Four Students Stabbed

[frodo]

St Joseph Convent School turmoil: Parents shocked, four students stabbed

Published on September 09, 2005

Attacker described as “tomboy” in 35 to 40 years old

Four young students of the prestige St Joseph Convent School in Silom area were severely stabbed today morning by a woman who was seen stalking outside the school for days.

The attack took place shortly after seven am when students were getting into their classroom.

Three students were severely injured because they were stabbed several times on their body and abdomen. Doctors have performed operations on them and described them as being in safe condition now.

The four students were identified as Chayamon Trailertsamut, 14, a Grade 8 student, Chinjutha Rerksirinukul, 13, a Grade 8 student, Chamanat Arif, 12, a Grade 6 student, and Apistha Boonam, 14, a Grade 8 student.

Dr Kritwit Lert-usahakul, director of the BNH Hospital, said the three severely-injured students were in safe condition and under close watch of doctors in the intensive care unit.

The operations took about four hours, he said.

“The three are now in safe condition and have bee moved to recovering rooms. They will stay in the hospital for three to five days,” the director said.

According to the hospital director, Chayamon was stabbed two times on her left arm and two times on her chest.

Chinjutha was stabbed on the right side of her abdomen and the knife cut her colons. Chamanat was stabbed on her right shoulder one time and another on her right hip and the knife pieced through to her kidney and liver.

Apistha was stabbed on her left shoulder, on the back and the right side of her chest, piercing through to her lung.

Kritwit said Chayamon had been released to her parents after doctors stitched her wounds.

It was the first attack inside the prestige girl school, which is usually guarded at the entrance by security officials.

The news of the attack prompted parents to rush to the school to inquire about their own children.

Parents tried to get inside to take back their students, resulting in turmoil at the gate.

Parents were seen panicly calling their children on mobile phones in front of the school.

The presence of the parents prompted traffic police to close the traffic section in front of the school.

It took some hours for the school management to gradually release students to their parents. The classes were abruptly suspended following the attack.

Initially, police, school officials, and some parents thought the attacker was still hiding inside so they conducted a search while some male parents armed with sticks scattered to guard each floor of school buildings.

The search stopped at 9:30 am after police late learnt from a taxi motorcyclist that the attacker hired him to deliver her to a point. Initially, police said she was delivered to Hua Lampong Railway station but later they said she went to Sapang Luang area beyond Hua Lampong.

Police quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the attack took place shortly after seven o’clock.

Parents and security officials said the woman mingled among parents, who accompanied their children to the school, and got inside the compound.

Supalak Tangsongpol, a Grade 8 student, said she was talking with a group of friends inside her classroom when seeing the sixth grader running inside with blood running down her body. The girl was being chased by a knife-wielding woman, who rushed in and attacked her friends.

“Blood of my friends and splashed on me. I was frightened and ran to a teacher room and I don’t know what happened after that,” Supalak said.

Phathinee Trailertsamut, the mother of Chayamon, quoted her daughter as saying that the girl was sitting on the second floor in front of teachers' rest rooms when friends ran upstairs and shouted that students were being attacked by a knife-wielding woman.

"My daughter tried to get up to run away but it was too late. She was grabbed and stabbed. Fortunately, friends pulled her free," Phathinee said.

Several parents expressed anger that security officials at the gate allowed the attacker to go inside.

Usually, parents are required to present their parent card to get inside but security officials sometimes allow parents with familiar face to get inside without checking the card.

A parent complained to a TV reporter that she was usually asked to present a card to get inside to pick up her niece. "So, I don't understand why the attacker could go inside," she said.

A parent of a Grade 3 student, who was identified as Napaporn, said she saw the attacker sitting inside the school compound since Thursday evening.

"I don't understand why guards let her in," Napaporn said.

Police quoted the motorcyclist, Prapai Mahkoomlek, 35, who delivered the woman as saying that the attacker appeared like a "tomboy", wearing short hair and shorts. The woman was thought to be around 35 to 40 years old, police said.

Prapai said the woman paid him Bt100 for the fare. He initially took her to Sapan Luang but made a u-turn to in front of Hua Lampong.

The woman was wearing pink shorts and black jacket and sandals, Prapai said.

"She appeared very reckless, but I don't know what she has done," the motorcyclist said.

Other taxi motorcyclists told police that the attacker liked to hang out at their taxi stand in front of the BNH Hospital now and then. Sometimes she sat inside a nearby Catholic Church and she liked to watch girls at the school.

They said when she spotted a girl she liked, she hired one of the taxi motorcyclist to follow the student to the students' home. They said she always paid them high amount of fare.

Premjai Phasupha, 43, a mother of three daughters who is studying at the school, said she was shocked when seeing blood-soaked bodies of students being carried out of the school.

“I was shocked and feared for safety of my children. I felt relieved after calling my daughters and found they were safe,” Premjai said.

Prawat Limpichotepong, whose daughter is studying in the second grade, said he was shocked to learn that the violent had happened at the prestige girl school.

“I have my daughter study here because I thought this was the safest school. Now, I could not be sure,” Prawat said.

A mother, who identified herself only by her surname as Williams, said that from now on the school should tighten security measures and require parents to show card fore entering the school’s compound.

Nation News

This is shocking! I hope the students recover quickly and the <deleted> caught right away.

Edited September 9, 2005 by frodo

[bkkmadness]

They said when she spotted a girl she liked, she hired one of the taxi motorcyclist to follow the student to the students' home. They said she always paid them high amount of fare.

Obviously paid them enough that they didn't care what she was up to. They should feel ashamed, helping someone like this spy on and endanger young kids.

Edited September 9, 2005 by bkkmadness

[pedro01]

They said when she spotted a girl she liked, she hired one of the taxi motorcyclist to follow the student to the students' home. They said she always paid them high amount of fare.

Obviously paid them enough that that didn't care what she was up to. They should feel ashamed, helping someone like this spy on and endanger young kids.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly - should have been reported long ago. This is very sad.

[baghead]

It's hard to believe something like this happened. It is a real shame. The children will have a difficult time recovering from this.

[Greer]

Yes, not just sad...scary...my children go to a convent school in Bangkok. I hope they find this weirdo and charge her with attempted murder, then lock her up for the rest of her natural life - people like this don't deserve to live among us.

[kat]

They said when she spotted a girl she liked, she hired one of the taxi motorcyclist to follow the student to the students' home. They said she always paid them high amount of fare.

Obviously paid them enough that they didn't care what she was up to. They should feel ashamed, helping someone like this spy on and endanger young kids.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They probably viewed this behavior as perfectly normal.

[AmeriThai]

Poor kids. What a shock for the kids, parents, teachers, and everyone else. Fortunately the kids will survive, but what a traumatic life-threatening experience. Seems odd the attacker, who was a complete stranger, was seen to be stalking the school for several days. That alone sounds like pretty odd behavior. You'd think that someone would've at least reported it to check it out. But then who would've expected such sudden violence like that.

It was mentioned that the psycho paid motorcycle taxi drivers in order to to follow various girl students around. Regardless of how high a fare she paid, it seems it would've been obvious that something was odd about that kind of behavior.

How or why did the security guards let her onto the school grounds in the first place? Looks like their jobs are history.

The attacker sounds like a psychotic pervert. Hopefully, she'll be caught and locked away soon.

[jackr]

They said when she spotted a girl she liked, she hired one of the taxi motorcyclist to follow the student to the students' home. They said she always paid them high amount of fare.

Obviously paid them enough that they didn't care what she was up to. They should feel ashamed, helping someone like this spy on and endanger young kids.

They probably viewed this behavior as perfectly normal.

Exactly, if they even thought anything of it at all...as long as they get their money they couldn't care less

[Scott]

This is sad, but not surprising. First, it's hard to figure out what people are doing, since there are a lot of people on the streets in BKK. Everything from vendors, to motorcycle taxi drivers, to god-only-knows.

As for a lot of the "security guards", they get used to somebody's face and then there is no reason to stop them.

Best thing schools could do is not allow anyone except students into the school. Parents must have an appointment to get in. No parking inside. Kids are dropped off and escorted by staff into the school. Kids and cars don't mix well.

Most parents are nothing but a nuisance at the schools. They walk around, snooping, take up time that teachers need to attend to the students, classroom, supervision of arriving students etc. They are critical, judgemental and have no good reason for being on the grounds.

My condolences to the children and their family.

[AmeriThai]

They said when she spotted a girl she liked, she hired one of the taxi motorcyclist to follow the student to the students' home. They said she always paid them high amount of fare.

Obviously paid them enough that they didn't care what she was up to. They should feel ashamed, helping someone like this spy on and endanger young kids.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They probably viewed this behavior as perfectly normal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You may be right, but I'll bet they'd be looking at it in a whole different light if any of their kids had been victims of the attack.

Pretty hard to view such behavior as normal. It was reported by one of the drivers that the psycho was following kids to their homes. Seems like that'd be a clue something wasn't right. They should've filed a report as soon as they collected the fare, so someone could at least check on what's going on. But it all seems to sink in after the fact.

[Maestro]

They said when she spotted a girl she liked, she hired one of the taxi motorcyclist to follow the student to the students' home. They said she always paid them high amount of fare.

Obviously paid them enough that that didn't care what she was up to. They should feel ashamed, helping someone like this spy on and endanger young kids.

Exactly - should have been reported long ago. This is very sad.

When we see how the traffic police harasses motorcyclists all the time, should we wonder that the taxi motorcyclists didn’t take the initiative to report the woman’s behaviour to the police, that is if they became suspicious at all?

[Neeranam]

When we see how the traffic police harasses motorcyclists all the time, should we wonder that the taxi motorcyclists didn’t take the initiative to report the woman’s behaviour to the police, that is if they became suspicious at all?

These guys do not trust the police. Police would probably not listen to them.

Amazing that this woman could have hung around the school so long without being questioned. This was the most prestiged school in Thailand, not so sure about now though.

I used to work at this school many years ago when a couple of young Shinawarts were there. The security was always good as there were many top policemen's daughters there.

I hope the woman is found very quickly - how on earth did she get away?

It will be interesting to see what happens to her as this school is well above the law.

[frodo]

Thankfully, she has been identified. Seems she's a local mental case. With the big concern right now about having massage parlors near schools, maybe this should serve as another wake call having a Psych Ward 50 meters from a school. Not a good idea. Hopefully, they'll have her before the end of the evening.

Urgent: attacker identified

Published on Sep 09 , 2005

A police source has identified the woman who attacked four Saint Joseph Convent School students as Jitrada Tantiwanitchayasuk.

The source said the 31-year-old woman used to be a mental patient of the BNH Hospital, which is located just 50 metres away from the school.

The source added that the woman was a resident from Nakhon Pathom's Nakhon Chaisri district.

Nation News

[jackr]

It will be interesting to see what happens to her as this school is well above the law.

A Glasgow Smile will sort the freak out - taste of her own medicine

[RDN]

Poor kids. What a shock for the kids, parents, teachers, and everyone else. Fortunately the kids will survive, but what a traumatic life-threatening experience...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Couldn't agree more. My g/f just told me about this after watching Thai TV news. It's on channel 9 now. Just goes to show that there are nutters all over the world. I hope they catch the woman quickly.

[AmeriThai]

Thankfully, she has been identified. Seems she's a local mental case. With the big concern right now about having massage parlors near schools, maybe this should serve as another wake call having a Psych Ward 50 meters from a school. Not a good idea. Hopefully, they'll have her before the end of the evening.

Urgent: attacker identified

Published on Sep 09 , 2005

A police source has identified the woman who attacked four Saint Joseph Convent School students as Jitrada Tantiwanitchayasuk.

The source said the 31-year-old woman used to be a mental patient of the BNH Hospital, which is located just 50 metres away from the school.

The source added that the woman was a resident from Nakhon Pathom's Nakhon Chaisri district.

Nation News

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So she used to be a mental patient at BNH Hospital? Did they have no clue that she had serious problems? Now that's interesting. Maybe the hospital needs to train their staff. If I'm not mistaken, didn't the article say some of the motorcycle taxi drivers saw her hanging aound the hospital? Maybe she was trying to get back in as a patient but the hospital wouldn't let her, so she went on a rampage?

Edited September 9, 2005 by AmeriThai

[sriracha john]

They said when she spotted a girl she liked, she hired one of the taxi motorcyclist to follow the student to the students' home. They said she always paid them high amount of fare.

Obviously paid them enough that they didn't care what she was up to. They should feel ashamed, helping someone like this spy on and endanger young kids.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They probably viewed this behavior as perfectly normal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You may be right, but I'll bet they'd be looking at it in a whole different light if any of their kids had been victims of the attack.

Pretty hard to view such behavior as normal. It was reported by one of the drivers that the psycho was following kids to their homes. Seems like that'd be a clue something wasn't right. They should've filed a report as soon as they collected the fare, so someone could at least check on what's going on. But it all seems to sink in after the fact.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There ARE ramifications for the "don't get involved in other people's affairs", "mai pen rai", "don't confront anyone", "don't intrude if it's not my affair" philosophy so prevalent here.

From the parent who noticed the woman inside the compound the night before, to the taxi drivers taking this woman to the homes of students she targeted, to the guards who let her in without a parent ID... they were ALL following this philosophy...

While there are some positives to this philosophy....

there are... sadly... quite negative aspects as well.

My thoughts are with the traumatized students... ALL of them in attendance at this school have been injured to varying degrees by this incident.

I wish them ALL a speedy recovery, physically...and psychologically...

[sriracha john]

Suspect an ex-mental patient

Published on September 10, 2005

After more than 12 hours of hunting for leads, police last night named a 31-year-old woman with history of mental disorder as the suspect in the Saint Joseph Convent School knife attack that left four schoolgirls injured. The mother of Jitrada Tantiwanichayasuk, who police suspect was the attacker, said her daughter had a history of mental illness.

Thanyaphorn said her daughter underwent treatment for mental problems for years - beginning not long after her vocational graduation - but had never used violence against anyone. She added that Jitrada never willingly took medications prescribed to her by doctors while being treated. She often secretly spit out the drugs when not attended to.

Thanaphorn, Jitrada’s older sister, said she had closely monitored television news reports of the attack and was shocked when she saw the police sketch of the alleged attacker, as it closely resembled her sister. She said she then began praying for her sister not to be the attacker.

Before identifying Jitrada as the attacker, investigators circulated a sketch of a skinny woman with short straight hair suspected of carrying out the attack.

According to witnesses and police, the attacker was between 25 and 30 years old and was dressed in a short skirt, pink inner top, black jacket and sandals.

She had pale skin, short hair and was about 160-165-cm high.

The woman was seen stalking the girls from outside the school in Convent Road for several days.

The parent of a Grade 3 student said she saw the suspect sitting inside the school compound all day on Thursday. She said the woman just sat by herself smiling and not talking to anyone.

Police said they did not believe the suspect was insane because she had planned her crime and escape in advance. Initially, she will be charged with plotting and intending to murder.

Investigators have reason to believe the woman committed a similar crime four years ago. They think she might also be the same person who tried to jump from the Shangri-La Hotel a few months ago.

Police learned from a motorcycle taxi driver that the woman had hired him to take her to Ploenchit, but then she wanted to be dropped off at the Saphan Luang area.

He said she gave him Bt100. Then she threw something that was later found to be a two-inch knife in a trash bin in Saphan Luang.

The motorcyclist said the suspect appeared very agitated.

Other taxi motorcyclists told police that the suspected attacker often liked to hang out at their taxi stand in front of a private hospital. She sat inside a nearby Catholic Church and liked to watch the girls at the school.

They said that when she spotted a girl she liked, she hired one of them to follow the student home. If the student used the expressway, the woman would order the motorcyclist back to the taxi stand and she always paid them as high as Bt200-Bt300 a time.

The woman kept up this routine regularly for a year, said the motorcyclists, who claimed the woman said she resided in Soi Wat Sakae near The Mall department store’s Tha Phra branch.

Edited September 10, 2005 by sriracha john

[gievali]

Suspect an ex-mental patient

Published on September 10, 2005

After more than 12 hours of hunting for leads, police last night named a 31-year-old woman with history of mental disorder as the suspect in the Saint Joseph Convent School knife attack that left four schoolgirls injured.

...

Police said they did not believe the suspect was insane because she had planned her crime and escape in advance.

...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Attacker mentally sane or not, that indeed is a question.

When attacker is mentally sane there is the qustion of motif: a religious Buddhist(?) extremist attacking adolescent girls attending a Catholic school ??

[taxexile]

When attacker is mentally sane there is the qustion of motif: a religious Buddhist(?) extremist attacking adolescent girls attending a Catholic school ??

you must be as crazy as she is !

[Neeranam]

QUOTE

When attacker is mentally sane there is the qustion of motif: a religious Buddhist(?) extremist attacking adolescent girls attending a Catholic school ??

you must be as crazy as she is !

Who said the attacker is mentally sane?

Most of these students are Buddhist.

[haha]

hanging out somewhere for a long period of time doesn't mean you are crazy.

I've been hanging out at this lobby for over 3 years looking at people coming and going, and I feel ok.

in fact, there are over a dozen guys hanging out in the lobby all the time. we've been doing this for years. but I don't think we are crazy.

are we??

I have enjoyed looking at pretty girls for over 30 years. does that mean I'm craZy??

I wonder sometimes.

[sriracha john]

Watching the television news now, she's been apprehended by police...

[MyNameIsFarang]

Watching the television news now, she's been apprehended by police...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Funny how fast the Brownies can move when properly motivated.

[sriracha john]

UPDATE...unsurprisingly, given Thailand's poor state of mental health affairs, she's been sent to prison instead of treatment

Court sentences woman who stabbed students in 2005 to four years in jail

The Criminal Court on Thursday sentenced a woman who stabbed four schoolgirls of St Joseph school with a knife in 2005 to eight years in jail. The penalties were commuted to four years because the defendant confessed.

The court said Jitrada Tantiwanichayasuk, 37, who has had mental problems for years, will be sent to receive medical treatment at a hospital after serving the jail terms.

On September 9, 2005, Jitrada Tantiwanichayasuk, then 34, stabbed and seriously injured four students at girls-only St Joseph School in the heart of Bangkok. One of the students was in critical condition, but was later recovered.

After the attack, Jitrada easily escaped from the school by taking motorcycle.

She later landed a job at a restaurant in Chatuchak area, but the restaurant owner alerted police after recognizing her from a police sketch that led to her arrest.

Psychiatrists treating Jitrada after the attack have decided she is mentally ill.

Wearing a pink spaghetti-strap top and a pair of blue shorts, Jitrada showed no signs of remorse at a police press conference in 2005, remaining silent and ignoring the throng of reporters and photographers.

But later Jitrada allegedly told police investigators she had heard "an order from heaven" telling her to "do something" to rich Indians and Chinese because they had taken advantage of Thai people.

She said she had visited both the Mater Dei School and the Saint Joseph Convent School and chosen the latter because the children were richer and the school had a nicer and more orderly environment.

Motorcycle taxi drivers who work in the area said she had been seen around Saint Joseph over the course of the last year.

Police said Jitrada had taken Bt500,000 from her mother several months before to prepare for the mission. She had previously followed some students home to make sure they were from rich families, she told police, but had not dared attack them because Thailand's death penalty had been by shooting at the time.

- The Nation / 2008-11-20

Edited November 20, 2008 by sriracha john

[Stephen Cleary]

That's scandalous. Jitlada (should be spelt this way) has been confined to a mental institution ever since she was first arrested. According to a short program (Thai language) i was watching today, the doctors explained that Jitlada has been verified mentally sick. However, under their care, her state has improved immensely since the attack.

What's scandalous is that other insane guy (son of millionaire) who deliberately drove his car into a crowd and killing someone gets off scot-free and he's gonna go free cause his mum and dad with money will be able to sway the 'insanity' decision.

This is also society's fault. The cops and society just ignore mentally ill people who could be a danger to others. Just ignore them and let them walk the streets - and if they do become a menace, just send them to prison instead of treatment. If the locals in the vicinity of St Joseph's actually cared, they would have reported Jitlada for long-term suspicious behaviour well before the attack. And especially the motorbike boys. The Nation claims she had been planning the attack for months. But according to the Thai press, Jitlada had been hanging around the gates of St Joseph for over a year and informed a couple of the vendors that she was 'gonna take revenge one day'! (the vendors told cops after the attack, they had thought she was simply crazy)

Edited November 20, 2008 by Stephen Cleary

[sriracha john]

That's scandalous. Jitlada (should be spelt this way) has been confined to a mental institution ever since she was first arrested. According to a short program (Thai language) i was watching today, the doctors explained that Jitlada has been verified mentally sick.

Unfortunately and sadly, in regards to many, many aspects of mental health, it's the 1920's here...

Jitrlada: Unstable

Bangkok Post

Crazed student-stabber jailed

The Bangkok South Criminal Court yesterday sentenced Jitrlada Tantiwanitchasuk to four years in prison and post-jail treatment for mental illness for the stabbing spree in September 2005 in which four Saint Joseph's Convent schoolgirls were wounded. The court said evidence collected from more than 10 witnesses, from students to a motorcycle taxi driver, substantiated the claims about the crime committed by the 39-year-old. Jitrlada was charged with attempted murder and carrying weapons in public after stabbing four young girls aged 12-14 with three long knives, leaving one seriously injured. On Sept 9, 2005, Jitrlada entered the elite school in Bang Rak district and began her stabbing spree. When police arrested Jitrlada 10 days later at a restaurant in Chatuchak district, they said the woman appeared to be mentally unstable. Jitrlada was quoted as saying she committed the crime because she abhorred the rich and believed killing people of Chinese and Indian origin would pave her way to the firmament as told by a "voice from heaven". Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Jitrlada was committed to Galaya Rajanagarindra Institute. In June, after nine months of treatment, her psychiatrist said she was sane enough to face police questioning. The court dismissed claims that schizophrenia had caused her to lose self-control

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/211108_News/21Nov2008_news03.php

Edited November 21, 2008 by sriracha john

[werbs]

must read before posting

Edited November 21, 2008 by werbs

[marshbags]

That's scandalous. Jitlada (should be spelt this way) has been confined to a mental institution ever since she was first arrested. According to a short program (Thai language) i was watching today, the doctors explained that Jitlada has been verified mentally sick.

Unfortunately and sadly, in regards to many, many aspects of mental health, it's the 1920's here...

Their are many people in high places along with their siblings who should have been certified and locked up out of harms / societies way and make this particular case and sentencing all the more amazing.

When you consider some of the evil stuff that has been going on since this poor, mentally ill lady was first arrested, this once again highlights the injustices in relation to punishment fitting the offence

As for serving any time or being put in a secure place of rehabilitation until / so independant doctors of proven ethics can assess and detain them, until such times they consider them safe to mix with society,!!!

&lt;deleted&gt;...once again, this is blatantly a case of the class devides relating to just a just outcome.

There is at this present time a certain retired, government official who should have been detained as a mentally disturbed patient ( NUTTER IN HIS CASE !!!! ) and put out of harms way before there is the / his desired result of carnage on the streets of Bangkok.

What happened in the latest disturbing incident he ofrecast would happen and the sad outcome, will fade into a minor scenario, in comparison to the unfolding potential it has started up as a consequence.

Can anyone imagine what would have happened to someone of a similar demeanour to his and of a less priviledged position seemingly intent on a similar vendetta, they would most certainly have been taken away, either in the customary voilent fashion everyone is familiar with, or incapacitated / silenced via detention of an indefinite period.

Rather than jail the lady, they should have as stated, already treated her for mental health issues and continued to do so, until she is proven fit to be released back into the community.

IMHO as always

marshbags

Edited November 21, 2008 by marshbags

[JetsetBkk]

...There is at this present time a certain retired, government official who should have been detained as a mentally disturbed patient ( NUTTER IN HIS CASE !!!! ) and put out of harms way before there is the / his desired result of carnage on the streets of Bangkok...

I think I know who you mean. But there are so many nutters in Bkk at the moment that I'm not 100% sure.