The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will invite the president of the Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon North Bangkok Campus (KMITNB), to explain his order to dismiss 10 students - known to have lead a protest against the university's plan to become an autonomous body - from positions on the student club.

The secretary of the university's student club, Patdanai Jongkeau, was among the students dismissed. Patdanai said yesterday he and his fellow students would submit an appeal to the NHRC on Wednesday.

NHRC commissioner Jaran Ditthaapichai said he would invite KMITNB president Teravuti Boonyasopon, the dismissed students and other related parties to explain what happened and to find a solution - on January 22.

"Whoever ordered the dismissal acted within a frame of free-speech and human rights violation and a threat against the students protesting against the autonomy plan," Jaran said.

"We need to call for an explanation and an end to the action if it is found to be a rights violation, and to have the positions restored to the students," he said.

Second-year student Patdanai said he had received a letter yesterday that was issued on December 28 from the KMITNB President.

It said the club's vice president Kittiwat Chomwang had requested the dismissal of Patdanai and nine others.

The vice-president for Student Affairs Wittaya Wipawiwat approved the assignment of a new student board, thus allowing the dismissal to be effective immediately, Patdanai said.

"Before, Kittiwat was also protesting against the autonomy plan, but after December 8, when the University president called him in to talk, Kittiwat removed himself from the protest group and later requested our dismissal," Patdanai said.

Patdanai suggested that Wittaya's approval for the dismissal of the 10 students from their Student Club positions included a conflict over university autonomy, the insufficient Student Club administration, and the disunity within the university.

However, Patdanai argued that the student protest in the past

had not created disunity in the university because 90 per cent of students agreed and had joined the protest. That expression of opinion was their basic right in a democracy.

Meanwhile, Wittaya insisted that he did not order the dismissal.

He said it was a resolution of the Student Club's board because Patdanai had used the club's name to carry out "negative activities".

Patdanai's three months when he served as secretary yielded no achievements in relation to the club's operation, but created a wedge in the university by using the premise to hold activities that were outside the purpose of the Student Club.

As a result, Wittaya said he agreed with the student board.

Mayuree  Sukyingcharoenwong

The Nation