December 1, 2023
BANGKOK – A police station deployed crowd-control units to maintain security at two Bangkok shopping malls on Thursday, the first day of the screening of “4 Kings 2”, a movie about gang wars involving two rival schools.
Pol Colonel Thanaphan Phadungkarn, commander of Lat Phrao Police Station, said he had deployed two crowd-control units armed with shields and forked sticks to keep security in front of The Mall Bang Kapi and Lotus Bang Kapi where “4 Kings 2” will be screened.
The sequel on the street fighting between rival vocational schools dwells on the long feud between the Kanok and Buranaphan schools in the Bang Kapi area. The second episode is about Kanok students’ quest for revenge against their rivals.
Thanaphan said police would stake out against possible street fights by students from rival vocational schools in Bang Kapi and nearby areas.
He said police would carry out intelligence operations to anticipate risks from certain group of movie-goers and would assess the audience numbers every hour.
In case violence breaks out, police would coordinate with the shopping malls to check footage from security cameras.
He added that police would be stationed in front of the two shopping malls for three days.
When “4 Kings” was screened in late 2021, theatres offered a discount to vocational students who wore their workshop uniform to watch the movie. This year, the theatres are not offering any discount to the vocational school students.
“4 Kings” reportedly generated 69.82 million baht in Bangkok and 170 million around the country.
The movie about student rivalry was screened a few weeks after two incidents made headlines when rogue vocational school and tech university students shot dead a teacher, and two other students. The street brawls involving rival institutions revived the nightmare haunting Thai society for long.