A student has died during a hazing ritual at a university in Thailand’s north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, despite the university’s ban on hazing. Police have yet to file any charges.

The student, a first year vocational student, was reportedly injured at a gathering of about 60 students on Sunday at around 11pm, 10 kilometres away from the Rajamangala University of Technology Isan campus. He was being taken to hospital when he died.

An autopsy is underway and police are still collecting evidence and interrogating those involved, according to Deputy Police Spokesperson Pol. Col. Krisana Pattanacharoen.

The university issued a statement today (Tuesday) expressing condolences to the family of the student who died and promised to deal harshly with the 60 or so students who broke the rules by taking part in such an activity outside the campus on Sunday night.

The university said that it has, since last year, forbidden hazing rituals and related activities on or off the campus.

It went on to say that all the students involved have reported to the Muang district police, at the instruction of the university, but only about six of them are suspected of being responsible for the student’s death. The university also condemned the use of violence against junior students by their seniors.

According to a Facebook page titled “ANTI SOTUS”, this is the first hazing-related casualty this year. There were three reported in 2020. SOTUS (Seniority, Order, Tradition, Unity, and Spirit) refers to the seniority system often seen in Thai universities, where freshman are often forced to display respect to senior students, while seniors often use their authority to abuse the freshmen.