Bangkok post

Monday  summery of the news *June 22,1998

Children warned about firearms

A young girl points a pistol at instructor during a class to educate young children about the danger of firearms. The class was arranged as part of the Young Firefighter” training programme held by the Fire and Rescue Association at a Bangkok hotel yesterday. Some100 children took part in the programme. The children were given a chance to see and touch real firearms as well as being told about their possible danger if they are mishandled.

BHUDHIBOONNARONG PANYA

Bangkok post *Wednesday June   24, 1998\

Opinion & analysis

What an appalling lack of safety

Even for Amazing Thailand, where irresponsibility is a way of life and accidents are always someone else’s fault, the picture in the Bangkok post(June 22) of six very young children pointing semi-automatic pistols all with fingers on triggers- at their smiling  “safety instructor” was appalling.

The first rule of gun safety is so obvious that I won’t bother to state it if this is firearms safety training Thai style, it certainly explains the bullet ridden corpses featured daily on the front pages of the Thai language newspapers.

David Benson, Pathum Thani

It appears they like to keep busy

The first thing I was taught about handling guns as a child was “to treat every gun as if was loaded.” I was therefore gob smacked to see a photo of a five-year-old girl pointing a pistol at point blank range into the face of some grinning “instructor”

If this is what the “Fire and rescue Association” teaches kids, they can expect to be kept busy for a very long time.

Paul Regan

Bangkok remains the safety city

I saw a photo of young kid pointing a semi-automatic handgun at a guy who was supposed to be an instructor

(Bangkok post, June 22).

What was the real purpose of teaching these kids? I’ve seen so many Thai dramas on TV where handguns are pointed at people.  So what do you expect when children sit

in front of TVs?

I haven’ seen much news in Thailand of young kid’s killer each other using handguns as they do in the United States. I can walk in Bangkok without fear of being a drive-by target or being robbed by gun-toting robber. I bet my life Bangkok is still the safety city the whole world.

PCH (an NRA life member)

Bangkok post *Monday June 29,1998

Opinion & analysis

Postbag

136 Na Ranong Road , Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand*fax:240 3666 *Email  :postbag@bangkokpost.net

 

Picture horrified the organizers

I see the photograph in your newspaper of June 22 concerning our Young Firefighters program organized by the non-profit

Fire and Rescue Association (FARA) has produced a strong reaction from several readers including David Benson and

Paul Regan (postbag, June 24). I, Kanathat Chansiri, the FARA chairman, would like to make the following clarifications:

The Young Firefighter programe aims to produce safety awareness among 10-12 year olds at no expense.

The event is held over two days every three months. The event reported took place on June on 20-21,

the seventh in the series

We train youths on the following fire prevention , discipline training using bare hands, use of fire fighting equipment

in dousing real fire, fire escape procedures (using pulley fro high-rises), first aid and CPR, and the dangers of narcotics.

As part of the fire fighting syllabus, we use Learn Not To Burn fro the National Fire protection Association of

the United States.Youths who have undergone the first course can continue to other such as: self-defense,

climbing down from high-rises using snap links, using fire equipment in buildings and fire trucks ,

helicopter rescue, and gun safety.

The gun safety instructor reported I your newspaper was conducted by Anupong U-on and Warapong  Petcharat

(seen in the photograph), who are instructor with the army’s Territorial Defense Department. The instruction

carried out that day involved basic gun safety and how to aim (as and shown in he picture) using fake gun.

We understand that safety instruction is sensitive and we try to find experts in each field to teach our youth.

The picture shown also horrified us . the FARA tries to provide the correct instruction, but we must be more

vigilant in the future as the picture which appeared before the public might create misunderstandings.

 

FARA in detail

Kanathat Chantrsiri

Chairman

FARA Fire and Rescue Association