Police arrived at the scene of a wild brawl between rival groups of technical school students in Bangkok last week to find students fighting with knifes and ping-pong bombs.
The brawl went down last Thursday Jan. 26 between dozens of students from Bangkok College of Industrial Technology and Bangkapi Technology School near a bus stop on Soi Srinakarin 14, Daily News reported.
The youths scattered when police showed up, but police were able to arrest 28 students – 22 from Bangkok College of Industrial Technology (BCIT) and six vocation diploma students (aged 15-19) from Bangkapi Technology School.
Police also recovered 10 “Rambo” knifes, 2 ping-ping bombs, and one fake gun. Four students who were injured from the weapons were sent immediately to Wipawadee Hospital.
Pol.Lt Ekkasit Sedtasuk, Sub-Inspector of traffic at Prawet station, said that he was on duty at Patanakan Intersection when he was informed of the fight and went to the nearby bus stop. Teachers from both schools were trying to break up with fights he said.
Apparently a metro bus full of the Bangkapi Tech students was pulling over to stop at the bus stop, but the teachers ran into the street and tried to wave it on to prevent the fight. The bus stopped anyways though, the Bangkapi students got off, and the fight began.
The arrested BCIT students accused the Bangkapi Tech students of provoking the fight by yelling challenges from the bus. The Bangkapi Tech students deny that claim and say they were chased and provoked to fight by the BCIT students.
Pol. Lt Suchad Kiawsui, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation at Prawet Police Station, said that the arrested students’ names would be recorded and that they would be charged with public brawling causing injury. The students face one year in jail and/or a THB2,000 fine and will be sent to juvenile detention to await the next step in the legal procedure.
Photos of the brawl and the original Daily News story are here and a CCTV video is below.
Translated by Christal
