Bangkok criminal court won’t let activist study on scholarship in Germany

A student activist facing lèse majesté charges won’t be allowed to study in Germany with a scholarship for a post-graduate program. Ravisara, nicknamed Dear, was charged when she read a statement in German in front of the German Embassy in Bangkok in 2020. When Dear applied to leave the country for a prestigious scholarship program, The Bangkok South Criminal Court rejected the application. The court claimed Dear might try to evade trial, and it couldn’t be sure she would comply with proposed conditions in Germany. The court also said it would be hard for Dear’s parents and guarantor to ‘control’ her.

Dear’s scholarship is from the German Academic Exchange Service, under a program for postgraduate courses. It is for a Master of Management in Non-Profit Organisations. Dear was meant to study at the University of Applied Sciences from April 2022 until August 2024. One German ambassador told Dear her scholarship was a big accomplishment.

“This is a big achievement to be proud of – only promising and excellent university students qualify for a long time scholarship”.

On Tuesday, Dear posted a photo on Facebook of her award letter.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World | Ravisara Eksgool