Harvard University’s Facebook page is accessible to Thai users again, a day after the university appeared to have blocked users across the country.
The Facebook page was down yesterday in Thailand after thousands of Thais posted critical comments and 1 star ratings on the page, protesting against the university’s silence over Thai-born lecturer Dr Dolrudee Jumlongras who skipped out on THB30 million scholarship in Thailand, leaving four guarantors to pay it off on her behalf.
It was unclear if the US college or Facebook had taken steps to block Thai users, or if it was a programming glitch, but either way Thai users were engraged by the action and continued posting on the page through technical workarounds like proxy sites and VPNs.
“The more you block Thai people to make comment on this case, the more you aceept the unethic behavior of this dentist. Really disappoint [sic],” Noon Kwanjit wrote in the review section of Harvard’s Facebook page, giving the page a 1 star review.
Yok Pongthunya also gave the page a 1 star review: “I have been reading your review page for the past week but did not think it was right to give any star until I have heard the news today that you have blocked Thai ip addresses to prevent your rating slump [sic].
“I give you one star for failure to do a little research on how many Thais living aboard, and on how many and how often Thais travelling around the world [sic]. I give you one star for censorship. I give you one star because I cannot give you any lower.”
Kasiphon Kurojjanawong wrote: “I give you ‘1’ on behalf of thai people! Ps. I’m currently out of Thailand. You can’t block me [sic]!”
Of 44,000 reviews on the Facebook page, 29,000 are 1 star reviews.
Dr Dolrudee, who currently works at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, came under fire after breaking her contract with Mahidol University and welching on THB30 million debt.
The university and Office of the Higher Education Commission plan to file a civil lawsuit to force the dentist into bankruptcy in order to help ther guarantors, who paid THB8 million of Dr Dolrudee’s debt.
Dr Dolrudee has told Thai media she intends to repay the loan, blaming personal and financial hardships for her delay in returning the money.
Related:
Thailand BANNED: Harvard blocks Thai users from its Facebook page over dentist drama
Dr Dolrudee only one out of 5,000 scholars to skip debt, says Ohec
‘Debt-skipping’ Harvard dentist tells Thai media she’ll repay Mahidol scholarship
Mahidol University to sue ‘debt-skipping’ Harvard dentist into bankruptcy
Thai-born Harvard dentist accused of welching on multi-million baht scholarship debt to Mahidol
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