泰國的國家管控與學術自由

Abstract

本論文探討泰國的學術自由，聚焦於其法律基礎、政治背景與制度限制。學術自由是一項憲法上的重要權利，因為其允許學者、研究人員與學生自由探索知識，並促進民主社會的發展。儘管泰國2017年憲法承認學術自由，但其中也包含模糊的條文，例如「泰國人民的義務」與「良好道德」，使政府能夠任意限制此項權利。因此，泰國法律對學術自由的保障缺乏明確性，容易受到挑戰。 本研究採用法律分析與案例研究的方法，審視憲法條文與國內法律，並與國際人權標準進行比較，特別是《公民與政治權利國際公約》（ICCPR）與《經濟社會文化權利國際公約》（ICESCR）。儘管泰國已加入這些國際公約，但許多學術活動仍受到政府監控、取消或處罰。研究案例顯示，公開研討會遭禁辦、學者遭法律訴訟，且大學受到壓力，以控制學術內容。 另一個關鍵問題，是泰國許多大學缺乏真正的自主性。由於校方領導常受政治影響，不一定會保護學術人員與學生的權利。許多學者選擇避談敏感議題或自我審查，導致所謂的「寒蟬效應」，限制了自由與批判性思考的空間。 總結而言，本論文發現，泰國的學術自由在實踐中並未獲得充分保障。因此，應更明確地定義並加強法律保護，並建立獨立的教育機構。學術自由不僅對教育至關重要，也對民主與整個社會的發展具有深遠意義。

This thesis examines academic freedom in Thailand by focusing on its legal foundations, political context, and institutional limitations. Academic freedom is an important constitutional right because it allows scholars, researchers, and students to explore knowledge freely and contribute to democratic society. Although the 2017 Constitution of Thailand recognizes academic freedom, it also includes vague terms such as “duties of Thai people” and “good morals,” making it possible for the government to have a broad power to limit this right. Therefore, the protection of academic freedom under Thai law is not sufficient and easily challenged. Using a legal and case-based approach, this thesis reviews constitutional texts and domestic laws, and compares them with international human rights standards such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Despite Thailand’s international commitments, many academic events have been monitored, cancelled, or punished by authorities. Case studies show that public seminars have been banned, researchers have faced legal action, and universities have received pressure to control academic content. Another key problem is that many Thai universities are not truly independent. Because university leaders are often influenced by politics, they do not always protect the rights of academics and students. As a result, many people in the academic community avoid sensitive topics or censor themselves. This creates a “chilling effect,” which reduces the space for free and critical thinking. In conclusion, the thesis finds that academic freedom in Thailand is not sufficiently protected in practice. Therefore, academic freedom should be more clearly defined and supported by better legal protections and independent institutions. Academic freedom is not only important for education, but also for the development of democracy and society as a whole.