The parents, led by Sombat Theeraprayoon, vice president of the school’s Parents Club, assembled at Provincial Hall before marching to the nearby municipal offices where they told Deputy Mayor Kawee Tansukhatanon that they would not be joining in talks scheduled for Saturday.
Brandishing Thai flags, they then marched the two kilometres to the school itself,
Mr Sombat explained to The Phuket News, “We came together today because of the policy, under Mayor Somjai Suwansuppapana, that aims to dissolve the kindergarten and elementary education [at Plookpanya School].
“Doctor Kusol Tang’uthai, the Deputy Mayor, told us how beautiful the results of the policy would be, and we all accepted it at the beginning.
“But initially the plan was to phase the two sections out over eight years. This would have allowed children who had just started to move up into the secondary school.
“[Since then] Dr Kusol has stressed that he wants to complete this change within two or three years. This will cause serious problems for both parents and teachers.
“The teachers who are teaching in those levels are worried about their jobs, and about which school they will be assigned to.
“The big question is why the policy needs to be completed within two or three years. We can’t accept it. It is too rushed. We can’t agree to it.
“We talked to them, but they didn’t listen. So we launched a leaflet campaign backed by Facebook, and then they said they would meet us.
“Dr Kosol agreed to a public hearing at the Metropole Hotel at 9 am on Saturday (September 7). We agreed to that. But then yesterday we heard that the meeting might become a ‘battle of the mobs’ because Dr Kosol had invited parents from other schools as well.
“Those parents are not involved with our case. This broke the agreement we had with him because we want him to talk only with us – the people who are directly affected – and not with others who are not involved.
“So we got together today to let them know that we are not going to attend that kind of public hearing,” Mr Sombat said.
At Plookpanya, the protesters called for the school’s director, Winai Suriyaprakan, to meet them. Some were heard calling, “If you don’t come out, we’re going to come and get you.”
When Mr Winai did not come down after about 15 minutes, Mr Sombat and other leaders of the protest went upstairs to invite him to talk with the mob. He complied – from the second floor gallery.
Mr Winai said, “I am not going to run away. I am here to listen to you.”
Caught in the crossfire, he said, “If you were me you would understand my situation. I have to listen to everyone: my boss, my teachers, and the parents.
“Please understand. Everyone loves this school. I do, too. There is no point in any of us competing to say who loves the school the most.”
Protesters said they would no longer back the closure of either the kindergarten or the primary school under any terms, but would stand firm in keeping the school “the way it has been for 100 years”.
Mayor Somjai is currently in Japan, and Dr Kosol could not be reached for comment.
Plookpanya School was established about 100 years ago, in the reign of King Rama VI, and gained a reputation as the school to send one’s children to in order to ensure they got into the island’s top two senior schools – Sattree Phuket and Phuket Wittayalai.