Gang wars: Tackling Thailand’s vocational college violence

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Gang wars: Tackling Thailand’s vocational college violence

By Daniel Maxwell

BANGKOK:-- Violence between students from rival colleges again made the headlines last weekend after a student was hospitalized on Friday night with multiple stab wounds to the chest.

This assault came just weeks after another high profile incident in which a 19-year-old student was shot in front of Dusit Polytechnic College in Bangkok by students from a rival college.

Vocational college violence has a long tradition in Thailand with feuds between institutions being fought for pride, respect and revenge.

Over the past few years the problem has become increasingly dangerous with students using knives, machetes, homemade weapons and firearms.

This year alone there have been over 1,000 cases of student violence in Bangkok and authorities appear at a loss on how best to tackle the issue.

Read more: http://asiancorrespondent.com/134144/gang-wars-tackling-thailands-vocational-college-violence/

[apetley]

<deleted> is a 'rival college'?

[Tomtomtom69]

Maybe the solution is a similar one to that employed by the police and military joining forces to try to rid the country of the "dek waen" and "skoi" problem of motorcycle and scooter racers who come together in their dozens or even hundreds and take over the city streets for their races. In fact, in a recent crackdown, these kids were punished and indoctrinated in a way to ensure they don't try to challenge authority again.

It's probably only a matter of time before the police and military join forces and employ similar tactics towards these vocational college deadbeats.

[WhizBang]

Gang wars: Tackling Thailand’s vocational college violence

Easy solution: Shut them ALL down, but one. You want to go to a vocational college, that's the one you go to. End of.

[Labpooch]

No more uniforms...inter-college activities...exchange students...inter-college cooperation projects...improve faculty members.

[12DrinkMore]

appear at a loss on how best to tackle the issue

Educate them?

Oh! Sorry I missed the student bit....

OK then, expell them. Education clearly isn't working.

[DennisF]

No more uniforms...inter-college activities...exchange students...inter-college cooperation projects...improve faculty members.

Sensible. Refreshingly so.

[ballpoint]

Naughty boys in nasty schools? It's Madness!

"The headmaster's had enough today

All the kids have gone away

Gone to fight with next door's school

Every term, that is the rule"

[thhMan]

I think the gene pool would be better served if they just let the gangs get on with it and the winners then thrown in jail for the rest of their ignorant lives....

[KIWIBATCH]

Wasn't it less than a year ago (from memory)...whereby if violence, shootings,stabbing occurred between rival schools they were told by some high ranking official that they would be immediately shutdown?

If not why not?...would send a very clear message

[Thai at Heart]

1 year compulsory boot camp, no pay, no rank. Clean the toilets for the army, sweep roads, push trolleys in hosiptal.....

[callaway]

Attempted murder for all of them. Five years gaol to kick them off on the road to recovery to become responsible adults. By the time they are out maybe they have matured. That is only a MAYBE though. Others will think twice about their behaviour then. Ensure there is no reductions in sentencing due to coming from families of influence. If the powers to be cannot control kids then how in the hell can they expect to keep a country lawful.

[siam2007]

giving public non-AC Buses a miss on weekdays between 3 and 6 pm is a smart move to avoid becoming "collateral damage" of those activities.....

oh, and punish their PARENTS for failing to teach them morals would help to end this too, me thinks..... what a lovely loss of face for both the parents and the young culprits this would be ;-)

[SABloke]

If they ban students from within 300m of educational institutions the violence will surely stop.

[NongKhaiKid]

giving public non-AC Buses a miss on weekdays between 3 and 6 pm is a smart move to avoid becoming "collateral damage" of those activities.....

oh, and punish their PARENTS for failing to teach them morals would help to end this too, me thinks..... what a lovely loss of face for both the parents and the young culprits this would be ;-)

Part of the problem is that so many parents expect, even demand, that schools be responsible for teaching everything including things that should be normal parenting.

[ozyjon]

You can write what you want, make fun of it,

sugar coat it any way you like, but i remember

being at a family type festival by the river one

time, all normal when all of a sudden it looked

like a rugby match right in front of me with

machetes hacking into people and blood all

over the place, it looked like an abattoir, the

group of machetes were making their way

towards us and we were pinned to the railing

with no where to go but a 15 foot drop into

the river, i wasn't happy to be in this situation

i really hope the authorities do something.

[Jim walker]

Complete lack of moral upbringing by the parents, anyone caught being involved in any violence against another school or college should just be expelled and punished in some sort of military boot camp, and put on their educational record so the next collage will not be so keen to take in a troublemaker and spoil its reputation.