The parents of two arrested vocational students from Minburi Polytechnic College of Technology, who injured four bus passengers during a fight with students from a rival institution, risk facing legal action if it is deemed they failed to keep their children's behaviour in check.
The parents potentially share liability for acts of inter-school violence committed by their children under an order issued under Section 44 of the interim charter on June 21 by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Police yesterday questioned a mother and a grandmother of the suspects to find out whether they had warned their children against violence. The students are accused of shooting at a bus on Monday, deputy national police chief Pongsapat Pongcharoen said. It was the first brawl to come to light since Gen Prayut invoked his order.
Parents must account for their children's rogue behaviour and this also will apply to people who support the violence, he said. Under the order, parties tied to the inter-school violence including those who sell guns to students as well as people who instill the "wrong values" in them could be liable, Pol Gen Pongsapat said.
One of the two arrested students, Natthaphong Sangthong, 20, allegedly admitted he bought a hand-made gun for 5,000 baht before the brawl that erupted on a No 131 bus near the Chatuchak weekend market on Monday night. The other student, Phakawat Tanma, 20, said he rode a motorcycle and followed the bus after vocational students on the bus allegedly gave him the finger and provoked him.
He decided to open fire at them as the motorcycle approached the bus. Three students from Kanchanaphisek Technical College Mahanakhon, and one Myanmar woman on the bus were injured in the attack.
Chanwet Bunpradoem, deputy secretary to the Vocational Education Commission, said schools must help solve inter-school brawls. If they fail to cooperate, they could be prohibited from enrolling new students.