An online movement opposed to the infamous orientation activities for Thai college freshmen, known locally as SOTUS, has gained momentum in the past few days, with almost 10,000 people joining a Facebook group expressing opposition to the tradition. The group called Anti-SOTUS has protested what it describes as unreasonably harsh, violent and fear-driven activities.
Since university admission results have just been released, many parents are worried about the wellbeing of their children. There have been widespread reports of injuries during SOTUS activities in past decades, which take place during the late-summer beginning of Thailand’s academic year.
SOTUS, which stands for Seniority Order Tradition Unity Spirit, normally takes place during the first month of each academic year. Run by senior students, SOTUS aims to help break the ice amongst freshmen, and between freshmen and their senior fellows. It includes backbreaking exercise activities and games. Some activities can come across as strange, unhygienic and dangerous to many attendees. One such game asks all students to lick the same chunk of wood. Another demands that students take off their shirts and lay down with their feet in a river.
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