Uthenthawai campus and Pathumwan Institute suspend classes for three months after BTS clash
A three-month suspension of on-site classes has been ordered at the Uthenthawai campus of Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-Ok and Pathumwan Institute of Technology to prevent further clashes between students.
The order was agreed at a meeting chaired by Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Minister Yodchanan Wongsawat. The meeting was held after students from the two institutions clashed on a platform of the Siam BTS station on Monday in Pathum Wan district.
Two students were stabbed during the confrontation in front of scores of police officers deployed to provide security on the first day the two institutions resumed on-site classes.
It was the latest in a series of violent incidents between the two institutions, which are only a kilometre apart. Their student bodies are known as long-time rivals.
Those attending the meeting included Prof. Dr. Wilert Puriwat, president of Chulalongkorn University, Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-Ok rector Rerkchai Fooprateepsiri, representatives of the Pathumwan Institute of Technology and police.
Yodchanan said the meeting focused on finding ways to improve safety and the image of the areas around Siam and Pathum Wan, which are important commercial districts and tourist landmarks.
The minister said that it was agreed at the meeting that there would be no on-site teaching or learning activities at Uthenthawai and Pathum Wan for at least three months. Alternative arrangements will be made to ensure students are not affected and the suspension could be extended beyond three months.
Chulalongkorn University will retain the area currently occupied by Uthenthawai as an innovation area, while preserving the identity and original philosophy of the Uthenthawai campus.
Yodchanan stressed that the area will not be used for commercial purposes. Uthenthawai has occupied its current site on Chulalongkorn University land since 1935. Its lease expired in 2003 and the government has since sought to relocate the institution to a new campus in Samut Prakan, returning the land to Chulalongkorn.
In 2022, the Supreme Administrative Court ordered Uthenthawai to vacate the site, but the relocation has been delayed for years.
Yodchanan said a committee will be established to oversee the development of the area, incorporating representatives from all the institutions involved. The police will also maintain strict security in the area.
Each institution has about 1,000 students.
Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police chief Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom said violence involving students from the two institutions has seriously affected the image of the area and tourism.
He said strict security measures are therefore necessary to improve safety and create a better image for the area, while seeking a lasting solution to the problem.
