Thai university's student group under investigation after hazing photos go viral
A student group at at the Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok, Thailand, has come under fire after photos of its freshmen initiation activities went viral.
Anti-Sotus, a group against hazing students, posted the pictures on its Facebook page on Tuesday. The album contains more than 40 images of what the Anti-Sotus claims are freshmen being "abused" by a student group called Ram Langsuan.
Many of the photos show the young students in tears after being subjected to different forms of humiliation, such as being stepped on and forced to make out with a fellow student of the same gender.
You May Also Like
After the photos were posted online, outraged netizens criticised the university for letting the hazing take place.
According to local news outlets, a representative for Ramkhamhaeng University said that Ram Langsuan was now under investigation, and did not inform the school prior to carrying out the activities.
Ram Langsuan's president Pathiparn Meepian has since denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the students in the photos were "acting" and that the whole activity was all fun and games.
Meepian said: "If you were there, you'd know it wasn't as cruel as it looks in the pictures. I think it's not violence. Well you can say I'm selfish, but all the freshmen who agreed to go know what was gonna happen. I don't think too much about people who don't know the truth."
Freshmen being put through initiation rituals called "rub nong" in Thailand is viewed upon as tradition, especially in the country's state universities.
In 2014, a 17-year-old Thai student suffocated to death during a beach-side hazing, where he was forced to consume an alcoholic drink while his face was pressed against the sand.
