Students report being misled into bizarre camp in Thailand

Several students from a renowned university in northeastern Thailand have reported being misled by senior students into attending a peculiar camp that deviated from Buddhist teachings. The camp involved strange rituals, including chanting hundreds of times and creating heavenly passports.

Students from a well-known university in northeastern Thailand raised concerns about a camp they were taken to by senior students, under the guise of a volunteer camp. The students, who included high schoolers, were transported to the camp around midnight. The location was described as very dark, and upon arrival, participants were subjected to unusual rituals such as speaking their names, burning names, and pressing their foreheads to open the third eye, said one student.

“When we searched the camp’s name on Google, it came up as permanently closed.”

The camp had an entry fee but only provided one bottle of water, which participants were expected to refill themselves. Activities at the camp involved physical pain, purportedly as a means to ward off bad luck. There were no clear daily schedules, and participants were required to adhere to a vegetarian diet and chant hundreds of times while bowing repeatedly.

“Whenever we asked the staff about the activities, they gave the same scripted responses, as if they were brainwashed.”

Some students claimed that professors and deans had accompanied them to the camp. Among the peculiar activities was the creation of heavenly passports, which were said to be shown to Yama, the lord of death, upon dying. These passports contained personal information similar to that found on an ID card and were intended to remove the holder’s name from the list of those destined for hell, thereby granting them access to heaven.

The students have urged the university to investigate these activities, as the camp also charged around 300 baht for participation. They expressed concern over the legitimacy and safety of the camp and the unusual practices it promoted.

The university is expected to take these reports seriously and conduct a thorough investigation to ensure the safety and well-being of its students, reported KhaoSod.