Assembly member Wallop Tangkananurak told the students the assembly had ceased hearing three of five university bills.

Wallop and about 20 other NLA members plus university staff met the strikers yesterday and asked them to cease their action. Chulalongkorn lecturer Sompong Jitradap was among the delegation.

A Burapha University and a Ramkhamhaeng University student have been on hunger strike outside Parliament since Monday. They are demanding the government axe bills that will make universities self-governing.

The two strikers have received support from other students, and one, Pakinai Chomsinsap-man, said 20 more would join the action.

Wallop told the students the NLA had ceased hearing autonomy bills relating to three universities and the only bills left for consideration were for Burapha and Mahidol universities.

"Some NLA members are seeking to overturn these bills, so, I want to ask the two students to stop striking and allow the problem to be solved by NLA mechanisms," he said.

Pakinai refused to end his strike until the legislation was scrapped. "We are asking the NLA to stop these laws because they will destroy national education," Pakinai said.

Burapha University's Dr Pongprasert Hoksuwan claimed to have received death threats over the phone since the students started their protest. He made a police report. Chulalongkorn academics alleged similar threats.

Deputy Education Minister Varakorn Samkoses said students had a right to protest. Hunger strikes were peaceful, he added.

He asked university staff to "keep an eye" on the strikers' health.

Varakorn doubted students knew the details of the legislation, drafts of which had been in the system for "more than 37 years". He said universities needed to educate their students about the bills.