By Park Si-soo



The Thai government is investigating claims that eight students from the Southeast Asian country were sexually harassed and exploited during internships in South Korea.

The Chiangrai College of Agriculture and Technology has also set up a fact-finding committee.

Thailand's English daily The Nation reported the allegations on June 16. The students -- five males and three females -- started their internships at an unidentified farm here "a few months ago," according to the report. It said the students, aged 16-22, filed a joint complaint with the Thai embassy in Seoul and the Thai government's complaints center early this month.

"They hugged us, kissed our cheeks and touched our thighs," a female student was quoted as saying, referring to male Korean staff at the farms where the students worked.

She reportedly said they were told it was a "traditional" way of greeting visitors. But they soon realized this was untrue.

A male student told the newspaper that he had been subjected to "hard labor" such as carrying heavy wood and metal.

"Really, I don't think they provided us with training to enrich our experiences," Suthin Anuchiworakan, the male student, told the paper. "It's like they want to use our labor."

The college has set up a fact-finding committee to investigate the scandal, while the Northern Institute of Vocational Education in Agriculture has also started an independent probe.

The students were the third group from the college to work on the farm. No problems were reported with the first two groups of interns, the daily reported, citing Watcharapon Singhakan, head of the school's plant science division.