The secondary education student who allegedly stabbed his classmate to death at a Bangkok school this morning will be sent for psychiatric assessment, said Pol Col Vachirakorn Wongboon, superintendent of Khlong Tan police.
He said that, during an initial conversation, the boy did not show any signs or symptoms of being a “special child” and the school insisted that it has no record that he is or has been undergoing psychiatric treatment and, therefore, he cannot be legally categorised as a “special child”, a term used for children who have special needs.
He disclosed, however, that the boy claimed that he had a quarrel with the victim in the past, but other classmates maintain that the two boys have not been engaged in any disagreement.
The suspect, whose name is being withheld due to his young age, has been charged by the police with manslaughter and for illegally carrying a weapon in public, said the police superintendent, adding that they will have to question his parents in the presence of child welfare officials.
Meanwhile, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said that there might have been a lapse in security checks at the school, which had allowed the suspect to smuggle a knife inside.
He urged the school to increase security, to prevent a repeat of the tragic incident, adding that the same should be applied to the other municipal schools.
Although the school has insurance coverage for all students and the city administration will provide compensation to the victim’s family, Governor Chadchart said the financial reward will not be sufficient to cover the loss of a child.
The school’s director, Bowornlak Kaewklapanyacharoen, maintains that the school has strict controls on knife carrying in school, adding that she believes that the suspect might have smuggled the kitchen knife into the school and hid it somewhere before using it today.
As for the suspect’s reported mental health problems, she said that the boy did not have a record of involvement in the use of violence or drug abuse.
Admitting that the school has no record that he is a “special child”, she admitted that the boy is perceived as a loner.
