The Ministry of Education has stated that students are under no obligation to attend such rituals, and has laid down guidelines, which include: “Morally follow acceptable traditions and the culture of society”, and “No harassment both physically and mentally”. The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC) has in the past made some progress, it seems, working with universities on human rights issues concerning hazing, and yet, the practice goes on.
The student who compared SOTUS to a living hell wrote on the Anti-SOTUS Facebook page that students at Maejo University in Chiang Mai, infamous for its severe hazing rituals, had been given some commandments to adhere to (hundreds of students protested against SOTUS at Mae Jo in 2011).
1) Respect Maejo law as the law of the Kingdom itself.
2) Do the right thing. Do what the seniors tell you.
3) Finish your sentence with 'sir' or 'ma'am' every time when you address an upperclassmen.
4) Upon hearing Maejo's anthem you must stand to attention, heads down and salute.
Students report that often peer pressure, and fear of being ostracized, is one of the reasons they attend the hazing rituals. One philosophy major told Chiang Mai CityNews, ''The seniors will tell all the other students not to talk to you. Freshmen don't want to be separated, so they do it. Many students don't want to do it, but they are too afraid to say anything. We want to be able to make a choice; our hope is that soon it will change.''