(Bangkok) Pae was getting off his bus in the suburbs of Bangkok when a student shot him. The reason ? He was wearing the uniform of a rival school.
The young man survived this attack, which occurred seven years ago, but a scar on his left arm forever reminds him of the moment when he came close to death.
This type of violence is commonplace in Thailand, where vocational students – who wear a distinctive uniform depending on their establishment – are encouraged, by tradition and virility, to confront each other with guns, knives or bare hands. .
“I did not file a complaint with the police because nothing would have happened,” Pae, 30, who recognized the face of his attacker, told AFP.
At that time he himself owned a weapon bought from a friend for 3,000 baht, the equivalent of 115 Canadian dollars.
The students involved in these gangs agreed to give their testimony to the AFP by giving only their nickname, for security reasons.
In a kingdom riddled with social inequalities, violence concerning professional educational establishments, frequented by the working classes, remains poorly documented.
But certain high-profile episodes remind us of the persistence of the question, against a backdrop of laxity on the part of the Thai police. In September, a 16-year-old student was shot dead in front of his home, the main suspect being a student from a rival school according to the press.
“Question of dignity”
“Our elders taught us to hate […] When they attack one of our school members, we must defend our honor by taking revenge,” says Im, 23, a mechanical engineering student in Bangkok.
“It’s not about politics. We are just fighting to prove that we are better than them. It’s a question of dignity. We cannot bear their insults,” added Au.
Aged 19, this auto mechanic student at a public school in Bangkok took part in a shooting two years ago, followed by a chase, which killed a student.
Justice concluded that it was self-defense, and no prosecution was initiated.
“The educational institution should be more responsible. It only concerns us if there is an impact on citizens,” Thai police spokesperson Archayon Kraithong told AFP.
For Krissadang Nutcharat, violence between vocational education students dates back at least to the 1950s, in a multi-speed system that fuels resentment.
“The system doesn’t allow them to believe that they are respected. They are neglected by society and the State,” analyzes this human rights lawyer and political scientist. The theft of belts or jerseys from their rivals is therefore part of the hazing rites, he underlines.
“Like a family”
These episodes of violence occur mainly in technical and professional establishments, where students, most often from working-class backgrounds, are poorly regarded by a rigid and stratified Thai society.
“Some of my students help each other to pay for their food when they cannot afford a meal,” Pichet Sukhon, director of a technical establishment in Bangkok, where many students work part-time to pay for their studies.
Feeling excluded from society reinforces the feeling of belonging to a group of students, explains Mild, a former member of these gangs.
“No one cared about us, so we thought we were free to do whatever we wanted […] We were like a family,” he recalls.
Once, he says he was chased in a public park in Bangkok by a gang of rival students with knives.
“I don’t know what we’re fighting for, but the older ones told me to do it. When we attack a school, each student becomes a trophy,” assures Nut, 20, who aspires to become an electrician.
“But deep down, I don’t want to fight. I just want to go home in peace,” he continues.