The director of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) has announced his dismissal by the board. In a letter to journalists on 24 September, Pawit Mahasarinand claims that the decision is politically motivated and relates to his criticism of the local government’s decision to cut funding for the institution.
Pawit writes that the newly appointed board of the foundation tasked with overseeing the centre had elected to “fire” him and that he would be leaving BACC the following week. The reason given by one member of the board for the decision, according to the letter, is that he had recently ‘rebuked city hall executives’ in comments to the press about cuts to the institution’s budget by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, which has withheld its annual subsidy for the past two years, leading to accusations that the independent centre is being defunded. Pawit also reveals that the board, which he claims are ultimately responsible to the government despite the supposed independence of the foundation, offered him an incentive to resign rather than be sacked, which he refused.
The board has yet to comment publicly on Pawit’s statement.
25 September 2019
