Somkit Lertpaithoon (Thai: สมคิด เลิศไพฑูรย์) is a Thai academic administrator who served as rector of Thammasat University from 2010 to 2017.[1]
Military ties
Following the 2006 Thai coup d'état, Somkit served on the as a member of the 2007 constitution drafting committee.[1] In 2011, a group of 100 Thammasat alumni called for Somkit's resignation, criticizing his and his predecessor Surapon Nitikraipot's failure to "uphold the university’s spirit of democracy".[2]
Following the 2014 Thai coup d'état, Somkit was appointed to the NCPO-picked National Legislative Assembly (NLA).[1] In August 2014, a group of students identifying as the League of Liberal Thammasat for Democracy (LLTD) presented a letter to Somkit asking him to clarify his ties to the military.
In February 2015, Somkit signed an order to end the employment of Somsak Jeamteerasakul, a leading critic of the military junta.[3]
References
