Thousands of posters and banners attacking the Council for National Security (CNS) have been put up at Ramkhamhaeng University ahead of the election for the university's student organisation.

Politicians from the old power camp spent a considerable sum of money to sponsor the Pitaktham and Sattatham parties in the student election, a source said.

The two parties put up many posters in the university with messages attacking the CNS

as "dictators" and saying it must restore the country's democracy.

"Throughout Ramkhamhaeng University's history, students have never served a dictatorship. The CNS must give us back democracy," one poster read.

The anti-CNS posters and banners were put up at 10-metre intervals both inside and outside the university campus.

CNS assistant secretary-general Gen Anupong Paochinda has summoned the university's caretaker rector, Wuthisak Lapcharoensap, for an explanation.

Sommai Surachai, the caretaker deputy rector of Ramkhamhaeng University, said he suspected an ill-intentioned group took advantage of the situation to use the students as a political tool.

"We do not know which students accepted money from politicians to mobilise the political campaign in the university, but we call on all students to think of the university's name and not to fall prey to politicians," he said.

He also urged students to lodge a complaint to suspend the coming student organisation election if they had evidence of any election irregularities. An investigation will be launched to probe the complaint and any student found to have misbehaved or violated the university's regulations would face disciplinary punishment, he said.

Sommai said he disapproved of any CNS interference in the university election. "The CNS should not interfere because the situation may get worse. I think they should do more towards reconciliation rather than interfere," Sommai said.

He urged lecturers and university officials to be neutral in the coming election.

"The election campaign is more fierce than in any other year. We have to ensure the election is not be used by politicians at the national level," he said.