Police punish (some of) Bangkok’s school rival fighters

After about 110 students from two rival schools brawled in the middle of Bangkok last month, some of the youngsters are now facing the consequences. About 60 students from Pathumwan Institute of Technology clashed with about 50 students from the Rajamangala University of Technology in the area of Bangkok’s national stadium on August 25. The stadium is located in the city centre.

Now, 17 of the student fighters from Rajamangala have been sentenced to one month in prison and a year of probation. They were each fined 10,000 baht as well. They are being charged with: 1. being in a group of 10 or more people, 2. acting to cause chaos, and 3. injuring others.

Meanwhile, police summoned 20 students from Pathumwan to acknowledge the allegations on September 8 (tomorrow), before taking them to court.

At the scene of the fight, the Pathumwan students reportedly ran toward Rajamangala students on a skywalk, who then fled from the former group. The two groups then met in front of a building in the National Stadium’s compound and started verbally abusing each before things got physical.

News outlet TNA reported that police were deployed to the scene, but they could not prevent the fight. Both groups then stopped brawling and ran back to their schools. The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau has since met with teachers from both schools to discuss how to tackle the violent rivalry problem.

School rivalry violence is nothing new in Thailand, particularly for students at vocational schools. Pathumwan Institute of Technology is an arch-rival of Rajamangala’s Uthenthawai campus.

In 2016, police found two handguns and ammunition, 55 knives, six bulletproof vests, and materials for making nail bombs, on the Uthenthawai campus. Many videos show students at Uthenthawai and other vocational schools fighting each other. Sometimes, the fighting happens on public transportation routes where students run into each other. Students have been killed in drive-by shootings and train stations, and beaten and chased on streets.

SOURCE: Khaosod