Students of the largest university in Thailand’s Northeast put up banners against the junta’s university privatisation plan.    About 10 students of Khon Kaen University of the northeastern at around 4pm on Thursday held banners with messages reading “Opposing university privatisation = Opposing the coup d’état” and “President + National Legislative Assembly (NLA) + coup d’état = university privatisation” in front of the Food and Service Centre on the university campus.

Community members, lawyers, academics, and students from the Northeast and Bangkok convened this Friday to kick off a new political movement to defend the rights of Isaan people under martial law. Community members openly discuss widespread repression under martial law in a rare event held in Bangkok on Friday.

The junta cabinet has approved bills to privatise two prominent state universities, saying that there is no need to ask students since the bills were proposed by the universities and many other universities have already undergone the same process.

This week, Patiwat S. was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for lèse majesté because of his role in the play, “The Wolf Bride.” Patiwat is the most recent student to have been imprisoned under the law, and has been an advocate for Isaan peoples’ rights and democracy for years. On Monday, the criminal court sentenced Khon Kaen University student Patiwat S. and activist Pornthip M. to five years in jail for their involvement in a satirical play that was deemed “damaging to the monarchy.” The court reduced the sentence by half for their admission of guilt.

Khon Kaen– Despite concerns from the military, about 400 people from thirteen provinces participated in the 7th Annual Isaan Human Rights Festival held yesterday at Kwanmor Hotel in Khon Kaen. New to the festival this year was the participation of diplomats from the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the European Union, Sweden, and the United States.