The entrance of the haunted house at the That Luang Festival. - Photo: Laotian Times
VIENTIANE (Laotian Times): Allegations of sexual harassment have rapidly surfaced on social media amidst the That Luang Festival, an annual Buddhist celebration held each November.
Visitors shared multiple accounts of inappropriate physical contact while attending one of the festival’s attractions—the haunted house.
The reports have sparked widespread concern and discussions among the community, casting a shadow over the otherwise celebratory event.
In a viral TikTok video, one woman recounted how she and her friends were groped in the pitch-black interior. According to her, the ticket seller escorted them into the attraction, explicitly forbidding using flashlights. Though unable to capture visual evidence, she recorded audio that included a heated confrontation with staff members dressed as ghosts, who allegedly assaulted her group.
The video has sparked outrage online, with many urging festival-goers to avoid the haunted house altogether.
“You should report this to the authorities using this evidence,” one TikTok user commented.
“The haunted house is full of men who just want to touch women. My friends and I had a similar experience,” said another user.
Such misconduct appears to be a recurring issue as a woman named Namtarn, now 24 years old, shared her own account of harassment at the same attraction four years ago.
“At first, they touched my ankle, followed by a scream to scare me,” she recalled. “Then they escalated to hugging my waist and shoulders. I had to fight them off before finally exiting the house.”
According to Namtarn, the ordeal lasted about two minutes, and the staff appeared to be mostly teenagers aged 14 to 20.
“When I came out, they were laughing at me. I’ve never gone back to that haunted house since,” she said.
Namtarn has called on authorities to implement stricter measures for organizing such attractions and to investigate how they operate to prevent further incidents.
“I’m certain many other women have endured similar experiences.”
The 24-year-old’s statements were echoed by other women on social media who underwent the harrowing experience.
“One of the staff managed to kiss me, and I had to dash to the exit to throw up,” one user said.
“They grabbed my chest so roughly that it left me in pain. I’ll make sure to avoid places like that in the future,” another user added.
Despite the growing uproar on social media, no official complaints or actions have been reported so far. As these allegations gain traction, questions about safety and accountability at high-profile events like the That Luang Festival remain unanswered. - Laotian Times
