<p>Laws to privatize four leading universities in Thailand are to come into force amid concerns from many student activist groups.</p>
<p>On Friday, 17 July 2015, laws on the privatisation of four leading state universities Thammasat, Kasetsart, Suan Dusit Rajabhat, all in Bangkok, and Khon Kaen in Thailand’s Northeast, were published in the Royal Gazette.</p>
<p>In the Thai legislative system, a law is officially enacted a day after it is published in the Royal Gazette.</p>
<p>The student organisations of Thammasat University united forces to demand that the Thai authorities put off the university privatisation bill, saying that more public participation is needed. </p>
<p>The student council and organisations from various faculties of Thammasat University on Wednesday afternoon issued a joint statement to urge the junta’s National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to postpone the final reading of the bill to privatise Thammasat university.</p>
<p>According to the initial plan, the bill will be reviewed by the NLA for the last time on 7 May.</p>
<p>Students of the largest university in Thailand’s Northeast put up banners against the junta’s university privatisation plan. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>A student in Thailand’s Northeast has displayed a banner and distributed leaflets against university privatisation.</p>
<p>A student of Khon Kaen University, the largest university of the northeastern region of Thailand, at around 4 pm on 8 April hung a banner with a message reading “Khon Kaen University Company President-(Dictator) Ltd” from the top floor of the Food and Service Centre on the university campus.</p>
<p>The student also distributed leaflets identifying four main reasons why the university should not be privatised.</p>
<p>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.</p>