Pavin Chachavalpongpun
| E-Mail: | pavin@cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp | 
| Period: | February 2013 | 
| Department: | Political Science | 
Pavin Chachavalpongpun is associate professor at Centre for Southeast  Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan, where he teaches Southeast Asian  Politics and International Relations in Asia. Earning his PhD from the  School of Oriental and African Studies, Pavin is the author of two  books: "A Plastic Nation: The Curse of Thainess in Thai-Burmese  Relations" and "Reinventing Thailand: Thaksin and His Foreign Policy".  His journal articles include "Embedding Embittered History: Unending Conflicts in Thai-Cambodian Relations”, Asian Affairs (Vol. XLIII, No. 1 (March 2012), pp. 81-102, and "The Necessity of Enemies in Thailand’s Troubled Politics”, Asian Survey,  Vol. 51, No. 6 (November/December, 2011), pp. 1019-1041. He is also the  editor of the upcoming book "Good Coup Gone Bad: Thailand's Political  developments Since Thaksin's Downfall". In late 2011, Pavin led a  nationwide campaign to free a political prisoner, named Akong, who was  accused of lese-majeste and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Akong  later died of cancer while still in prison.
 
Current research
Pavin  is currently conducting a research on Thailand's political developments  since the military coup of 2006 and the future of Thai democracy in the  post-Bhumibol period. He is particularly interested in the role of the  military and the monarchy in the maintenance of their power position  within Thailand's domestic politics as well as foreign affairs. Aside  from this topic, Pavin also writes regularly on the issue of  democratisation in Myanmar and politics of Cambodia, as well as  regionalisation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
