The Thai publisher “Fah Deaw Kan” or known as “Same Sky Publishing” won the Prix Voltaire award given by the International Publishers Association (IPA) for its continued efforts in standing up for freedom of speech and against the threats imposed by the Thai military government and monarchy-related.
“Same Sky Publishing is a perfect example of a publisher demonstrating their bravery by standing up to intimidation and continuing to publish works they believe in,” said Kristenn Einarsson, chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee and chief of the Norway-based World Expression Forum, WEXFO, in his speech.
According to The Jakarta Post, the award was presented in Jakarta, Indonesia this past weekend and well-received by Thanapol Eawsakul, executive editor of Fah Deaw Kan.
During the ceremony, he stated how the publishing house will persistently work according to their principles and create critical works related to all the uncomfortable topics in Thailand, for instance, the Thai political establishment and Thai monarchy.
“In Thai society the monarchy is the elephant in the room. No one wants to talk about it because there’s a lese majeste law, also known as Article 112… but one of our objectives is to continue generating critical monarchy studies and questioning other social phenomena,” said Eawsakul.
In addition, he also shared gratitude to the IPA for the award, saying that it is “an honor and encouragement for us to walk further down this road, because at least it is a clear indicator that we do not walk alone,” reported Prachatai News Agency.
Fah Deaw Kan (Same Sky Publishing) was founded in Bangkok in 2002 by three former student activists; Thanapol Eawsaku, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, and Chaithawat Tulatol.
Most of its published works include academic journals and books in the social sciences and humanities that were deemed to be critical of the political establishment and the country’s revered monarchical institutions.
Source:
