- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Langers edge Tiger and son Charlie in PNC Championship playoff
- Explosive batsman Jacobs gets New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka series
- Holders PSG edge through on penalties in French Cup
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin to talk gas deliveries
- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 35
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
- Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
- Mbappe back from 'bottom' as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- Ali hat-trick helps champions Ahly crush Belouizdad
- France kept on tenterhooks over new government
- Salah stars as rampant Liverpool hit Spurs for six
- Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
- 'Sonic 3' zips to top of N.America box office
- Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
- Mbappe strikes as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- 'Nervous' Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- Pope again condemns 'cruelty' of Israeli strikes on Gaza
- Lonely this Christmas: Vendee skippers in low-key celebrations on high seas
- Troubled Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- 2 US pilots shot down over Red Sea in 'friendly fire' incident: military
- Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth, Chelsea held at Everton
- France awaits fourth government of the year
- Germany pledges security inquest into Christmas market attack
- Death toll in Brazil bus crash rises to 41
- Joshua bout only fight left for beaten Fury says promoter Hearn
- Odermatt stays hot to break Swiss World Cup wins record
- Neville says Rashford's career at Man Utd nearing 'inevitable ending'
- Syria's new leader vows not to negatively interfere in Lebanon
- Germany pledges security inquest after Christmas market attack
- Putin vows 'destruction' on Ukraine after Kazan drone attack
- Understated Usyk seeks recognition among boxing legends
- France awaits appointment of new government
Thai students at rival colleges turn to gang violence
Pae was getting off the bus when a student from a rival Bangkok college shot him simply for wearing his uniform.
He survived but carries a deep scar as a permanent reminder of the attack -- just one episode in a wave of violent feuding blighting vocational colleges in Thailand.
Students regularly meet up to clash with guns, knives or just their bare hands, fired up by a culture of macho pride and longstanding rivalries between different colleges.
"I didn't report it to the police because nothing would happen," Pae told AFP, even though he recognised his attacker's face.
Pae, who only gave his nickname because of safety fears, has turned his back on violence but admitted to carrying a handgun for self-defence in the past -- bought from another student for 3,000 baht ($80).
Reporting of the clashes is patchy and police are little interested, but a few high-profile incidents highlight the intensity of the violence.
In September, a 16-year-old student died after being shot three times outside his home, with a student from a rival college the main suspect, according to media reports.
And two years ago, a gun battle in broad daylight at a petrol station, involving a motorbike chase, left one student dead and two other people wounded.
Au, a 19-year-old studying to be a car mechanic at Thonburi Technical College, was one of those who fought at the petrol station.
"It's not about politics. The fight is just to prove that we are better than them. It's about dignity. We can't stand their insults," he told AFP.
Prosecutors decided that Au and his friends acted in self-defence, so no case was brought against them.
Police have little appetite for tackling violence among students.
"I think the education institution should be more responsible. It only concerns us if it impacts citizens. We are looking into it," Royal Thai Police spokesman Archayon Kraithong told AFP.
- Social divisions -
The culture of defending so-called "honour" runs deep, passed on from one cohort of students to the next.
"We were taught by our seniors to hate them," said 23-year-old Im, an engineering student at King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok.
"When they did to one of our school members, we have to defend our honour by getting back at them."
Krissadang Nutcharat, a legal and political expert and human rights lawyer, said violence between vocational students dates back at least 70 years, blaming inequality and alienation.
"The system doesn't allow them to believe that they are respected," Krissadang told AFP, saying students would traditionally steal trophies such as belts or shirts from rivals to boost their standing.
"They are neglected by the society and state. They are heavily insulted."
The violence is focused in vocational colleges, where students train for careers in trades such as construction and auto repair, and which are looked down upon by some in Thailand's deeply stratified society.
"They are treated as second-class citizens. They are seen as inferior to other students at different colleges and universities," Puangthong Pawakapan, professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University, told AFP.
Poverty limits some students' access to sport, music and other activities, denying them a chance to express themselves, she said -- heightening the appeal of the camaraderie of gang life.
Don Mueang Technical College in Bangkok director Pichet Sukhon said vocational students form a deep bond as they navigate difficult economic conditions and juggle part-time work to pay their school fees.
"Some of my students help each other pay for food when they can't afford a meal," he told AFP.
- 'I don't want to fight -
Former technical student Mild, who only gave his nickname, said feeling excluded from society as a schoolboy 13 years ago drove him to seek a sense of belonging in a gang.
"They never cared about us, so we thought we could do anything we wanted," Mild told AFP.
Mild recalled being chased through a public park in Bangkok with a knife while trying to escape a rival student gang.
Whenever there was trouble, his gang friends had his back, he said, adding they were like family.
The youth-led pro-democracy protests of 2020 brought a short respite as rival gangs came together to join the demonstrations.
The violence soon returned when the protests fizzled out, but some of those involved are now desperate for a way out.
"I don't know why are we fighting, but my seniors told me to do it. If we attack a school, it's like we are collecting a trophy for each one of them," Nut, a 20-year-old studying to be an electrician, told AFP.
"But deep inside, I don't want to fight. I just want to return home peacefully."
Th.Berger--AMWN