And those doing so were advised to stop, the statement said.

Signed by the university’s rector Udom Kachintorn, the statement responded to the Election Commission’s warning that some of the university’s staff were not being politically impartial on the charter referendum issue – and action which could possibly violate the referendum law.

While claiming to support a free and fair referendum, the statement said that the embattled staff members had been informed about the EC’s letter and had been told that the university would not be responsible for any of their personal actions.

Udom mentioned the name of Gothom Arya, the director of Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies within the university, saying the academic had recently expressed his views about the charter draft.

The IHRP is among only a few educational institutions which have hosted academic seminars on political subjects since the May 2014 coup. Gothom has appeared at many public forums and seminars that were critical of the junta-sponsored charter.

An IHRP representative said that the institute had not reached a decision on how to respond to the statement.

After the statement was released, a number of people expressed solidarity with IHRP on itsFacebook page and their support for its role in educating the public.