Thai Boy Tired Of Study Set School Block Alight

[webfact]

Boy 'tired of study' send school block alight

By The Nation

NAKHON PATHOM: -- A 16-year-old boy blamed for an arson attack on a building at the renowned Mahidol Witthayanusron School in Nakhon Pathom told his family he sought to burn down the building because he was tired of studying.

The unnamed boy's father, Weeraphol, whose surname has been withheld, told police his son had complained to him about hard work at school and getting "so distressed he did not want any more education".

Police said the boy told his father the same thing before buying a litre of petrol and hiding in the building, which housed a library.

Matichon Daily quoted the boy in an exclusive interview as saying: "I don't want to study here anymore. The students here are all selfish. The lessons are difficult and I could not catch up with them. The teachers are piling up pressure on me. So I decided to be a copycat."

Provincial governor Panadda Disakul deplored the boy's "ordeal" and expressed concern that young people may commit arson attacks for other motives.

Matichon said the boy was reportedly addicted to computer games and had occasionally been aggressive and made statements considered to be "eccentric and out of this world".

He allegedly started the fire at about 3am then waited in a toilet in the canteen nearby until morning, when he came out and was spotted by police.

The coed boarding school, which has 720 students, was forced to close for one week, as the first four floors of the sevenstorey building were damaged. But no one was hurt by the blaze.

The 11th grader from Nong Khai was a straightA student until recently, when his GPA (grade point average) slipped to 3.1. His father said his son may have a genetic mental problem which many of his relatives had.

Meanwhile, Kor Witthayakharn School in Warin Samrab district in Ubon Ratchathani caught fire early in the morning. No one was hurt.

Police did not rule out arson, after eyewitnesses said they saw a pickup truck speed away from a building where the fire broke out from a room on the second floor.

It was a two-storey, wood and concrete structure constructed 67 years ago.

-- The Nation 2010-06-07

[cdnvic]

Nonsense and replies to it deleted.

[toasted]

There was a spate of school buildings burning down in the North-East a few years back. Vandalism and arson of their schools by disaffected students is nothing new in England, but at the time some linked the arson in Issan with the southern seperatists and terrorism.

[roykeanz]

The kid's obviously making an early claim to becoming a future Red Shirt leader!

[Tingnongnoi]

this is one of the very top school in Thailand, very hard entrance exam's and a lot of pressure on the kids there

[webfact]

FIRE AT MAHIDOL WITTHAYANUSORN SCHOOL

Schoolboy claims he copied red shirts' arsons

By The Nation

The student who burned the library building of Mahidol Witthayanusron School in Nakhon Pathom province claimed he copied the red shirts' arson attacks from the television news.

Nakhon Pathom Governor Panatda Disakul who talked to the boy, 16, quoted the boy as saying that he copied what he'd seen on television as the red shirts' burned buildings in Bangkok last month.

"The boy said that it seemed ok for adults to burn the buildings. So he decided to copy those actions. However, when the blaze escalated, he called the 191 emergency line several times. Examination of the calls show that he told the truth," Panatda said.

"He said that if he could go back in time, he would not have set the fire," he said. The governor described the boy as polite, calm and sweet.

Meanwhile Nakhon Pathom police chief Pol Col Surapot Pisutwong said he already talked to the boy's father. The father said that the boy was the older of his two children and was one of top students before entering the school.

"His studies in Grade 11 dropped dramatically. The boy told his father that he did not like to study there and wanted to return to his Udon Thani school," he said.

Surapot quoted the father as admitting that his son apparently has mental problems but he did not tell his school out of concern that his son would not be allowed to study there.

Meanwhile the Juvenile Observation and Protection Department's chief Thawatchai Thaikeaw said a psychologist and neurological expert will be sent to assess the mental condition of the 11th-grade boy.

The boy cannot be sent to the remand home as he is in need of psychological help. Instead, he will be sent to the Galya Rajanagarindra Institute for treatment.

Thawatchai has also requested that experts assess the boy's mental health condition and motive for the crime, as young people who commit crimes rarely visualise the end results of their actions.

He said it was first necessary to psychoanalyse the boy and find out the reasons for his action. Every factor would be taken into account but nothing could be said right now as to where his motivation stemmed from and whether it had anything to do with Thailand's latest political unrest.

According to Thawatchai, a youth had already committed a similar act in a Southern province. The reason appeared to be related to economic factors.

However, it was also important to have a psychologist standing by at every school, especially those schools that are famous for providing better education, as many kids are reportedly lacking in emotional quotient (EQ), which can lead to such incidents. Nowadays, many parents prefer to send their children to schools offering quality education without considering whether the surroundings and pressure are suited to the youngsters.

The 16-year-old boy blamed for an arson attack on a building at the renowned Mahidol Witthayanusorn School in Nakhon Pathom told his family he sought to burn down the building because he was tired of studying.

The boy was reportedly addicted to computer games and had occasionally been aggressive and made statements considered "eccentric and out of this world".

He allegedly started the fire at about 3am then waited in a toilet in the canteen nearby until morning, when he came out and was spotted by police.

In his statement, the boy said he didn't intend to burn the whole library down but just some of the school building to extend the holidays.

-- The Nation 2010-06-07

[Insight]

Looks like the mission to convince people it wasn't the red shirts behind the arson isn't going to plan...

[yoshiwara]

Looks like the mission to convince people it wasn't the red shirts behind the arson isn't going to plan...

.......probably a fake schoolboy.......

[Jingthing]

I hadn't realized Thailand was so tolerant of arsonists. Sends the wrong message, I think.

[yoshiwara]

UDON, why this boy comes from is the land of the RED, and great supporter of THAKSIN.

The report says: he is in need of psychological help

[dom samui]

The report says: he is in need of psychological help

a lot are!

[animatic]

Children learn from the actions AND inactions of adults.

Seems the classic; pass the student so the family never loses face, action went on,

with the inaction of the family making sure the student does NOT actually KNOW his subjects.

He skates through school with enough grades appearing adequate,

and enough family cash to get him in the high end school, then what???

Suddenly he is in a school that demands he actually perform. He flounders.

Retreats into the violent world of video gaming, and more and more stress

and pressure falls on his inadequately prepared shoulders. He watches the

'adults' acting horrendously allegedly to solve their problems, and figures

in his stressed out state; Gee, might work for me.

And so he acts without thinking past the moment. He no doubt saw the arsons,

but not the Red Leaders in the dock, and he doesn't read the papers,

so doesn't see the endgame playing out...

Poor sad little person, but the family that hid his mental issues are also to blame.

Dad wouldn't think of getting him treatment; loss of face for the family you see.

Just so much disconnect with reality in this story, it saddens greatly.

Edited June 7, 2010 by animatic

[hyperdimension]

The report says: he is in need of psychological help

a lot are!

So are the Red-shirts, especially their leaders.

That's exactly what I wrote recently in some of the other threads - the Red Shirt supporters have become brainwashed followers of a cult movement and need mental rehabilitation. Despite the valid grievances, they would not have become so violent and lacking in remorse if it weren't for the continuous hate speech from the leaders. The only mental treatment talk I've read is for the residents and businesses who have suffered from the destruction. There doesn't seem to be any talk about mental rehabilitation for the otherwise innocent Red Shirt supporters, and I strongly feel that there needs to be.

[SomTumTiger]

Children learn from the actions AND inactions of adults.

Seems the classic; pass the student so the family never loses face, action went on,

with the inaction of the family making sure the student does NOT actually KNOW his subjects.

He skates through school with enough grades appearing adequate,

and enough family cash to get him in the high end school, then what???

Suddenly he is in a school that demands he actually perform. He flounders.

Retreats into the violent world of video gaming, and more and more stress

and pressure falls on his inadequately prepared shoulders. He watches the

'adults' acting horrendously allegedly to solve their problems, and figures

in his stressed out state; Gee, might work for me.

And so he acts without thinking past the moment. He no doubt saw the arsons,

but not the Red Leaders in the dock, and he doesn't read the papers,

so doesn't see the endgame playing out...

Poor sad little person, but the family that hid his mental issues are also to blame.

Dad wouldn't think of getting him treatment; loss of face for the family you see.

Just so much disconnect with reality in this story, it saddens greatly.

Damned right. I live and work at the university next to this school. It filled with a lot of wonderful, smart kids, who are getting a very accelerated math and science curriculum. They receive something like 10,000 applications a year, and only accept 250, for their program. Certainly lots of pressure, and needs to be a better counseling/support system in place. The same can be said for many schools, I think.

As usual - Animatic hits a home run with his post. I just enjoy reading them and nodding my head. lol

[Mario2008]

2 post dragging this topic into the political situation deleted as off topic.

[bangon04]

"Surapot quoted the father as admitting that his son apparently has mental problems but he did not tell his school out of concern that his son would not be allowed to study there."

I think the cat is out of the bag....

[animatic]

Children learn from the actions AND inactions of adults.

Seems the classic; pass the student so the family never loses face, action went on,

with the inaction of the family making sure the student does NOT actually KNOW his subjects.

He skates through school with enough grades appearing adequate,

and enough family cash to get him in the high end school, then what???

Suddenly he is in a school that demands he actually perform. He flounders.

Retreats into the violent world of video gaming, and more and more stress

and pressure falls on his inadequately prepared shoulders. He watches the

'adults' acting horrendously allegedly to solve their problems, and figures

in his stressed out state; Gee, might work for me.

And so he acts without thinking past the moment. He no doubt saw the arsons,

but not the Red Leaders in the dock, and he doesn't read the papers,

so doesn't see the endgame playing out...

Poor sad little person, but the family that hid his mental issues are also to blame.

Dad wouldn't think of getting him treatment; loss of face for the family you see.

Just so much disconnect with reality in this story, it saddens greatly.

Damned right. I live and work at the university next to this school. It filled with a lot of wonderful, smart kids, who are getting a very accelerated math and science curriculum. They receive something like 10,000 applications a year, and only accept 250, for their program. Certainly lots of pressure, and needs to be a better counseling/support system in place. The same can be said for many schools, I think.

As usual - Animatic hits a home run with his post. I just enjoy reading them and nodding my head. lol

Thanks STTiger, a much appreciated comment.

This case above is the exact opposite of how we are schooling our child.

She will THINK through problems herself and and use initiative.

Where she is weak we help her, where she is strong we applaud her.

Fortunatelyshe is also quite stable and well balanced. Fingers crossed.

[Kilgore Trout]

FIRE AT MAHIDOL WITTHAYANUSORN SCHOOL

Schoolboy claims he copied red shirts' arsons

By The Nation

The student who burned the library building of Mahidol Witthayanusron School in Nakhon Pathom province claimed he copied the red shirts' arson attacks from the television news.

Nakhon Pathom Governor Panatda Disakul who talked to the boy, 16, quoted the boy as saying that he copied what he'd seen on television as the red shirts' burned buildings in Bangkok last month.

"The boy said that it seemed ok for adults to burn the buildings. So he decided to copy those actions. However, when the blaze escalated, he called the 191 emergency line several times. Examination of the calls show that he told the truth," Panatda said.

"He said that if he could go back in time, he would not have set the fire," he said. The governor described the boy as polite, calm and sweet.

Meanwhile Nakhon Pathom police chief Pol Col Surapot Pisutwong said he already talked to the boy's father. The father said that the boy was the older of his two children and was one of top students before entering the school.

"His studies in Grade 11 dropped dramatically. The boy told his father that he did not like to study there and wanted to return to his Udon Thani school," he said.

Surapot quoted the father as admitting that his son apparently has mental problems but he did not tell his school out of concern that his son would not be allowed to study there.

Meanwhile the Juvenile Observation and Protection Department's chief Thawatchai Thaikeaw said a psychologist and neurological expert will be sent to assess the mental condition of the 11th-grade boy.

The boy cannot be sent to the remand home as he is in need of psychological help. Instead, he will be sent to the Galya Rajanagarindra Institute for treatment.

Thawatchai has also requested that experts assess the boy's mental health condition and motive for the crime, as young people who commit crimes rarely visualise the end results of their actions.

He said it was first necessary to psychoanalyse the boy and find out the reasons for his action. Every factor would be taken into account but nothing could be said right now as to where his motivation stemmed from and whether it had anything to do with Thailand's latest political unrest.

According to Thawatchai, a youth had already committed a similar act in a Southern province. The reason appeared to be related to economic factors.

However, it was also important to have a psychologist standing by at every school, especially those schools that are famous for providing better education, as many kids are reportedly lacking in emotional quotient (EQ), which can lead to such incidents. Nowadays, many parents prefer to send their children to schools offering quality education without considering whether the surroundings and pressure are suited to the youngsters.

The 16-year-old boy blamed for an arson attack on a building at the renowned Mahidol Witthayanusorn School in Nakhon Pathom told his family he sought to burn down the building because he was tired of studying.

The boy was reportedly addicted to computer games and had occasionally been aggressive and made statements considered "eccentric and out of this world".

He allegedly started the fire at about 3am then waited in a toilet in the canteen nearby until morning, when he came out and was spotted by police.

In his statement, the boy said he didn't intend to burn the whole library down but just some of the school building to extend the holidays.

-- The Nation 2010-06-07

Seems like a common thing with these rich folk to claim mental illness(I am assuming the family is rich as this is apparently a prestigious school), didn't the mad mercedes driver use the same excuse?

[webfact]

UPDATE

School offers to take back 'arsonist' student

Thailand Live Wednesday 9 Jun 2010 - Thailand Forum

[Rucharee]

Probe the parents, MAYBE (just maybe) you might (or MIGHT NOT) see some Red connection.

Check the boys bank account, follow the money. It may or MAY NOT lead to Dubai.

[freedom4life]

The kid's obviously making an early claim to becoming a future Red Shirt leader!

Better than an over-compliant,fence-sitting, pro-establishment fat farang.

[hyperdimension]

So who is going to pay for the damages? Logically, the parents should, but will they? Why should the government have to pay?

[Rucharee]

So who is going to pay for the damages? Logically, the parents should, but will they? Why should the government have to pay?

What about the insurance company. That's why you buy insurance isn't it?

[Rucharee]

Seems like a common thing with these rich folk to claim mental illness(I am assuming the family is rich as this is apparently a prestigious school), didn't the mad mercedes driver use the same excuse?

Sorry, you are wrong.

This is the school for the gifted. Not a school for the rich.

Getting in is based solely on academic. Straight A student only.