The commission eventually agreed to investigate the incident after a group of activists submitted a letter of protest to the NACC in September 2014. 

BANGKOK – Thailand’s national anti-graft agency has begun impeachment procedures against former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban for authorizing a military crackdown on Redshirt protesters in 2010 that left over 90 people dead.

Vicha Mahakhun, spokesperson for the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), said today that Abhisit and Suthep should be charged with "abuse of power" for failing to stop the use of excessive violence against civilians between April – May 2010. 

Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva  at the Government House, 28 May 2010. 

If found guilty by the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the two Democrat Party leaders could be retrospectively impeached and banned from political office for five years.

"The two accused individuals, who held political office and authorized the operation to reclaim territory from the protesters, failed to order the cessation of, exercise judgment about, or adapt the use of military force and methods to control the operation in a more careful manner," Vicha said. 

The two politicians will have 15 days to present testimony to the NACC, after which the agency will make a final decision on whether to submit the case to the NLA.

In April 2010, tens of thousands of Redshirt protesters rallied in Bangkok's financial district and on Ratchadamnoen Avenue to demand a fresh election to replace Abhisit, who was installed as Prime Minister after a pro-Redshirt government was removed in a court verdict in 2008.

Abhisit ordered the military to disperse the protesters on Ratchadamnoen Avenue on 10 April 2010, but the operation was later called off due to resistance from armed elements among the demonstrators. Another effort to disperse the protesters commenced in May and culminated in a final assault on the Redshirts’ main camp on 19 May. 

At least 90 people were killed in the two months of violence, including demonstrators, soldiers, rescue workers, and two foreign journalists.

Soldiers fire their weapons as they advanced on the Redshirt position on Rama IV Road in Bangkok, 13 May 2010

Abhisit, Suthep, and military commanders have insisted that security officers were forced to combat shadowy "terrorists" that were allied to the Redshirts.

However, Vicha said today that the protest area "was not wholly composed of violent or armed elements, but also demonstrators without weapons, and other civilians who were not related to the rallies."  

The NACC official also cited previous court inquests that have attributed the deaths of some civilians to security officers.

"The court inquests determined that their deaths were caused by operation of the military officers," Vicha said. "Therefore, this case constitutes as a behavior that potentially amounts to abuse of bureaucratic duty, which is the basis for impeachment of the two accused individuals from political office."

A separate investigation will determine whether "other state officials" will be held responsible for their actions in the 2010 crackdown, Vicha said. 

According to the NACC official, the impeachment hearing is separate from the potential lawsuit the two politicians could face in court. Last August, the NACC was granted authority to press charges against Abhisit and Suthep in the Supreme Court's Division for Holders of Political Office after a Criminal Court dismissedthe murder case against them. 

Vicha said the Commission is still working on the lawsuit, which will require further investigation. 

Human rights groups have repeatedly faulted Thai authorities for failing to hold state officials accountable for the 2010 crackdown. 

The NACC has also been accused of harboring a bias against the Redshirts. Last month, the agency successfully brought about the impeachment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who led the government toppled in the 22 May coup and is wildly popular among Redshirts. 

The NACC also recently began prosecution against former Redshirt-allied Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat for authorizing a police crackdown on Yellowshirt demonstrators in 2008.