Boy killed, girl wounded in student violence

[PeteC]

This has now entered the realm of ridiculous. This is the kind of thing that happens in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir and Israel, not Thailand. It's time to take the cue from the West and begin to have police shakedowns at these schools, locker and bodily searches and zero tolerance. Out of control young punks and they should be treated as such. This has been happening for years and mai pen rai seems to be the attitude after the fact. Of course, we'll now get a flurry of activity, speeches and grand plans, then all will be forgotten in a few weeks. That's life here I guess. Just like the recent forestry helicopter crash. After it happened inspect and ground the rest of the fleet for lack of parts. Never proactive this place in preventing anything, just knee jerk reactions once the damage is done.

So you politicians and police, which one of you takes responsibility for the loss of this happy little boy's life? I hope the event eats your soul and mind for the rest of your lives. Pete

* Published: 1/09/2010 at 05:16 PM
* Online news: Local News

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1 ... in-bangkok
(see reader's comments at the bottom of the article at the link site)

An eight-year-old schoolboy was killed when a gang of tech school students opened fire on a bus on Ramkhamhaeng Road on Wednesday morning, police reported.

Police said the shooting took place about 7am.

A group of youths dressed in technical school uniforms followed bus No 113 (Min Buri-Hua Lamphong) on motorcycles along Ramkhamhaeng road.

At an intersection, the students opened fire at the bus, which was fully loaded with passengers, and bullets hit the schoolboy.

The bus driver sped away from the students and stopped at Kasemrat Hospital, where the boy was admitted for treatment, before going to report the attack to police.

The boy, who was later identified as Jatuporn Polpaka, a Grade 3 student at Wat Bampen Nua School, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

177063.jpg (26.14 KiB) Viewed 1050 times

Jatuporn Polpaka

He was reported to have been hit many times when the gang of technology school students opened fire at the bus as the boy was about to get off and go to school.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will sponsor the funeral. The dead boy's school is run by the BMA.

MR Sukhumbhand said he was saddened by the boy's death and felt very sorry for the parents.

He called on the government to speed up efforts to end the problem of student violence.

Min Buri district director Savetchai Sapboonmee said the funeral will be held at Wat Banpen Nuea.

In Samut Prakan, a 12-year-old girl student was shot and wounded while riding on a minibus along Phuttharaksa road in Muang district on Wednesday morning.

Suthita Luecha, a Mathayom 1 student of Noppakhun Witthaya School, told police the attack happened about 7am while she was riding a minibus from Nakhon Thong housing estate to her school in Samut Prakan.

The minibus stopped to pick up five or six students of Samut Prakan Technical School in front of Wat Phraeksa.

As the minibus passed in front of the bus No25 terminal, one of about 10 students of Chamni Technical School on the roadside fired a shot from a pen gun and the bullet hit her in the right shoulder.

Police later rounded up more than 30 students of both Chamni Technology and Samut Prakan Technology schools who were ready to fight and seized about 20 knives from them.

[PeteC]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... mayhem-now

[Nereus]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... mayhem-now

I have never been able to understand why this type of behaviour is so prevalent in Vocational Schools, never mind why it is tolerated by the rest of the population. It only gets reported when it goes to this extreme, but if you live near any Vocational College in Bangkok, you will be well aware of the behaviour.

One of the most obvious acts involves young boys on motor cycles, obviously too young to have a licence, racing each other, doing wheel stands etc., on public roads. These are the same ones that, when they graduate to cars, become the idiots that put everyone else at risk on the roads.

The Police must carry some of the blame, but where in the hell are the Parents??????
How does a teenage boy get a gun? Knifes I can understand, but GUNS???
It has to be related to the the Mai Phen Rai attitude, as Pete has mentioned.

It is also a further reflection on the education "system", and the people responsible for the administration,that seem to have no control over the students.

May the poor victim rest in peace.

[Nereus]

Two students arrested over killing

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/ ... y-shooting

Two students of Bangkapi Technical school were arrested on Thursday for the alleged murder of a 9-year-old schoolboy on a bus on Wednesday morning, police said.

The two -- aged 16 and 19 -- were charged with intentionally killing a person, illegally possessing guns and amulets, and having guns in a public area, police said. They were not named.

Police said the 16-year-old student shot repeatedly at a technical college student at the back door of a bus on which 9-year-old Jatuporn Pholphaka was also travelling. The boy, known as Nong Thian, was waiting to get off the bus when the attack occurred.

Nong Thian was hit by four bullets - one in the face, two to the neck and one in the left shoulder.

The two confessed to the crime, according to police.

The alleged shooter said he was sorry for his act, and apologised to the parents of Nong Thian. He said he did not mean to harm the boy.

He confessed that he had bought a gun in Nong Chik area for 2,500 baht, and meant to use it to take a revenge on rival technical college students, according to police.

[usual suspect]

So where does this 'attitude' the students have stem from?
Are they sons & daughters of rich families..the same kids that had degrees 'bought for them?
We have all seen any amount of teen movies to come out of America, its nearly the same there if we
go with these films..rich kids driving around town in priceless classic sports cars, picking up blonde babes
from white-washed mansions and out together for the night. No hint of parental concern.
Well is it like that in BKK? Youths may not have the cars, but parents allow total freedom to do as they wish, so its easy for them to act out their dreamt-up macho image with like-minded mates..who also have no
problem buying guns AND ammo, then cruising the streets & college halls by day/night armed and
mentally dangerous. (Have I really got to that age where I find myself saying...
..."Well I blame television!"..?)

[Spitfire]

Can't help thinking that it's the family environment and how the boys are brought up in general here that produces these young villains. The "Little Prince" syndrome of not being to able do no wrong no matter what, mixed with endless amounts of violence through PC/video games and no control over what they view on TV or what they do in general as they grow up. I have been stunned what 7 year olds are allowed to watch in the average Thai homes on many occasions.

Why is it that every Thai man thinks he's some kind of special guy, a prince, the best and can do anything he wants even if he's a garbage collector? (That's a rhetorical question)

It's strange getting laughed at by a Samlo driver when you are with your family going to a restaurant as you are getting out of your car. Who's the one with the crappy life and who has the four wheels/a family and a Visa card? Always a strange one that is.

Thai male children specifically are not taught what's right and wrong anymore, simply that they are special and can do no wrong, there is a massive void of social behavioural teaching in the family environment and on a larger scale in society in general.

16 year olds with guns chasing a school bus and then showering it in a hail of bullets at a set of lights as if it's normal or because someone somewhere lost some face over girl or a Pepsi? Well, there's something freaking wrong with the society IMO and something needs to be done, but there seems to be very little will to change anything here for the better.

The other thing that surprises me is that the two shooters then just casually confess as if it was a normal reaction and they'll take the consequences but it had to be done as if it was a normal thing to do. Not even a attempt to get away with it, which would be the normal actions of someone who knew they had done something wrong.

It will take at least another generation or two until people become better educated in general for this sort of thing and many others to change. Not everyone of course, but a large % of the average population that is over 30 has only Prathom 6 education and these are the people that are and have been having kids in the last 15-20 years who are bringing them up in their own image of how it should be, children raising children.

Scary as hell really. As with so many other problems here, it won't improve until they start to educate people properly and sort out the pathetic excuse of an education system them laughable still have.

Respect seems to be a diminishing quality in many a young man here, especially in the cities. They are intoxicated upon themselves and their image/life.

Edited for clarity

[sandman67]

25 years in prison and impoverish his family to the point they collect garbage for a living for breeding the swine.

Next!

[The understudy]

Hi there Everyone!

Firstly My condolences to the Boys Family who are in total devastation over the loss of their Son!

Spitfire you are spot on The "little prince syndrome" where the parents don't teach their Children what is right or wrong.
I think the parents think that their Children belongs to them, they had convieved him gave birth to him and ttherefor he belongs to them and needs to be treated special as it's THEIR Child!

This reminds me of a Story of Buddhism which tells Child who is not taught the diffrence between right & wrong. When their Child had murdered the Son of the Village Head in a dispute. He was sentenced to Death by the sword. Before his death sentence he could talk to his Mom his mom came close to him suddenly he bit her in the ear. She suprisedly asked why did you do that Son?" He replied angrily:"Why why do you not teach me the meaning between right and wrong you failed me!" She admitted her failure and sat back. His father who was also the Executioner was asked by the Village head if he would let someone else Do it. The father replied: "I had given life to my Offspring it should be me who should take his life cause I failed him!"

The morai of this Story is: A Child eversince his birth is his own individoum he doesn't belong to anyone neither his parents nor his friends. They are there to teach & guide them and make him a man of himself!
This Story all Thais have to reminded so for this tragedy does not repeat again!

Your's The understudy!!!

[buksida]

Death of 9-year-old puts focus on Thai gang wars

LOPBURI, Thailand — Under the shade of tamarind trees, the teenage students display their battle wounds.

One shows where a gunshot grazed his neck last month. Another bares two scars on his scalp and forearm from a recent knife attack.

"It happens so often we're used to it," says Atsadawut Taluechai, a skinny 18-year-old who carries a knife to school. "I've been shot in the leg and stabbed in the back."

These are the survivors of Thailand's high school gang wars. So common that the media generally ignore them, the battles were thrust into the headlines and parliamentary debate this month when a 9-year-old bystander was shot and killed.

Full Story: AP