PATTAYA, Thailand – Pattaya City School 3 in Naklua closed immediately on November 5 after a threatening message posted in a Mathayom 1 (M1) student Line group raised fears of a possible shooting. Parents were urgently asked to collect their children, while district officials and police maintained a security presence around the school.
The incident came to light at around 8am, when teachers contacted parents and instructed them to pick up their children. Police officers were deployed around the school, near Wat Sawang Fa intersection in Banglamung district, to monitor the situation and assist families arriving to collect students.
Banglamung District Chief Anusak Piriya-amorn, Pattaya Deputy Mayor Krisana Boonsawat and Banglamung Police Station Superintendent Pol Col Sarawut Nuchanart visited the school to assess the situation and coordinate the response.
It took nearly two hours to safely release approximately 1,000 students from the school.
The concern followed a message posted in an M1 students’ Line group at around 7.20pm on November 4. An unfamiliar account, which had recently been added to the group, reportedly posted: “You’re getting shot tomorrow.” The message was subsequently deleted before teachers could copy or preserve it.
A student told reporters that he had intended to add a friend to the group but mistakenly invited the wrong person. The account then posted the threatening message. The student said the person later sent an apology on the morning of November 5 and was also an M1 student.
Deputy Mayor Kritsana, who oversees education for Pattaya City, said the student believed to have posted the message was 16 years old and remained enrolled at the school. He had reportedly not attended classes for three days. The reasons behind the message were still under investigation.
District Chief Anusak said officials were working with Banglamung police to locate the student and establish what had happened. Investigators had not yet determined whether the message was intended as a reckless joke, a threat or a response to an issue within the school. The student was being sought for questioning before further legal procedures could be considered. Anusak said the authorities were relieved that no violent incident had occurred and that students had been safely released.
One parent collecting a child told reporters that teachers had contacted the family and that they had already heard some information about the incident. The parent said they were not particularly alarmed but wanted authorities to establish the facts and prevent similar situations from happening again. The school announced that classes would be suspended for two days, November 5 and 6, while the matter was addressed.
