By Juarawee Kittisilpa
BANG KRUAI, Thailand, Sept 1 (Reuters) – A school in Thailand where a student went on a deadly shooting rampage three weeks ago reopened on Tuesday amid heightened security, with police deployed and checks performed on bags.
The 14-year-old student killed seven people including himself at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok on August 7, after shooting his grandparents dead in their home.
The incident was Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly four years and has sparked debate over gun control in the country.
A screen at the entrance to the school on Tuesday displayed the names and images of those who died, while white ribbons were tied to the fence in their memory. Aside from the gunman, one student and five staff were killed.
Civil defence volunteers wearing berets and camouflage uniforms were posted around the grounds of the school as students queued for bag checks, some carrying items in transparent plastic bags.
Parents expressed mixed emotions about the return to classes.
“On one hand, I feel confident the school will put strict and thorough safety measures in place,” said Thongbai Muenjit, who has a 15-year-old daughter at the school.
“But I’m worried about my child’s mental state and how she will feel going back to the building where the shooting happened,” he said.
The school’s staff have been visited by mental health experts from the health ministry since the incident.
Parent Natchuda Petpuangpan said she supported her 12-year-old daughter returning to class.
“I don’t think these kinds of incidents happen every day. It could have happened anywhere,” she said.
Days after the shooting, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul suspended the issuance of permits to buy firearms and said existing licences would be reviewed.
Thailand had an estimated 10.3 million firearms in civilian possession and the second-highest rate in Asia, according to a 2017 estimate by the Small Arms Survey.
Last month, a school in Bangkok held a drill to prepare students for active shooter incidents.
Student Adisorn Deesa, 15, said the Debsirin Nonthaburi school would be providing mental health support to the students and he was happy to return and see his friends.
“With online classes, I couldn’t understand the lessons as well as I do at school, and I think my friends are happy to be back too,” he said.
(Reporting by Juarawee Kittisilpa; Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Martin Petty)
