Faculty of Asian Studies

On the evening of 13 April 2006, ANU Japanese language debaters faced off against representatives from the Japanese Debating Union. The ANU team was composed of Leah Ambler, Kim Pang, and Mafumi Matsumoto, all undergraduate students at the ANU. The Japanese debaters were in town for the English-language Australian Intervarsity Debating Championship, but willing to have a go in Japanese against ANU.

The Japanese Debating Union won the event in tight judging and was awarded the Japanese Language Debating Cup held by the ANU Japan Centre since 1981.

The event was organised by ANU student Bill Bannear and judged by Ross Westcott (Australian Embassy in Tokyo), Shun Ikeda (ANU Japan Centre) and Carol Hayes (ANU Japan Centre). The event was sponsored by Qantas and the Japan Centre in the Faculty of Asian Studies and the Australia-Japan Research Centre in the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government, both of which are part of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.

The National Thai Studies Centre has been closely monitoring the political crisis that has unfolded in recent weeks. On 10 February we featured an address by visiting economist Professor Medhi Krongkaew from Bangkok's National Institute of Deveopment Administration. On 14 February we co-hosted with the Centre for Democratic Institutions a seminar led by Professor Noranit Setabutr, Secretary General of King Prajadhipok's Institute (a body for promoting democracy linked to the Thai Parliament). On 23 March the NTSC organised an informal roundtable, with discussion led by Dr John Funston (Executive Director, NTSC), Dr Craig Reynolds (Faculty of Asian Studies), Dr Andrew Walker (Resource Management in Asia Pacific Program, RSPAS) and Professor Peter Warr (Economics Division, RSPAS). Roundtable participants were interviewed after by Graeme Dobell from the ABC’s Asia Pacific section. Since elections on 2 April Dr Funston has given several interviews, including with Radio Australia, SBS Radio and News Radio.

Transcripts of the talk by Professor Medhi and the roundtable are available on the NTSC website, http://www.anu.edu.au/thaionline/. An ABC MP3 file of the interview with roundtable participants can also be found on the web at http://www.abc.net.au/ra/asiapac/programs/s1600466.htm.

The NTSC will continue to monitor post election developments.


[image (Thaksin Shinawatra quits) from the Bankok Nation]