Tragic school incident rocks Chiang Mai: 16 year old student murders teenage rival

A 16 year old boy yesterday murdered a 14 year old adversary with an axe at a school in the Mae Ai district of Chiang Mai.

Officers from Mae Ai Police Station rushed to the incident in the school’s canteen area and discovered the lifeless body of the 14 year old student. He had several head wounds and his skull was visible for all to see. The murderer waited for the police at the scene, still gripping the murder weapon, an axe.

The attacker admitted to the shocking murder. He told officers that he and the victim had been engaged in a series of confrontations spanning five to six months, ever since the new semester began.

In every physical altercation, the victim always won making his friends bully him for losing to a younger rival. He was embarrassed and pressured and decided to attack him with an axe.

The suspect told police that he saw the younger boy sitting in the canteen and rushed to attack him, repeatedly swinging the axe at him.

The school revealed to the media that they had intervened on several occasions, summoning both students to resolve their conflicts in front of the teachers. Regrettably, these efforts failed to resolve the issues, and the school never anticipated such a tragic outcome.

The murderer was charged with intentional murder. According to his age, he would be sent to a youth detention centre until further notice.

According to Section 288 of the Criminal Law for adults, murder results in the death penalty, life imprisonment or imprisonment from 15 to 20 years. However, the court will consider the suspect’s age when determining the appropriate punishment for the young offender.

Three weeks ago, there was a similar murder committed by a 14 year old student in the Isaan province of Sisaket. In this incident, the teenage murderer was overwhelmed with anger after being bullied that he stabbed three fellow students leading to the death of one student.

In another case reported last year, a 15 year old schoolboy stabbed his friend in a classroom because the friend always bullied him and made fun of his impoverished background.