PATTAYA, Thailand – Students at Pattaya City School 7 (Ban Nong Phang Kae) are facing severe disruptions in their education after a thief cut the power cables supplying electricity to classrooms and the school’s gymnasium, November 21. Over 1,000 students are now forced to study outside the classrooms due to the power outage caused by the theft.
On November 19, a power outage occurred at the school’s building for grades 7-12 and the multipurpose building (which includes the gym, sports courts, and volleyball courts). The outage was traced back to a theft of electrical cables running from a nearby transformer to the school buildings. The perpetrator had cut the power cables and replaced them with smaller wires, temporarily keeping the power on until the morning, making it difficult to detect the crime immediately.
Kritsana Boonsawat, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya, along with local council members, visited the school to inspect the damage and the challenges the students are facing. The theft has caused significant inconvenience, especially for senior students who rely on computers and smart TVs for lessons.
The school administration, led by Suthep Klaiseekaew, the principal, is working hard to arrange temporary lessons outside the classrooms. However, the lack of electricity is severely impacting the teaching process, and it is unclear when the necessary repairs will be completed. The city of Pattaya has already reported the incident to the Nongprue Police Station, and local electricians are working on a solution.
The authorities have urged the public to help identify the suspect and stressed that the impact of this crime is most acutely felt by the children and the students, calling for immediate action to bring the perpetrator to justice.
