AIT clarifies on news item in The Nation AIT has issued a clarification on the news item published in The

English daily "The Nation".

Clarification on Factual Errors in The Nation article dated 23rd October 2012 on the topic "Embattled institute to seek solution" http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Embattled-institute-to-seek-solutions-30192851.html Factual Error 1: The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) will hold a big meeting next week to try to resolve its ongoing crisis. Members of from the AIT Board of Trustees, AIT Council, the Office of Higher Education Commission, and the Foreign Ministry will attend the meeting at AIT on October 30. Clarification 1: AIT is holding an Institute Forum on 30th October 2012, which is an internal AIT meeting which the Institute holds regularly. This time, the AIT administration has also invited the AIT Council to be a part of the Institute Forum. The AIT Council has sent a formal request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to convene an informal AIT stakeholders meeting resolve the current impasse. The AIT Council is awaiting a response from the Ministry on this. Factual Error 2: The AIT issued its new charter for the purpose of re-establishing itself as an international organization. Clarification 2: AIT cannot and did not issue a new Charter. The whole process to upgrade AITs status was supervised and guided by the host country Thailand under the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The process to become an international intergovernmental organization (IO) through the development of a new AIT Charter, starting in the early-2000s with former Prime Minister of Thailand and former Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees, H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun, leading to AITs most recent Chairman of the Board of Trustees, H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag took almost 9 years. It was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand that invited 13 countries and one UN agency to sign the new Charter in 2010, and it was also the host country Thailand that encouraged all nations to ratify. Factual Error 3: The new charter has so far been ratified by 10 countries plus UN Women. Only Thailand and East Timor have yet to back it. Clarification 3: On 25 August 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, presided over the Adoption and Signing Ceremony of the new AIT Charter. The Ceremony was held to adopt the new AIT Charter which was opened for signature from states and international organizations. As witnessed by over 50 representatives from interested states and international organizations and those from the diplomatic corps in Thailand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs declared the adoption of the new AIT Charter, and signed the Charter on behalf of the Royal Thai Government as authorized by the Thai Cabinets decision on 4 May 2010. On that date, 12 countries and 1 International Organization namely Thailand, the host country, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Nepal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Timor-Leste, and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, East and Southeast Asia (UNIFEM) signed the new AIT Charter. Republic of Indonesia subsequently became the fourteenth signatory of the new AIT Charter. To date Japan, Sweden, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal have ratified the new AIT Charter and our members of the AIT Council. Factual Error 4: The Thai government stopped providing a financial subsidy to AIT after the institute adopted the new charter without ratification by the Thai Parliament. The subsidy from the Thai government is usually about Bt46 million per year. Clarification 4: The Thai Government contribution is not a subsidy. The major amount of the funds are for scholarships which go to Thai nationals. Under the 8th Cooperation Plan (2005-2009) of the Royal Thai

Government (RTG), AIT received a total of approximately 739 million Baht broken down as 128 million Baht (2005); 144 million Baht (2006); 155 million Baht (2007); 156 million Baht (2008) and 156 million Baht (2009), mainly for scholarships. Although the Thai Cabinet at its meeting on 8th March 2011 approved in principle 653 million Baht under the 9th Cooperation Plan (2010-2014), AIT has only received 95 million Baht in 2010; 40 million Baht in 2011 and 13.4 for 2012, which is a drastic reduction. The RTG scholarship, which was put on hold, has affected AIT students. But AIT on its part is committed to do its best to help the students as much as possible with its small resources if necessary. AIT is morally obliged to help them. AIT needs about 140 million Thai Baht to help continuing students under RTG scholarship programs to complete their studies and to graduate. It should be added that from 2010 until 2012 AITs RTG budget has been cut in total by about 225 million THB. This is unfair to AIT, its students, faculty and staff. AIT is in regular touch with the Royal Thai Government and the AIT Council, which now has eight member countries. Factual Error 5: Noppadol said the new charter deprived Thailand of its status as chair of the AIT management committee but still required the Thai government to provide a subsidy to the institute. Clarification 5: This is not true. According to the provisions of the new AIT Charter, which has been signed by Thailand, and approved by the Thai Cabinet under the previous and current governments, the Chairperson of the Council is on an annual rotational basis. Factual Error 6: Speaking separately, both Noppadol and Chawalit expressed concerns about AIT's financial stability. Both said the institute would have just Bt32 million in cash left by the end of December. According to Noppadol, the AIT has expenses of about Bt50 million a month. Clarification 6: The statement on the financial figures of the Institute are totally incorrect and misleading. AIT has always promoted openness and transparency, and as practiced will be providing information on the current financial situation of the Institute as well as projections for the remaining period of 2012 and 2013 scenario analysis at the 30th October 2012 Institute Forum. Factual Error 7: Chawalit said the crisis would not be solved easily because the AIT executives still fiercely stood by its decision to use the new charter. Moreover, he questioned AIT's move to conduct undergraduate courses in competition with local educational institutes. "Given that AIT has received subsidies/donations from governments/charity organizations, it is unfair for AIT to compete this way," he said. Clarification 7: This is totally false. The AIT management operates under the directive and guidance of its highest governing body i.e. the former Board of Trustees under the old Charter and AIT Council under the new Charter. The statement on the undergraduate programs is misleading. The deliberations on whether AIT should enter into undergraduate programs started in May 2007, and as recommended by the former AIT Executive Committee, the administration developed, through an Institute-level Task Force, a broad strategy document on the proposal for AIT to enter into undergraduate programs. This was vetted by the former Executive Committee at its 5th November 2007 meeting, and subsequently submitted and endorsed by the Board at its 26th November 2007 meeting, under the former Chairmanship of H.E. Dr. Tej Bunnag. In fact Mr. Chawalit Chantararat, who is making such statements, represented the then President of the AIT Alumni Association General Dr. Boonsrang Niumpradit at the said meeting. AITs then legal advisor Dr. Prajit Rojanaphruk had also provided a written statement to the then Board that undertaking undergraduate programs would not be in conflict and fell within the scope of the former AIT Charter. Here it is important to add that the majority of the undergraduate students are foreign nationals and some of them may choose to pursue their graduate studies at Thai universities, contributing towards Thailands ambitions of becoming a regional educational hub.

AIT will celebrate many anniversaries in the years ahead AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust on 14 October 2012 was an on-air radio guest via telephone of the FM radio program "Sunday Night News Talk with Bruce and Jane" on Radio Thailand News English Language Service, Public Relations Department of the Royal Thai Government. The hosts of the program were Mr. Bruce Avasadanond and Ms. Jane Ritdechawong The hosts introduced the segment by telling listeners about the developing story on the Asian Institute of Technology, which recently had been experiencing many difficulties and challenges, given the fact that it just introduced a new charter which had not been recognized by the Government. Many local media have reported that students degrees from the institute will no longer be recognized, they added. President Irandoust confirmed that he has been president for 7 years, since the old charter. Asked what was happening with AIT, he gave the following overview: Prof. Irandoust: Yes, just like many other academic institutions, of course, we are working with tremendous challenges. We try hard to make sure that we can continue to remain very relevant, very competitive in the region, for the benefit of the region and beyond. But we also face challenges related to flood of 2011, how we can actually act responsible and completely renovate and relieve the campus which was totally destroyed because of the floods. And also we are trying very hard to find a new funding model because AIT has for many years been completely dependent on donor countries and now we need, for a number of reasons, to shift from being donor funded institute to a more self-sustained institute. So of course, we are facing different kinds of challenges, but I am confident that with the support of our many students, faculty staff and alumni, we are able to handle all these important challenges. Referring to a recent reports about AIT in the Thai media and one in particular in Manager saying: AIT Kam Lang Ja Tai, which means its going to go down the drain, the hosts emphasized that AIT is an academic institution that is renowned in the Asia Pacific region, and the reports would seem to be severely damaging to the reputation of AIT, affecting candidates as well as students who are looking into furthering their academic studies in AIT. Following up on a comment from the President that flooding was a problem, the host said that the president had said earlier that AIT was insured and was cleaning up the infrastructure. Asked about this, and the fact that there was hardly any flooding this year, the host mentioned that flooding was not really the issue. The President replied: Prof. Irandoust: It is, because the insurance money actually started to be released quite recently. And because of the fact that we have our flood rehabilitation budget by our host country, the Royal Thai Government, which was not released earlier, we were not able to start working on the rehabilitation of the campus. So we had to start a bit later because of the limitation we faced when it comes to the budget for renovation. But at the same time, AIT is moving forward; we continue to do what we are best at, meaning that we provide high international standard quality education to students from more than 50 countries. So of course, the flood has been an issue but we move forward and we are quite optimistic that we will be able to handle the challenges we are facing currently. The host commented that alarm bells wouldnt be ringing or flashing without the complaints that were fired by AIT alumni to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and that all of a sudden AIT had come up with a new Charter. The host asked why it was necessary for the new charter since the old charter was already very good. President Irandoust replied: Prof. Irandoust: Yes, the new charter is actually meant to upgrade the status of AIT, so its an upgrade of the old charter. So it means it is indeed stronger and better for AIT, the new charter. Its an amendment of the old charter, its an upgrade of old charter. An international intergovernmental status which is provided to AIT by this new

charter, this amended charter, is a recognition of AITs contribution to Thailand and the region for more than 50 years. Its a very unique recognition; there are very few academic institutions in the world having this kind of international intergovernmental status. And it will provide AIT with additional opportunities to act as an institute of higher learning in Thailand and beyond Thailand in Asia, in Africa and so on. So for many of us, for our alumni, students, faculty and staff, this is a recognition of AIT. Inquiring if it was an efficient charter, the host asked why the budget for flood rehabilitation of 293 million Baht or the scholarship support of 225 million Baht wasnt approved by the Ministry of Education. Prof. Irandoust: You mentioned it yourself, it is because of the letter of complaint from the AIT Alumni Association Thailand Chapter. Unfortunately, although we have requested to have access to these complaints so we can actually clarify the issues and misunderstandings properly, we have not been able to have access to this letter of complaint. So as soon as this letter is available for AIT Administration and AIT Council, we will be able to clarify any issue, which might be there and try to make sure that there is no misunderstanding between AIT and the Royal Thai Government. The host said that according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, AIT is not governed by a Council. The Board of Trustees is the rightful governing body. The president was asked to explain this point. President Irandoust replied: Prof. Irandoust: There are different opinions which charter is governing AIT currently. And this is an issue between the Governments of the nine countries of the new Council; the nine sovereign countries who backed the charter under the request of the Thai government and our host country Thailand. So this is an issue which they are discussing and I hope that the issue will be resolved very soon. The hosts made the point that as AIT now had a group of alumni going forward to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Education saying that AIT is illegal, it would be very difficult for the Council of the new committee, and the credibility of the committee itself, to get the approval from the Thai Government for any flood rehabilitation or scholarship grants. President Irandoust replied: Prof. Irandoust: We don't believe that this is the role of any alumni association. Let me mention that many alumni associations in other countries in Nepal, in Vietnam, in Sri Lanka, in India, etc, they tried very hard and they pushed their governments to ratify the new intergovernmental AIT charter as soon as possible which they did, by the request of the host country Thailand. And once again many Thai alumni, perhaps Thailand majority, want to see AIT succeed by its great heritage also under this intergovernmental charter. So this is a few individuals who are having probably different opinions than majority of alumni, students and former board of trustees and the current council. But again, they have created probably a misunderstanding among the different authorities of Thailand. As I mentioned the nine countries of the new council, they are in dialogue with our host country Thailand, and I am confident that this issue will be resolved very soon. The hosts clarified that President Irandoust was the AIT president under the previous charter. They asked if it was correct to say that at the moment he was the AIT President under the Council as well. Prof. Irandoust: Correct. The new council gave the right authority to AIT to decide all the issues related to management of AIT including selection of the new president in the near future. The host made the point that before any institute or any company or anybody or any organization were to make a decision to rectify or to upgrade or to change its charter or regulations whatsoever those persons

should consider any possible setbacks. They asked the President if he had thought through these potential setbacks with the new charter, since it would draw complaints and protests from the old alumni. They asked if he had ever thought that with the new charter it would create trouble for the AIT itself. Prof. Irandoust: We didn't expect that, as I mentioned, our alumni worldwide are very supportive, are very proud of this new recognition of AIT, this upgrade of the status of AIT. So this is a local problem in Thailand among few individuals. But you have to realize that in the changing world, AIT must also change and evolve in order to be able to continue to grow and develop and remain relevant and confident. They followed up by asking if the president had not thought beforehand, that an organization like AIT needs to survive with sufficient funds, that if AIT were to come up with a new charter it would likely have setbacks. Additionally, that the Minister of Education and the Minister of Foreign Affairs would not recognize AIT and that AIT would become illegal. Prof. Irandoust: Let me remind you that this new charter was developed under the supervision of the old Board of Trustees and under the supervision and guidance of our host countries Thailand. The whole process of developing a new charter, its endorsement and so on, was endorsed by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the host country Thailand. The hosts said that they had checked with a source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who said that AIT did not ask for permission, and that AIT just decided for itself that it wanted a new charter and it was not recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They added that the source indicated it would have influence on those old alumni because their degrees would not be recognized by state agencies. Prof. Irandoust: This is not correct. AITs new charter which is an amendment of the old charter was supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thailand, the former government of Thailand on the 25th of August, 2010. (They) endorsed the charter, adopted the charter, opened the charter for signatories, invited other governments to sign and ratify the charter. Even the current government endorsed the charter, 27th on December 2011. The host sought clarification saying from the president as to whether the ex-Minister of Foreign affairs Mr. Kasit had endorsed it and approved the new Charter, along with the present Mr. Supong as well. If that was so, the host asked, then both the administrations of the Abhisit Administration and the Yingluck Administration would have endorsed and recognized the new charter. The host asked: Why wasnt the fund approved by the Ministry of Education since it's a state agency? Prof. Irandoust: As I mentioned, we have received official communication from authorities from our host country Thailand, that the process of ratification of the charter by host country has been stopped because of the letter of complaint from the alumni association Thailand chapter. This was communicated to AIT and its new council in written from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The hosts asked what the President was doing to move forward, and how he was going to address these issues. Prof. Irandoust: Absolutely. Its very important for AIT to continue to have support from its host country Thailand. Thailand is a very important country for AIT as our host country. Its like a mother for AIT. So we need the continued support of Thailand. And the nine member countries of the new council, they are in dialogue, as I

mentioned, with the host country Thailand and I am confident that the government will be able to resolve the situation, the problem and the misunderstandings. They asked how quick he thought the Ministry of Education would approve the fund of 293 Million Baht and 225 Million baht for scholarship and the flood, noting that if one were to add both figures it totals approximately 600 Million Baht. They said if the Education Ministry were listening at the moment, and about more than 50% have agreed that they would not let go of the fund, it is just aggravating to AIT itself. Prof. Irandoust: As I mentioned, Im confident that the situation will be resolved, that the problem will be resolved very soon and be clarified as the problem was probably caused by the letter of complaint from the alumni association Thailand chapter. And once again the nine countries from the new AIT council are in dialogue with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of our host country Thailand. The hosts asked if it was true that Thai students who graduate from AIT will not have their degrees recognized by the Thai Government. Prof. Irandoust: The completion of the AIT degree is a natural quality of AIT programs. The quality of our offerings are continuously being improved. The new AIT intergovernmental charter is even increasing the status and recognition of the degrees worldwide. And I would also like to mention that there are a number of members from the Royal Thai Government graduating from AIT since the new charter came into course as of February 2012. We have been invited just recently to participate in the Office of the Civil Service Commission of Thailand, for international institutions The hosts said they were running out of time. Prof. Irandoust: Im just trying to give you examples showing that we are working effectively with the Government of Thailand. We are educating individuals from the Royal Thai Government funded programs. Prof. Irandoust: Just recently we had a public management executive development program for the Ministry of Interior of Thailand The hosts asked if by January 2013, AIT would run out of money. Prof. Irandoust: This is not coming from AIT, you are probably referring to.. The hosts replied local media. Prof. Irandoust: AIT will continue to function for many, many years from now. We just celebrated our 53rd anniversary and I can promise you that we will celebrate The hosts said many years more and thanked the president for the interview, saying it was very informative. Embattled institute to seek solutions

Students fear lack of ratification of new charter will hurt work prospects The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) will hold a big meeting next week to try to resolve its ongoing crisis. Members of from the AIT Board of Trustees, AIT Council, the Office of Higher Education Commission, and the Foreign Ministry will attend the meeting at AIT on October 30. The embattled institute had enjoyed a good reputation for decades until its students staged a protest earlier this month over concerns that its degrees may not be valid for jobs in the civil service as the Thai Parliament has not yet ratified the new AIT charter. The protest has spilled into a full-blown crisis for AIT because emerging information has showed a number of students and alumni had questioned the decision by AIT executives to press ahead with the new charter. "AIT in fact should have used its old charter pending ratification of the new charter. Had it done so, its fresh graduates and students would have not suffered," AIT Alumni Association president Chawalit Chantararat said yesterday. Its old charter, first used in 1967, was ratified by the Thai Parliament. However, its new charter has not been ratified yet, which has left graduates under the new charter fearing they may not be qualified to apply for jobs in Thailand's civil services. The AIT issued its new charter for the purpose of re-establishing itself as an international organisation. Some 30 AIT lecturers called on Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul yesterday to demand that the Foreign Ministry push AIT executives into restoring its old charter first and to amend its new charter within one month. Department of International Organisations director general Chailert Limsomboon accepted the petition from lecturers on Surapong's behalf. He promised to help resolve AIT's problems swiftly. Assoc Prof Noppadol Phienwej led the lecturers in submitting the petition at the ministry. "The problems have dragged on for more than eight months already. We have to do something," Noppadol said. The new charter has so far been ratified by 10 countries plus UN Women. Only Thailand and East Timor have yet to back it. The Thai government stopped providing a financial subsidy to AIT after the institute adopted the new charter without ratification by the Thai Parliament. The subsidy from the Thai government is usually about Bt46 million per year. Noppadol said the new charter deprived Thailand of its status as chair of the AIT management committee but still required the Thai government to provide a subsidy to the institute. Other countries participating in the AIT are allowed to provide voluntary subsidies. Speaking separately, both Noppadol and Chawalit expressed concerns about AIT's financial stability. Both said the institute would have just Bt32 million in cash left by the end of December.

According to Noppadol, the AIT has expenses of about Bt50 million a month. Acting spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Damrong Krai-kruan said the AIT crisis would have to be resolved via legal means. He denied that money was the main problem in the crisis. "It's just that the legislation process takes time," he said. Chawalit said the crisis would not be solved easily because the AIT executives still fiercely stood by its decision to use the new charter. Moreover, he questioned AIT's move to conduct under-graduate courses in competition with local educational institutes. "Given that AIT has received subsidies/donations from governments/charity organisations, it is unfair for AIT to compete this way," he said.