Latest school shooting in Thailand may spur calls in Asia for more active safety drills

SAN RAFAEL, Philippines (AP) — A school shooting this week in Thailand may spark greater interest in holding more active shooter drills at educational institutions, as Southeast Asian nations consider measures to curb gun violence.

Students in San Rafael, in the Philippines, took part in the Nationwide Simultaneous School Safety Drill on Thursday, an event highlighting the Department of Education’s efforts to strengthen school safety, security, and emergency preparedness.

“It’s a new reality in the country. We are preparing for all kinds of emergencies, from human-induced to weather-induced (events). All of us should be ready. It’s a new reality,’ said Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla.

It follows an incident on Wednesday in Thailand’s Kamphaeng Phet province, 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Bangkok, when a 14-year-old student fired several shots at his school but was subdued before anyone was hit, according to Thai media.

In August, both Thailand and the Philippines experienced deadly school shootings carried out by students.

On Aug. 7, a 14-year-old student opened fire at his high school and family home in Nonthaburi province just north of Bangkok, killing eight people and injuring more than 20 before taking his own life.

In the southern Philippines on Aug. 18, a 14-year-old student carrying two pistols shot to death a fellow student before killing himself in an attack on a high school campus.

In June, two students armed with hand guns opened fire in a high school in the central Philippines, killing three fellow students and wounding at least 20 others. Two suspects, aged 14 and 15, were arrested.

Thailand leads Southeast Asia in gun ownership per capita, while the Philippines has the most deaths by firearms per person in noncombat situations, according to several surveys.

The San Rafael safety drill brought together Department of Education officials, local government leaders, and public safety and disaster response agencies to test how schools and emergency responders would react to various threats and emergencies.

“Through this exercise, we want our schools to be number one in awareness — to be able to recognize these kinds of threats and respond through drills and exercises: what to do, where to go, and how responders would be able to perform their roles and do their part,” said Department of Education Undersecretary Malcolm Garma.

The drill featured a 30-minute full-scale lockdown exercise, followed by a post-drill review and evaluation with representatives from the Office of Civil Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Fire Protection Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and Philippine National Police.

Interior Department Secretary Remulla said the exercise reflects the need for schools and communities to prepare for a wide range of emergencies.

In a similar event last month, schools in Thailand practiced emergency preparedness in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Nonthaburi Province.

Video footage shown by TV broadcaster Thai PBS showed first responders guiding students at Sarawittaya School in Bangkok on how to react during a school shooting, assisting them in stacking desks and chairs in front of the door to prevent entry.