After student’s shooting rampage, Thai school reopens under tight security

On Tuesday, a school in Thailand reopened following a deadly shooting incident that occurred three weeks earlier. The Debsirin Nonthaburi School, located on the outskirts of Bangkok, was targeted by a 14-year-old student who killed seven people, including himself, and wounded another student and five staff members. The shooting took place on August 7, resulting in the deadliest mass shooting in Thailand in nearly four years.

The school's entrance displayed the names and images of the victims, and white ribbons were tied to the fence in their memory. Civil defense volunteers were stationed around the school grounds as students went through bag checks. Parents had mixed emotions about their children returning to the school where the tragedy took place, with some feeling confident about the safety measures in place and others expressing concerns about their children's mental well-being.

The school administration had engaged mental health experts from the health ministry to support students coping with the trauma. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had suspended the issuance of firearm permits following the incident and ordered a review of existing licenses. Thailand had an estimated 10.3 million firearms in civilian possession, the second-highest rate in Asia, according to a 2017 estimate by the Small Arms Survey.

A school in Bangkok had recently conducted a drill to prepare students for active shooter situations, with 15-year-old Adisorn Deesa expressing his happiness at returning to school and seeing his friends. He also mentioned that online classes had made it difficult for him to follow lessons, and he believed that face-to-face interactions at school would benefit everyone.