Brawls between rival gangs of students have degenerated into shootings and bombings; it's time to take severe action against instigators
We are edgy about potential political violence while another form of violence is happening under our noses. The latest episode of violence between students of vocational schools involved a shooting and a "follow-up" attack in which a bomb was thrown into a Pathum Thani hospital where an injured student was being treated. The hospital attack left two people wounded.
Will the red and yellow shirts do the same to each other? At least this kind of incident hasn't happened yet. The hatred between the political factions is still far from the level where one side is ready to hurt an innocent third party in order to settle a score. This is why we need to take another look at the issue of juvenile problems before the obvious malice that has been lurking within our youngsters becomes more deep-rooted.
Some people treat this issue as a "teenager thing" that dissipates when volatile juveniles grow older. This ignores the fact that such inter-school violence has grown far more hideous than the days when clubs and steel rulers were the conventional weapons. Shootings have become routine, and indiscriminate bombings more frequent. More and more bystanders are getting caught in the crossfire.
A few weeks ago, a woman told The Nation she was walking at the Pathumwan Intersection near Mahboonkrong shopping centre when she heard gunshots. She looked around in panic and realised that the shots were apparently fired from a motorcycle into a group of students. It looked like a random shooting, in complete disregard of whether the targets were "real" enemies or whether the bullets might hit innocent passers-by, she said.
"This didn't take place in a secluded soi at night. It happened on a busy pavement in the city centre in broad daylight," the woman recalled. "If somebody had been killed that day, it would have been a totally senseless death, a tragedy."
Female students have also become involved in violence. Although most incidents involving female students are mere "catfights", some antagonists have started using weapons. A TV news programme recently revealed a popular place where rival female students meet regularly to settle scores. They fight with their bare hands while friends form a ring around them to make sure neither fighter is able to escape. It's a scene straight out of violent movies or cartoons.
Many of these students will live to regret what they are doing now. Most will be able to turn over a new leaf when they are older. But they have left footprints that the vulnerable among the later generations will try to follow. The new ones will likely take the "tradition" to new, more horrible levels.
The authorities have tried several methods to end this violence, including sending rival students to "boot camps" or shutting down campuses. But brawling students often can't be reasoned with. This problem is like a dormant, unpredictable volcano that can erupt at any time if the conditions dictate. Passive, reactionary approaches have proved a failure time and again.
The bomb thrown into the hospital was the final warning that, unless comprehensive and drastic measures are enforced on a consistent, long-term basis, we will witness serious tragedies. This problem, we have been warned, could grow into something much worse and irreversible.
