Bangkok —
At 2:00 PM on June 18th, 2024, Bangna police and relevant agencies held a press conference regarding a violent altercation between two technical college institutions on June 13th, resulting in one death and one injury in Ramkhamhaeng, Bangkok.
The police reported the arrest of Kanok, a 20-year-old former technical college student, along with 13 others, including 9 minors and 4 other adolescents. The group was involved in a public dispute where firearms and swords were used, leading to the casualty and injury among students from a rival college.
The initial investigation revealed that the suspects, aged between 15 and 21, were current or former students of a well-known technical college in Ramkhamhaeng. Arrest warrants were issued by the Phra Khanong Criminal Court and the Central Juvenile and Family Court, resulting in the apprehension of the 14 individuals.
The suspects confessed to targeting students from the opposing institution due to a longstanding grudge. During the arrest, police seized two unregistered firearms, three swords, and eight motorbikes used in the crimes, according to the police.
Initially, the suspects and the confiscated items were taken to Bangna police station for further legal proceedings. In response to this incident, the police and relevant agencies have pledged to increase monitoring of technical colleges in the area to prevent and deter similar public disputes that disrupt local communities.
Disputes between technical college students have taken place for decades in Thailand and have recently risen once again to major public attention after several shocking incidents, mostly in Bangkok, and the popularity of the recent movie series 4 Kings which focuses on disputes between technical college students in the 90s.
