Bangkok brawls: Thai minister calls for tougher mall security after student fights

Latest fracas between rival students of two schools near MBK Centre sparks vow from education official to ‘do whatever it takes’

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A brawl between rival students inside a Bangkok shopping centre popular with tourists, left five injured, and has prompted calls for tougher security measures. Photo: SCMP

Published: 7:11pm, 24 Mar 2025Updated: 8:53pm, 24 Mar 2025

A brawl involving students inside a popular mall in Bangkok has prompted condemnation from a Thai minister and calls for tougher security measures.

In response to the incident at MBK Centre on Saturday night, Thailand’s higher education minister Supamas Isarabhakdi said security would be stepped up in high-risk areas and police would monitor rival student groups, according to the Bangkok Post.

“The incident is unacceptable. It was aggression and caused trouble to general people. Of course, there must be better action to prevent such incidents and punish wrongdoers, not only from the two institutions but also from all higher education institutions,” she was quoted as saying on Sunday.

“Educational institutions are places of learning, not violence. I insist I will do whatever it takes to have the problem solved seriously and sustainably.”

The clash reportedly involved students from Rajamangala University of Technology’s Uthenthawai Campus and Pathumwan Institute of Technology, with popular tourist haunt MBK Centre situated between the two schools.

Witnesses said the fight broke out at about 7.15pm on Saturday on the sixth floor of the mall, startling patrons at its food court, according to local media. Facebook videos by user Ari Ant showed the two groups of students punching, kicking and pulling each other's shirts.