KHAOSOD
BANGKOK — A group of academics and experts told a Parliament committee on Monday that crackdowns on arts deemed inappropriate to Buddhism are a danger to Thailand’s creativity. In a meeting with the House Committee of Religions, Arts and Culture, Chulalongkorn University political scientist Bundit Chanrochanakit and fellow panelists advised the government to back off from regulating artistic expression. The meeting was held in the wake of a recent order to erase a temple mural denounced by local officials as blasphemy. “We have government agencies that act as thought police, telling us what can or cannot be done,” Bundit said. “Are we living in modern society?… If not, we will be stuck in mud and prevented from learning.” [
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