Pornpiphat “Mint” Iaddam*, a Phuket native, collapsed after being told to keep running during a training session with the cheerleading squad, led by senior students, at the campus on Wednesday (Aug 19).
She was rushed unconscious to Vachira Phuket Hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit at. Her physical condition was described as a state of shock, and Ms Pornpiphat was later pronounced dead from heart failure.
Ms Pornpiphat was enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts Thai-language program under the Faculty of Humanities. She began her studies at the campus in June.
Her uncle, Graisorn Booksaphang, broke the news through a post on Facebook yesterday (Aug 20).
The university has already offered the family B100,000 as compensation, and University President Asst Prof Dr Hiran Prasarnkan read a statement from the university to the press.
“The university would like to clarify the policy of not organising student activities. The university issued an announcement on July 8, 2020 regarding guidelines for organising activities for freshman recruiting and ‘cheer’ meetings,” Dr Hiran read.
The guidelines stipulated that all faculties and disciplines were to refrain from organising activities in the form of group meetings due to COVID-19 requirements, he added.
“Phuket Rajabhat University is not silent and would like to inform you that an investigation has been expedited regarding this case. There has been a meeting with all concerned parties to know the real cause of the loss at this time,” Dr Hiran noted in reading the statement.
“In order to be fair to all parties, the university will hold a press conference to clarify details and facts to the media on August 22, 2020. The university expresses our deepest condolences to the students’ families for their loss.
“Therefore, we would like to announce to society to acknowledge [this incident]. Thank you for coming on this occasion,” he concluded.
One family member told The Phuket News this morning, “It is hard to explain what is going through our minds about this loss. She was a healthy person, she was very active.”
When called by The Phuket News this morning, officers at Phuket City Police Station declined to answer questions about Ms Pornpiphat’s death.
* Correction: Not "Addam" as originally reported. The error is sincerely regretted.