Thai freshman remains unconscious 6 months after brutal hazing
A Thai freshman remains unconscious at a hospital in Pathum Thani province, near Bangkok, after being brutally assaulted in a hazing at a university in Bangkok in April. An older student admitted to kicking the victim in the chest.
The victim’s 42 year old mother, Thanawan Pannoppha, sought help from Channel 7 after no one took responsibility for her injured son, despite the incident occurring six months ago. Thanawan stated that the assault happened within the university grounds, and her son remains unconscious to this day.
Thanawan explained that she received a call from a professor on August 23, informing her that her son had fallen down the stairs from the fourth floor of a university building. The professor already transferred the victim to the hospital and urged her to meet him there.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Thanawan saw doctors administering CPR to her son. She immediately questioned the professor about the incident but he insisted that her son fell down the stairs.
Thanawan said she was not convinced by this claim, as she believed that falling down stairs could not have caused such severe injuries. The doctor also told Thanawan that her son stopped breathing before arriving at the hospital but CPR revived him.
Thanawan revealed that her son is only alive thanks to the help of a respirator and could die immediately if the device is removed.
According to Thanawan, a junior student confessed to her on August 28 that he kicked the freshman in the chest, which caused him to have a seizure and lose consciousness. Thanawan filed a complaint at Dusit Police Station with the confession of this student.
However, there has been no progress in the case, nor has the university taken any responsibility. The university claimed there were no security cameras at the scene of the incident, and no officials were aware of the hazing, which was held on the fifth floor of the university building.
Thanawan expressed her disbelief in the university’s claims and voiced her determination to seek the truth and justice for her son. She added that she could not afford the medical expenses and had to rely on the standard treatment provided by state welfare.
The Superintendent of Dusit Police Station, Nathatchapong Kiriram, insisted that the police are actively working on the case and already collected evidence from the scene.
