The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation has pledged to end violence in educational institutions following a hazing incident that left a first-year engineering student seriously injured.
Suchada Taensap, secretary to the caretaker minister, said the ministry would fully cooperate with the police in the investigation after meeting with investigators at Muang Nonthaburi police station on Saturday.
The student’s parents filed a complaint with the police on Aug 15 after their 20-year-old son, a freshman at Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi, was assaulted by a group of students.
According to the complaint, their son was attacked on the school’s Nonthaburi campus after he requested to leave the hazing activity. His father was also allegedly assaulted during the incident.
Ms Suchada said the university management must suspend all students involved in the violence and expel them if they are found to have violated university regulations.
“Police are investigating how many people were involved and whether the injuries sustained by the student were a result of the hazing ritual,” said Ms Suchada.
Pol Col Jaturon Anurakbundit, superintendent of the Muang Nonthaburi station, said officers reviewed surveillance camera video and have identified all the suspects.
Warrants for their arrest will be issued soon after police conduct further interviews with the victim and his parents and obtain medical records, he said, adding that the university has fully cooperated with the investigation.
Kritsana Jirasarnsawat, deputy dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, said the university does not permit any hazing activities and will take drastic action against the attackers.
Police on Saturday inspected a site in Bang Bua Thong district in Nonthaburi where the hazing activity allegedly took place. They were joined by the social media activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, also known as Gun Jom Phalang.
Mr Guntouch said the perpetrators coerce new students into participating in military-like training that includes physical abuse and cruel punishments such as being torched naked.
He also alleged that money was collected weekly to bail out those convicted by law. Mr Guntouch characterised the behaviour as that of a criminal gang.
A violent hazing ritual in 2022 resulted in the death of a 19-year-old freshman at Rajamangala University of Technology Isan in Nakhon Ratchasima.