Researchers from Thailand, Japan, and Laos convened for an international seminar titled “Development and Civil Society in Thailand and Lao PDR” at Khon Kaen University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences on September 4-5, 2025.

The event was organized by Khon Kaen University’s (KKU) ASEAN Studies Center and the Center for Research on Plurality in the Mekong Region. It is part of a collaborative research project supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) aimed at developing knowledge about civil society in the two Southeast Asian nations.

The seminar brought together a diverse group of academics. The Japanese research team was led by project head Prof. Dr. Noriyuki Suzuki and included several other professors and doctors. They were joined by research teams from KKU, Prince of Songkla University, and Yasothon Community College in Thailand.

Rounding out the international collaboration were researchers from the National University of Laos, Development and Civil Society in Thailand and Lao PDR