NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand – Monks and novices fled from a temple in terror and hundreds of children were hurriedly evacuated from a kindergarten as police staged an unannounced emergency response drill simulating an armed intruder on Monday, with the exercise employing a realistic scenario in which officers and civilians at the locations were not initially informed it was a drill.

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Events unfolded as they would in a real emergency, beginning with a report of a masked man carrying a long-barrelled gun entering Wat Burapha, prompting monks and novices to flee the temple seeking shelter while police were dispatched to the scene.

Pol Col Sirichai Srichaiyapanya, superintendent of Muang Nakhon Ratchasima police, ordered a deputy superintendent to lead patrol officers and a six-man tactical team to the scene to contain the situation and locate the suspect, but as they moved in to secure the area, the simulated suspect left the temple and headed towards Ban Khun Nuu Kindergarten opposite the temple, where hundreds of young children were on the premises.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA – Monks and novices fled from a temple in terror and hundreds of children were hurredly evacuated from a kindergarten as police staged an unannounced emergency response drill simulating an armed intruder on Monday.

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Police secured the school and began evacuating the children and staff, while the six-man team pursued the suspect inside the premises until the tactical team eventually simulated using firearms to neutralise the attacker.

Only after the scenario had concluded was it revealed that the entire incident had been a drill, designed to test how police, schools, and members of the public would respond to an armed attack without advance warning. The drill covered the full emergency response from receiving the initial report and assessing the situation to securing the area, evacuating civilians and children, and deploying the team to stop the attacker.

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The exercise was in line with the Royal Thai Police policy of strengthening preparedness for armed attacks in public places, particularly schools and religious institutions where large numbers of people and children may be present, and also aimed to familiarise the public with the “Run, Hide, Fight” principle, which encourages people to flee when possible, hide when escape is not possible, and fight back as a last resort. The drill took place following a deadly shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province on August 19, highlighting the urgency of preparedness for such incidents.

-Thailand News (TN)