EXPERTS ADVISORY

Thailand’s legislature on Friday is scheduled to vote on whether to impeach former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for alleged negligence in her government’s rice-purchasing program.

Experts at the University of Michigan are available to discuss the vote, which could trigger a new round of protests and political tensions in the military-ruled Southeast Asian nation:

John Ciorciari, assistant professor of public policy, focuses on Southeast Asian region and examines foreign policy strategies, human rights and the reform of international economic institutions.

“To impeach a leader who has already been deposed by coup is awkward, to say the least. The grounds for impeachment—allegations that a rice subsidy program failed—are also suspect,” he said. “The impeachment proceedings suggest more of an effort to suppress democracy than uphold it. An impeachment vote will surely drive large numbers of red-shirt demonstrators back into the streets and jeopardize the country’s fragile peace.”

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John Smith, doctoral candidate in history, researches ethnic identities and state formation in early modern mainland Southeast Asia, with a special focus on Thailand and Cambodia.

“The monarchy remains one of the cornerstones of the Thai political and cultural identity,” he said. “Periods of transition in the royal institution have historically been periods of instability and uncertainty in Thai society and politics as a whole. Questions about the future make this political crisis more dangerous than previous situations in Thailand.”

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Allen Hicken, assistant professor of political science, is a specialist on Thai electoral politics. He can speak on the political background and potential aftermath of the impeachment vote.

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Linda Lim, professor of corporate strategy and an expert on Southeast Asian business, can discuss implications for the Thai economy.

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