Latest school shooting in Thailand may spur calls in Asia for more active safety drills

SAN RAFAEL, Philippines (AP) — A school shooting this week in Thailand may spark greater interest in holding more active shooter drills at educational institutions, as Southeast Asian nations consider measures to curb gun violence.

Students in San Rafael, in the Philippines, took part in the Nationwide Simultaneous School Safety Drill on Thursday, an event highlighting the Department of Education’s efforts to strengthen school safety, security, and emergency preparedness.

“It’s a new reality in the country. We are preparing for all kinds of emergencies, from human-induced to weather-induced (events). All of us should be ready. It’s a new reality,' said Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla.

It follows an incident on Wednesday in Thailand’s Kamphaeng Phet province, 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Bangkok, when a 14-year-old student fired several shots at his school but was subdued before anyone was hit, according to Thai media.

In August, both Thailand and the Philippines experienced deadly school shootings carried out by students.

On Aug. 7, a 14-year-old student opened fire at his high school and family home in Nonthaburi province just north of Bangkok, killing eight people and injuring more than 20 before taking his own life.

In the southern Philippines on Aug. 18, a 14-year-old student carrying two pistols shot to death a fellow student before killing himself in an attack on a high school campus.

In June, two students armed with hand guns opened fire in a high school in the central Philippines, killing three fellow students and wounding at least 20 others. Two suspects, aged 14 and 15, were arrested.

Thailand leads Southeast Asia in gun ownership per capita, while the Philippines has the most deaths by firearms per person in noncombat situations, according to several surveys.

The San Rafael safety drill brought together Department of Education officials, local government leaders, and public safety and disaster response agencies to test how schools and emergency responders would react to various threats and emergencies.

“Through this exercise, we want our schools to be number one in awareness — to be able to recognize these kinds of threats and respond through drills and exercises: what to do, where to go, and how responders would be able to perform their roles and do their part,” said Department of Education Undersecretary Malcolm Garma.

The drill featured a 30-minute full-scale lockdown exercise, followed by a post-drill review and evaluation with representatives from the Office of Civil Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Fire Protection Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and Philippine National Police.

Interior Department Secretary Remulla said the exercise reflects the need for schools and communities to prepare for a wide range of emergencies.

In a similar event last month, schools in Thailand practiced emergency preparedness in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Nonthaburi Province.

Video footage shown by TV broadcaster Thai PBS showed first responders guiding students at Sarawittaya School in Bangkok on how to react during a school shooting, assisting them in stacking desks and chairs in front of the door to prevent entry.

Students sit on the floor inside their classroom as they take cover during a nationwide school safety drill in San Rafael, Bulacan province, Philippines, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Students stack chairs to block windows during a nationwide school safety drill in San Rafael, Bulacan province, Philippines, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A mock victim is carried by medical personnel during a nationwide school safety drill in San Rafael, Bulacan province, Philippines, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Students lay on the floor inside their classroom as they take cover during a nationwide school safety drill in San Rafael, Bulacan province, Philippines, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, first lady Jill Biden, Oprah Winfrey and a slew of celebrities, writers and social justice activists are lauding Gloria Steinem as a revolutionary and inspiring figure.

The celebrated author and activist, who became one of the most visible symbols and potent voices of the U.S. women’s movement, died Wednesday at her home in New York City. She was 92.

“She pushed open doors not just for herself, but for literally millions of women behind her. She wasn’t going to be an astronaut, but my goodness, she made it possible for Sally Ride to be an astronaut. She wasn’t going to play college sports, but she stood behind the women in Congress who passed Title IX and opened up opportunities in sports and academics for girls. And she wasn’t on the Supreme Court when Roe v. Wade was decided, but her voice and her activism was behind that advancement for women’s rights. Gloria Steinem was, at heart, an optimist. Her activism was rooted in optimism, and that’s a moral choice she made every day. Even though we’ve faced setbacks to women’s full participation and equality in America and around the world, I want Gloria’s voice to remain in our heads.” — the former secretary of state, on social media.

“Every woman who has ever walked into a room knowing she belongs there; every woman who has demanded equal pay, equal respect, ownership of her own body, and the right to make her own choices; every girl who has grown up assuming that her dreams are hers to pursue — whether she knows Gloria Steinem’s name or not — is living, in some measure, inside the progress Gloria helped create. She leaves us with more freedom than she inherited and with the responsibility to keep widening that freedom for the women and girls who come next.” — the media mogul and television producer, on social media.

“Gloria Steinem understood that women’s equality begins with the freedom to make decisions about our own bodies, health, and futures. For decades, she fought to make that freedom real for generations of women and girls. She spoke up when it was difficult, listened to those whose voices too often went unheard, and never stopped pushing our country forward. Joe and I are holding Gloria’s loved ones in our hearts today. Her voice changed our country, and her courage will continue to inspire us to keep fighting for the freedoms she spent her life defending.” — the former first lady, on social media.

“Generational change doesn’t happen by accident or fate — it takes leaders like Gloria Steinem who work hand in hand with so many others to build a lasting movement. The decades of energy, brilliance, and advocacy she devoted to women’s rights helped so many of us see that we belonged at the tables where decisions are made. … What a light she was for me and so many others. What a debt we owe her.” — the philanthropist and businesswoman, on social media.

“The time I spent studying Gloria Steinem in order to play her was one of the most edifying of my life. Everything I watched, everything I read, everything I observed about her gave me a template for how I wanted to behave.” — the actor, who played Steinem in the 2020 film “The Glorias,” on Instagram.

“Privately, she was even better than you would imagine — spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counseling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivaled cheekiness and wit.” — Duchess of Sussex, on Instagram.

“Gloria was one of a kind. Genuine, generous, curious, thoughtful. She lived a staggering life and her passing is a staggering loss tempered only by the ferocity of her legacy.” — the writer, commenting on Instagram.

“Everything Gloria did was rooted in kindness. It flowed through her political activism.” — her friend and fellow activist, to The Associated Press.

“Gloria, you changed my life. You seeded a fire in me that would result in my own activism. I am forever grateful to have learned from what you offered the world.” — the author and social justice activist, commenting on Instagram.

“An unstoppable visionary who demanded an equal role for females in a male dominated world and worked tirelessly, for decades, to bring that change about. The greatest irony was how many women she had to battle as they cowered behind their male owners. But battle she did. Equal rights! Freedom to choose! Access to political power! Equal pay for equal effort.” — the actor and playwright, on social media.

“I have done what I wanted to do with my life. That would not have been possible without Steinem and the scores of other feminists who it is no exaggeration to say radically reshaped America and the world.” — the author and feminist, in her Substack newsletter.

FILE - Feminist Gloria Steinem speaks at a rally organized by Women's March NYC in New York on Jan. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)