Photo by Juaquin Uy
When two gangs were dining in Bangkok several members challenged each other to a dance off. But what started out as a friendly competition soon turned deadly when a couple members left then returned with guns.
The dance-off was inspired by the famous ‘Gangnam Style’ dance moves of singer Psy who has become a sensation throughout Asia for his music and dance moves. Unfortunately, the dancing was stopped short by the shooting.
A teenage bystander told the Bangkok Post that at first shots were only fired into the air but members soon began targeting people. Even though around 50 shots were fired no one was injured.
Many of these gang members are young males who attend Bangkok’s vocational schools which have become breeding grounds for start-up gangs that have lead to adolescent violence. Rivalries between student gangs have seen several teenagers gunned down especially this year in Bangkok.
According to the Post, violence between gangs is most rampant at the start of the school year, leaving those not involved on guard in public areas where most incidences take place. Once a bystander died after she was hit by a stray bullet as a group of students opened fire on a Bangkok bus.
Guns, machetes, and improvised grenades have been seized during police crackdowns, but the death toll has still risen. Bangkok police recorded more than 1,000 cases of students fighting between January and July this year.
Thailand criminal law is not the same for adolescents as it is for adults and to try and decrease the number of juvenile criminal sentences the government has set up ‘boot camps’ for teenagers involved in gangs. The camps are regulated and regimented facilities where teenagers have a chance to turn away from a violent life and avoid jail time.
| US Lawyers Bangkok Chaninat & Leeds is a US-Thailand law firm located in Bangkok, Thailand and is staffed by licensed Thai attorneys and licensed US lawyers. |
