NAKHON RATCHASIMA, March 17 (TNA) – Police had seven students, most of whom fatally punched the chest of a freshman re-enact their crime and also planned to press charges against 25 other students.
The seven vocational students from a well-known university of Nakhon Ratchasima were already charged with fatally assaulting the freshman and injuring two other new students in their hazing ritual.
The hazing occurred at a sugarcane plantation in Ban Khok Makok village of Muang district, about 20 kilometers from their university, from 8pm on March 13. The dead freshman, Padyos “Prem” Chonpakdi, was 19 years old. The seven sophomores were also charged with violating the Communicable Diseases Act for their drinking party which defied COVID-19 controls.
During the re-enactment the seven students confessed that six of them each gave a punch on Prem’s chest and the other ordered him to crawl. Prem was knocked unconscious by the punches and then had a seizure. He was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead at about 11pm on March 13.
Police will also charge 25 second-year students of the university for humiliating freshmen for forcing the latter to be stripped naked during the hazing. Police are considering if there should be additional charges related to the incident. (TNA)
