Thai father threatens school shooting over kindergarten bullying

A Thai father of a kindergarten student was fined 5,000 baht for threatening a school shooting following online messages claiming his son was being bullied. The 30 year old father in Rayong province posted the threats in a LINE group chat, causing concern among other parents and resulting in a police investigation.

On June 6 at around 9pm, the father, Anan, posted a message in a LINE chat for Group A.1/2. He wrote, “Dear Racing’s parents, can you tell Racing to stop bullying Pu Pha? If it doesn’t stop, there might be a shooting at the school. I’m warning you.”

This caused great alarm among the other parents, especially Thanchanok, the mother of Racing, a student in the first kindergarten class.

Yesterday, Thanchanok reported the incident to the Huai Pong Police at 5pm. Afterward, a special operations team searched Anan’s residence in Nikhom Patthana district. Although no guns were found, Anan was invited to the station for questioning.

Upon questioning, Anan confessed to posting the threatening message in the Line group chat, acknowledging that his actions were wrong. He agreed not to commit any similar offences in the future. Consequently, the investigative officers charged Anan with making threats causing fear and alarm to others and set a fine of 5,000 baht for his actions. After settling the case and paying the fine, Anan declined to speak on the incident. He and his wife then left the police station and returned home.

This news comes less than a year after the mass murder at a daycare centre in Thailand’s northeast province of Nong Bua Lamphu. People around the world mourned with Thailand after a former police officer shot and stabbed to death at least 37 people at a daycare centre. UNICEF released a statement defending the right of children to learn in safe environments, and other international groups and individuals condemned the sickening act.