The book entitled: "The September 19th coup: a coup for a democratic regime under the constitutional monarchy" is an anthology written by leading academics and intellectuals, including Nidhi Eoseewong, Sulak Sivaraksa, Chaiwat Satha-anand and Thongchai Winichakul.

Chula Book Centre yesterday informed the book's distributor that the centre's literary-approval group opposed selling the book at the university's bookstores.

"They just said that they dare not to sell the book," said Tichakorn Chatanan of Kledthai, the book's distributor. The book was published by Samesky Publishing House.

An official at Chula Book Centre told The Nation that the group feared political repercussions from selling the book.

"We are in educational institution, so we decided to be neutral," said the official who asked not to be named.

The official declined to say whether the group was pressured to ban the book.

"Please do not ask, I feel uneasy about answering," the official said.

"It's up to the puyai [superiors] whether they will reconsider the ban," the official said.

Pitch Pongsawat, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn, said: "This is one among various forms of self-censorship that is taking place in Thailand, especially after the coup.

"In this particular case, it reflects the reality of how the university operates, which seems to be against the idea of ensuring academic freedom and the freedom of speech, which are important for Thailand in this particular time of political tension."

Pitch wrote an essay for the book called: "The September 19 Coup turned citizens into vassal serfs".

The book is selling well at other bookstores, including Amarin Bookstore's Nai-in, Se-Ed Books and Thammasat University Bookstore.

"We have already ordered more copies because many customers have asked for the book," said Pracharakamol Ampunsaeng at Amarin Bookstore's purchasing department. The book is displayed on the "Social and Political Issue" shelf at the store.

The book's contents include: "Historical status of the September 19th Coup" by historian Suthachai Yimprasert; and "The September 19th Coup in the eyes of foreign media" by Pakavadi Virapaspong. Other contributors include political scientist Thanet Wongyannava, historian Somsak Jeamtheerasakul, philosophy lecturer Kasem Penpinan, Somchai Preecha-silpakul of Chiang Mai University and University of Hawaii PhD candidate Sirote Klampaiboon.

Subhatra Bhumiprabhas

The Nation