"September 19 coup: A coup for a democratic regime under a constitutional monarchy" is nowhere to be found at the Siam Square branch.

On Friday, The Nation reported  the shop had decided not to sell it.

Shop manager Uraiwan Kornwitysinn denied in the Bangkok Post that the book had been banned out of fear of angering the junta. She said she had 500 copies in stock.

The collection of anti-coup essays from Nidhi Aoseewong, Thongchai Winichakul, Chaiwat Satha-anand, two senior journalists at The Nation and others is published by Fah Diew Kan and was released on January 19.

An employee of distributor Kledthai said the university had ordered 100 copies only and the bookshop had informed the company it would not stock the title.

"How could they have 500 books?" Tichakorn Chatanan of Kledthai said. The shop told Kledthai it was deemed unsuitable for sale at the official bookshops of the university, Tichakorn said.

Some Chulalongkorn University lecturers yesterday prepared a petition asking its president to intervene for the sake of the school's reputation and academic freedom.

The book's publisher and editor Thanapol Eiwsakul has been accused by Uraiwan of using the alleged ban to boost sales.

"She lied. If she were smart she would have just placed the book on the shelves. They must have lost face because it's supposed to be an academic bookshop. It's a reminder that the university lacks freedom," he said, adding that sellers such as Dork Ya had been offering it for weeks.

Subhatra Bhumiprabhas

The Nation