BANGKOK -- Sulak Sivaraksa, who was born in 1932, the same year as the fall of Thailand's absolute monarchy, is Thailand's most controversial public intellectual. A household name in Thailand, he is relatively unknown in the West despite being one of the most prominent Buddhist advocates of social justice through nonviolence.
A prolific writer, he has published more than 100 books in both Thai and English. He is also viewed as the father of Thai nongovernmental organizations, and has been a mentor for many young Thai thinkers, artists and political activists.
