Handshakes won't end student brawls
- Published: 11/02/2009 at 02:43 PM
- Online news: Breakingnews
The pitched battle between rival students from two well-known vocational colleges in front of a popular Bangkok's shopping mall on Tuesday has proven that there is no simple or cosmetic solution to student violence.
When student representatives of the two rival educational institutes, Uthen Thawai campus of Rajamangala University of Technology and Pathumwan Institute of Technology were made to shake hands and exchange flowers in front of the media on Janaury 28, no one with a modicum of common sense would believe that this publicity stunt arranged by the police would put an end to the decades-old bitter feud between the warring students. At the very best, the gesture would somewhat temporarily eased the tension sparked off by the killing of two students, one on each side, in January. Soon afterward, violence would resume.
Critics of the police’s laughable attempt to patch up the difference between the two rival vocational students couldn’t be more correct in their assessment of the situation and in their prediction of worse to come. No sooner violence flared up as feared. On Tuesday in f ront of the Mah Boon Krong shopping mall, about 100 students from the two rivals fought each other in a pitched battle with guns, knives and stones in front of thousands of stunned shoppers, bus commuters, motorists and bystanders.
Bursts of gunshots occasionally drowned the ubiquitous noises of various vehicles which jam-packed the road in front of the shopping mall popular among youths. Luckily, no one was shot. One bystander was however beaten up by a group of students apparently mistaken as a rival student.
During the free-for-all brawl, management of the shopping mall closed down the premise to prevent the feuding students from entering, thus locking up many shoppers inside the mall. The mall itself sustained a broken glass partition apparently from a stone.
Dozens of police from several police stations were mobilised to quell the violence. They managed to nab only three students together with one pistol and a few knives. The rest of the rowdy students managed to escape.
Feuding between rival students of the two schools went back several decades. No one knew exactly what started the feud and why it has kept repeating itself year after year. Some of the students said that it was just a tradition that they had to fight each other for no reasons.
Educators concerned appear to be desperate on how to end the feud. All previous attempts to end the feud have been unsuccessful. The police themselves appear to be at lost in finding a solution. Not to mention the public who are bored and sick with the seemingly endless violence.
But at least the police and the administrators of the two institutes can help prevent violence if not ending the protracted feud. Constant searches of suspected students and the compounds of the two institutes to look for weapons can help reduce the violence while long-term solution remains elusive. Also, the police must get tough with the law-breaking students.
About the author
- Writer: Veera Prateepchaikul
