Photo Credit: Thai PBS WORLD
Renowned advocate and scholar of nonviolence and peace, Chaiwat Satha-Anand has died of cancer at the age of 69 on June 27th, 2024.
Chaiwat was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1955. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Hawai'i and created a legacy of nonviolence theory and activism. Chaiwat was a professor of political science at Thammasat University and served as the director of the Thai Peace Information Centre.
He was an expert on nonviolence theories and activism, and the overlap between these theories and Islam. For several years he directed the International Peace Research Association’s (IPRA) commission on nonviolence and also served on the Scientific Committee of the International University for Peoples’ Initiative for Peace (IUPIP).
In 2003, he was nominated to lead efforts to reduce violence in Thailand, serving as a member of the National Reconciliation Commission, and was the lead author of the final report to the Thai government. In 2012, Chaiwat was selected by Nonviolence International as the winner of the El-Hibri Peace Education Prize.
After decades of leading nonviolent actions and educating others, Chaiwat succumbed to his illness. His legacy will undoubtedly live on through his students, and his many published works including “Non-killing Security and the State.”
A ceremony for those who wish to pay their respects to Chaiwat was held at the Maroon Mosque in Bang Rak district of Bangkok on June 27th,2024. His funeral took place on the morning of June 28th, 2024.
One of his most notable works, The Nonviolent Crescent: Eight Theses on Muslim Nonviolent Actions can be found here.
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