A criminologist has warned against drawing quick conclusions about the motives behind a school shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi, which left many people injured and dead.
The incident involved a Mathayom 2 male student, who opened fire on fellow pupils and teachers inside the school. Details of the suspected gunman's motive have not been confirmed by authorities.
Speaking on 7 August, criminologist and academic Ajarn Trin Phothiraksa said Thailand needed to learn serious lessons from such attacks, but stressed that claims about mental illness, bullying, resentment towards teachers or violent games should not be treated as fact without evidence.
Motive and risk factors must be separated
Trin said behavioural criminology distinguishes between a motive and risk factors. Bullying, family problems or mental health difficulties may be relevant factors, he said, but do not automatically lead a person to carry out a shooting.
He said information known so far pointed to several possible issues, including long-term bullying, alleged harassment by a group of students, a dispute involving a girl who reportedly complained to a teacher, and the student's reported viewing of overseas murder and mass-shooting videos on YouTube.
However, he said these were only possible explanations and should not be treated as established until properly investigated. The gunman died after the incident.
Trin also questioned why people in the gunman's household had been killed if his intended grievance was against people at school. He said it was an unusual aspect of the case and that outsiders could not know the offender's state of mind at the time.
Calls for metal screening and school psychologists
The weapon was owned by the student's grandfather, raising questions about gun storage and access by children. Trin said cases in which young people use firearms belonging to parents or relatives as weapons or for threats were a repeated warning for families.
He proposed metal detectors and weapons screening at places with large numbers of people, including schools, hospitals and cinemas, rather than restricting such systems to airports, Government House and parliament.
Citing figures previously reported by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, he said offences against life and bodily integrity committed by children and young people rose about 58.7% between fiscal years 2019 and 2023. Weapons-related cases rose about 92.1%, with most offenders of secondary-school age.
Trin said schools should have psychologists and counselling rooms, while teachers should speak with pupils and parents on both sides when bullying is reported. He added that games themselves were not inherently to blame, though violent content could act as a trigger for children who were already vulnerable.
Picture courtesy of Amarin
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8 August 2026
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