Initially, a university official had approved the erection of the tent, but soon after the students borrowed it the owners said they wanted to remove the tent because university officials were threatening legal action, Chorfa said.

The students dug their heels in and the company owning the tent relented. Later, however, some university officials arrived in person to remove the tent.

The students turned them away, but Chorfa said they are worried that the tent will be removed at night when no one is guarding it.

She said leaflets and posters the group has been distributing are also being vandalised.

Meanwhile, the Thammasat University Student Union said that the anti-government movement needs another 10,000 signatures to start impeachment proceedings against the prime minister.

The union will distribute 10,000 booklets to members of the public tomorrow at the Lan Pho campus to inform them of their constitutional rights.

In a related event, political activist Somkiat Pongpaiboon resigned as chairman of the Rajabhat Lecturers and Officials Council after its members were seriously divided over a joint stance against Prime Minister Thaksin.

Representatives of 37 Rajabhat universities around the country, attending a meeting at Rajabhat Pranakorn University, rejected a proposal to issue a statement representing the council, calling on Thaksin to quit. They said opinions on the issue were personal, rather than binding all members of the council.

Somkiat said he had joined the anti-Thaksin alliance, so he felt he should quit to separate himself from the council.

Also yesterday, bout 30 students from Ramkhamhaeng’s Satchatham Party visited the Muang Thong Thani home of renegade Thai Rak Thai MP Snoh Thienthong to present him with flowers and praise him for fighting against what they called “dictatorial power” in the ruling party.

Snoh is leader of the party’s Wang Nam Yen faction.

The students also praised Snoh’s wife, Uraiwan Thienthong, for quitting the post of culture minister, showing political etiquette and setting a good role model for other politicians.

They said they have gathered 4,000 signatures of people seeking to launch impeachment proceedings against the prime minister.

Snoh told them the Thai Rak Thai Party has blacklisted seven members of the Wang Nam Yen faction from joining the party’s meetings to assess the political situation.