Agenda

Welcoming words:

Peter Prügel, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany

Presentations:

Assist. Prof. Dr. Prajak Kongkirati,Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat Universi

Henning Glaser, Director, German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPG), Faculty of Law, Thammasat University

Panel:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Attakrit Patchimnan, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University

Marwaan Macan-Markar, Nikkei Asian Review

Imesh Pokharel, Southeast Asian Regional, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Report

On 30 May 2017, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and CPG hosted the expert talk “Constitutional Politics under the 2017 Constitution: Peculiarities & Prospects” in the Residence of the German Ambassador.

H.E. Ambassador Peter Prügel opened the event, highlighting Germany’s support for Thailand and its efforts to return to democracy. Assist. Prof. Dr. Prajak Kongkirati, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, then presented important aspects of the current constitutional framework and the distribution of powers in contemporary Thailand. Mr. Henning Glaser, CPG Director, Faculty of Law, Thammasat University, followed with a presentation on current challenges and historic patterns in Thai constitutional politics, elaborating the key relations between the various power-holders in the country. The two presentations were followed by an extensive Q&A session.

The expert talk then moved on towards a panel discussion covering topics such as the situation of political parties, the framework for elections, power struggles, press freedom and access to information, as well as the human rights situation in general and in the South of Thailand, in particular. The panelists were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Attakrit Patchimnan, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, Mr. Marwaan Macan-Markar, Nikkei Asian Review, and Mr. Imesh Pokharel, Southeast Asian Regional Office, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The panel was moderated by Dr. Lasse Schuldt and Mr. Jan Kliem, both CPG. After the panel discussion, the audience seized the opportunity to ask questions and to engage with the panelists.

Photos