The higher education minister has called for tougher security measures from authorities, especially at shopping malls, after a clash inside an inner-Bangkok shopping centre, MBK, on Saturday.
Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi said on Sunday that she would ask the Royal Thai Police Office to intensify security measures at high-risk areas and monitor the movements of students with with a history of rivalry to prevent outbreaks of fighting.
“The incident is unacceptable. It was aggression and caused trouble to general people. Of course, there must be better action to prevent such incidents and punish wrongdoers, not only from the two institutions but also from all higher education institutions," she said.
“Educational institutions are places of learning, not violence. I insist I will do whatever it takes to have the problem solved seriously and sustainably,” Ms Supamas said.
The minister referred to a clash between students from Rajamangala University of Technology’s Uthenthawai Campus and Pathumwan Institute of Technology. Both institutions are located near Pathumwan intersection in Bangkok, while MBK Center is situated in the middle of the intersection.
Students from both institutions have clashed at local places including MBK Center, affecting innocent passers-by in the crowded inner-Bangkok zone.
The brawl at MBK Center on Saturday broke out at the food court on the sixth floor of the centre at 7.15pm Saturday, frightening other patrons. Five students were injured.
Pathumwan police said two suffered serious stab wounds and were admitted to the intensive care unit of nearby Police General Hospital.
Four students from both institutions were arrested. They told police that they met their rivals by chance at the food court. Police believed there were at least 10 students from each institution in the clash.
Police sources said that students from each side might arrive in small numbers, eventually gathering inside the shopping centre. Police would ask MBK Center security staff to carefully search visitors for weapons as a preventive measure.