Assoc Prof Bancha Chalapirom issued a statement following reports that a member of the Chulalongkorn Student Council was assaulted by a lecturer after he allegedly showed disrespect to the tradition by abruptly walking out along with CU Student Council President Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal. Pictures were widely shared on Facebook showing a lecturer grabbing a student and dragging him out while Netiwit and other CU Student Council members were leaving the ceremony. Bancha said the student group tried to make a scene for the media to take pictures. Netiwit and other members of the student council were invited to take part in the ceremony. Netiwit has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the tradition of paying respect to the monument with student kowtowing, saying King Rama V himself abolished the tradition.

Source: The Nation Bangkok August 04, 2017 02:26 UTC