Students Fight As House Panel Seeks Solution To Violence: Thailand

[webfact]

Students fight as House panel seeks solution to violence

The Nation

BANGKOK: - The story is a familiar old one - about the factors behind longstanding vocational student rivalry and violence - retold this time to a House committee on education in yesterday's session held to address the issue.

Speakers explained it was persuasion by seniors or graduates coupled with media pressure that has instigated the problem and prolonged it.

While solutions to the problem were being worked out, students of Donmuang Technical College - involved in a notorious attack earlier this month which resulted in two people killed and two others wounded by stray bullets - yesterday launched a machete attack on three vocational students from a rival school, seriously wounding one and slightly hurting two others.

At the panel's testimony, the police admitted it was partly their fault in dealing too lightly with the matter. But a senior officer, Pol Maj-General Saroj Phromecharoen, also blamed sensational media coverage as another reason, while citing a violence-prone tradition and the influence of graduates and seniors as other factors, which are mentioned by teachers and the Office of Vocational Education Commission (OVEC).

Saroj said police handling of the situation was not fully to blame, because the violence had been aggravated to the level of a crime. "Shooting a rival in a bus full of passengers is not an act of a student," he added. According to police records, there were 779 incidents involving student violence in Bangkok from January to yesterday.

OVEC secretary-general Chaiyaphruek Serirak said there were about 1 million vocational students but those engaged in violence and revenge were only "in the hundreds" and based mainly in Bangkok and adjacent areas.

A number of drastic measures have been suggested - from isolating problem-students in three-month solitary studies, sending them to boot camps for seven days while their schools were shut, or prohibiting schools from enrolling new students for one semester.

On the police's part, Saroj cited as an example measures adopted at two rival schools, responsible for the oldest and most infamous feud - Pathumwan Institute of Technology and Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok, Uthenthawai Campus.

No graduates are allowed on either premises and those entering the campuses without permission will face arrest for trespass. Six policemen also sit on both school boards and all students are required to register through finger scans, and leave the school within two hours after each day ends.

Commission chairman MP Prakob Rattanaphan said a sub-panel on student rivalry violence would be set up to work on a permanent basis.

In the attack yesterday, three students from Pathum Thani Technology College were chased by a group of Donmuang Technical College students while they were waiting at a bus stop off Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok Road. An 18-year-old student suffered several chop wounds to his head and body which required 40 stitches, and two others sustained minor injuries.

Police chased the attackers fleeing on three motorcycles, but failed to arrest them.

-- The Nation 2012-06-28

[rkidlad]

Speakers explained it was persuasion by seniors or graduates coupled with media pressure that has instigated the problem and prolonged it.

Yes, them pesky newspapers and news channels are always insisting these young students should fight. I read in one newspaper that the leader of one vocational college gang said another vocational college gang were 'chickens'.

I can see how the Thai TV series might make you violent. If my missus was that annoying and whined and screeched like the girls on the shows, I'd be tempted to use violence as well.

[Lifer]

Not to mention how those stupid Thai soaps make the men look like imbeciles!

[Reasonableman]

Not to mention how those stupid Thai soaps make the men look like imbeciles!

You mean they try to emulate the imbecilic behaviors they see so expertly modeled in the soaps?

[jaltsc]

"OVEC secretary-general Chaiyaphruek Serirak said there were about 1 million vocational students but those engaged in violence and revenge were only "in the hundreds" and based mainly in Bangkok and adjacent areas."

Therefore, since only a fraction of the students are violent, their bullets are only a fraction as lethal as they would be if more students were violent. Not much of a problem at all.

[Jaivin2011]

Thai Males are generally have no balls! They never fight out over one to one equally. Even when they attack their own kind or even foreigners, they will come as a group and if ever they are to do it one to one, the attcker would have an advantage in that he carries a gun or a weapon.

I suggest that all these guys are caught and then snuff anal rape movies be made of them and then simply snuff them off. Cowards thats what they really are.

[Fozfromoz]

The Police Maj-General said "Shooting a rival in a bus full of passengers is not an act of a student,"

Couldnt agree more. This crime is worse that a planned murder on an individual. Someone who fires a shotgun at a bus full of innocent people, killing 2, can only be described as a terrorist.

I would like to see where that one ends. Pull of the balaclava and show your face, coward.

I would think that the "drastic" measures for violent students mentioned here are no more severe than 5 minutes on the bench during a game of Rugby.

Violent students in the first instance should get a size 9 up the arse, out on the streeet and expelled from the school. Teachers and administrators promoting violence (if thats the case) fired, same size 9.

Shutting the school down only penalizes those who genuinely want to learn.

Perhaps someone should go to these schools and ask each student. Why do you have this hatred against the other school? I would bet there would be a lot of blank stares, shrugged shoulders and dunno's.

Dont buy the TV and media bit. Thats always a soft target when people act out of order.

[daninthai]

The lack of problem-solving skills in this country never fails to amaze. They couldn't finish a 1-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Arrest and charge anyone who commits any crimes.

Any student who commits a crime is expelled from college - then this will not be a problem of student violence, but just a criminal problem.

Sutting schools down only hurts legitimate business and students who want to learn.

[jpp2bkk]

No balls, but more importantly no brain!

[LucidLucifer]

According to police records, there were 779 incidents involving student violence in Bangkok from January to yesterday.

779 incidents that the police know about, and I wouldn't like to even estimate how many more have gone unreported, or were settled with a little tea money to the BiB.

Those figures IMHO do not support the claim the violence is perpetuated by a rogue few hundred, this is an epidemic, and that figure shocks me just as highly as the level of violence used. It is not fighting, it is murder and attempted murder, and the culprits should stand trial for those crimes.

[billd766]

According to police records, there were 779 incidents involving student violence in Bangkok from January to yesterday.

779 incidents that the police know about, and I wouldn't like to even estimate how many more have gone unreported, or were settled with a little tea money to the BiB.

Those figures IMHO do not support the claim the violence is perpetuated by a rogue few hundred, this is an epidemic, and that figure shocks me just as highly as the level of violence used. It is not fighting, it is murder and attempted murder, and the culprits should stand trial for those crimes.

That is an average of 4.327 EVERY day of this year so far that have been reported.

It would be interesting to find out how many students have been successfully prosecuted and jailed.

[LucidLucifer]

According to police records, there were 779 incidents involving student violence in Bangkok from January to yesterday.

779 incidents that the police know about, and I wouldn't like to even estimate how many more have gone unreported, or were settled with a little tea money to the BiB.

Those figures IMHO do not support the claim the violence is perpetuated by a rogue few hundred, this is an epidemic, and that figure shocks me just as highly as the level of violence used. It is not fighting, it is murder and attempted murder, and the culprits should stand trial for those crimes.

That is an average of 4.327 EVERY day of this year so far that have been reported.

It would be interesting to find out how many students have been successfully prosecuted and jailed.

Apart from the shooting the other week, I bet none have even been arrested, or if they have, Mummy and Daddy will have paid a few hundred to get them out of it.

And the police accept they are partly to blame.....no, they are almost entirely to blame; if they did their job properly, this wouldn't be anywhere near the problem it is now.

[MEL1]

The Police Maj-General said "Shooting a rival in a bus full of passengers is not an act of a student,"

Couldnt agree more. This crime is worse that a planned murder on an individual. Someone who fires a shotgun at a bus full of innocent people, killing 2, can only be described as a terrorist.

I would like to see where that one ends. Pull of the balaclava and show your face, coward.

I would think that the "drastic" measures for violent students mentioned here are no more severe than 5 minutes on the bench during a game of Rugby.

Violent students in the first instance should get a size 9 up the arse, out on the streeet and expelled from the school. Teachers and administrators promoting violence (if thats the case) fired, same size 9.

Shutting the school down only penalizes those who genuinely want to learn.

Perhaps someone should go to these schools and ask each student. Why do you have this hatred against the other school? I would bet there would be a lot of blank stares, shrugged shoulders and dunno's.

Dont buy the TV and media bit. Thats always a soft target when people act out of order.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree.

It WAS the act of a student.

He might be an off the rails thug, but he is still a student and an enticed one at that. That's what they have become. That's what the college rivalry embeds nowadays, and it is that problem that needs addressing in order to minimise rival feelings and violence.

He also isn't a very intelligent student, because shooting at a bus to hit a rival student, knowing full well there are passengers on board who have nothing to do with his rivaly, is plain dumb and thick. That's the sad part - he couldn't even work that one out.

But this act was perpretrated by a 'student', and not an experienced assassin or murderer. That is factual, and for the police to say it wasn't the act of a student is ALSO plain dumb and thick! But I expect nothing less from the BIB....

-mel.

[phantomfiddler]

The Police Maj-General said "Shooting a rival in a bus full of passengers is not an act of a student,"

Couldnt agree more. This crime is worse that a planned murder on an individual. Someone who fires a shotgun at a bus full of innocent people, killing 2, can only be described as a terrorist.

I would like to see where that one ends. Pull of the balaclava and show your face, coward.

I would think that the "drastic" measures for violent students mentioned here are no more severe than 5 minutes on the bench during a game of Rugby.

Violent students in the first instance should get a size 9 up the arse, out on the streeet and expelled from the school. Teachers and administrators promoting violence (if thats the case) fired, same size 9.

Shutting the school down only penalizes those who genuinely want to learn.

Perhaps someone should go to these schools and ask each student. Why do you have this hatred against the other school? I would bet there would be a lot of blank stares, shrugged shoulders and dunno's.

Dont buy the TV and media bit. Thats always a soft target when people act out of order.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree.

It WAS the act of a student.

He might be an off the rails thug, but he is still a student and an enticed one at that. That's what they have become. That's what the college rivalry embeds nowadays, and it is that problem that needs addressing in order to minimise rival feelings and violence.

He also isn't a very intelligent student, because shooting at a bus to hit a rival student, knowing full well there are passengers on board who have nothing to do with his rivaly, is plain dumb and thick. That's the sad part - he couldn't even work that one out.

But this act was perpretrated by a 'student', and not an experienced assassin or murderer. That is factual, and for the police to say it wasn't the act of a student is ALSO plain dumb and thick! But I expect nothing less from the BIB....

-mel.

Absolutely agree, and the attitude of the police completely amazes me. In the case of the murder of the unfortunate lady in Phuket, the police chief actually says that the murderer did not intend to hurt the victim. Multiple stab wounds to the heart and lungs ? WHO,S SIDE IS THIS GUY ON !! Obviously not the innocent farang, and for those of us who have been in this country for a while and seen the steady decline, the most disappointing aspect is the lack of regard for safety and rights of the visiting tourists.