A 13-year-old male student stabbed his classmate, alleging that he had been a victim of continuous bullying at a high school in the Isaan province of Udon Thani.
The Sam Phrao Sub-district Administration Organisation (SAO) rescue team hurried to the school to assist the injured student, a 13-year-old named Joe. They discovered him in the school’s first aid room with a stab wound in his chest and a cut on his left palm.
The assailant, also 13 years old and referred to as “A,” was subsequently taken to the Mueang Udon Thani Police Station for interrogation. The knife used in the attack was confiscated as evidence.
A admitted to the violent act and asserted that he had endured persistent bullying by Joe over an extended period. A claimed that Joe always considered himself superior and took every opportunity to bully him, despite being in separate classrooms.
Because A is a minor, the police chose to temporarily release him into the custody of his parents. A youth specialist would later visit A at his home to delve deeper into the motives behind his actions.
A’s friend, a 13-year-old named Nes, informed the police that he was unsure when and how the bullying and conflict between the two began. Nes stated that Joe initiated the fight and had been in conflict with A for a considerable time.
According to Nes, Joe struck A after being stabbed and then sought help from a teacher in the first aid room.
The Deputy Director of the school provided an interview to Channel 7, reporting that the school is currently investigating the case and requested that the media refrain from disclosing the school’s name.
Unfortunately, this incident is not an isolated event, as a troubling pattern of school-related violence resulting from bullying has emerged in Thailand.
In June, a 15-year-old boy opted to leave school and isolate himself in his bedroom for years due to bullying related to his gender identity. He refused to communicate with anyone, including his mother, and only left his room a few times a year.
Similarly, in the same month, a heart-wrenching incident occurred in which a teenage girl was hospitalized after consuming more than 20 sleeping tablets and paracetamol pills in a suicide attempt due to bullying at school.
