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Fighting: the first solution

Published on Jun 19, 2003 The Nation

Young people are physically fighting their way through life and say it's not their fault

They fight because they lose at sport.

If two young women fall in love with the same man, they will fight over him.

And sometimes, when the situation gets out of hand, people die.

Young people are becoming increasingly violent and blaming society and their own families for their behaviour.

At a forum at Chulalongkorn University yesterday, student leaders from highly-regarded schools were encouraged to speak about the violent behaviour becoming increasingly apparent among young people.

They said they resorted to violence as a means to solve every problem, not just unrequited love.

"They brawl because they cannot win against another team in sport. If female students happen to fall in love with the same boy, they fist-fight to win the boy, not only just other way around," said Paitoon Muanpet, a student leader from Islam Witthayalai of Thailand.

Students said they were all feeling the pressure of strict school rules, the decrees of their parents and society - and they were releasing their stress through violence.

"We want freedom to think and express ourselves. When we propose anything, we face a block. Adults always tell us to mind our own business,'' Paitoon said.

Bank Ngarmarunrot, student chairman at the Bangkok Christian College, cited the case of the Triam Udom Suksa Pattanakan School student who shot dead his girlfriend's uncle and injured her grandmother before turning a gun to himself on June 8.

It was a prime example, he said, of what happened to individuals raised in an overly protected environment. "He was brought up without a chance to think [for himself] and make his own decisions. One day he faced a problem, and he chose the wrong path. His mom raised him so that he did not even know that a guava had a seed [even guava seeds were removed for him],'' Bank said.

"Children today never have the chance to think for themselves and subsequently learn to make choices, because their parents choose for them. Take university entrance examinations, for instance - we are forced to sit the entrance exam when it is not compulsory,'' he said.

Parents should not raise children in extreme ways, he said. A balance was needed: Not too strict, not too much freedom. Many parents raise their children from books written by childcare experts, he said. "Some parents blindly believe [what is written] and never lay a hand on their children,'' he said.

Satri Witthaya School student chairman Wimwipa Pumee said that the gap between parents and children was greater than ever before because parents had less time for their children and had left their children a "sick and violent society".

"When we ask them advice about having a boyfriend they scold us, saying it is a shameful thing. They are also cruel . . . always telling us that our destiny is securing a seat at a prestigious university,'' Wimwipa said.

Mongkol Sompornrattanapan, from Bangkok Christian College, said he absorbed violent behaviour from violent computer games. "I yelled at my mom when she stopped me from playing games and I knew it had had terrible influence on me, so I have stopped,'' he said.

Sompong Jitradab, an academic, said children resorted to violence when they had no-one to turn to for advice, or were overly restrained in their lives, or had no creative outlets. He said if problems were not attacked at the root, young people would become more prone towards violence.

Sompong said he did not believe the establishment of child "mafia" networks was far-fetched, but warned of an over-reaction. "Resorting to corporal punishment will not solve the problem,'' he said.

"Their [young people's] voices must be heard. A network of students must be established to give them advice. More love and understanding must be given to them," he said.

Also, media which had significant influence on children should be screened, he said. "Children should be asked to rate what programmes they like and what they want to see and what they want removed," he said.

Supinda na Mahachai

The Nation