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Hatyai School Closes Classes After Sacked Foreign Teacher's Firearm Threat
Hatyaiwittayalai Secondary School in Songkhla province has temporarily suspended in-person classes and switched to online learning for Monday and Tuesday due to a firearm threat posted by a recently dismissed foreign teacher. The teacher, identified as a South African national, has already left Thailand, but the school cited safety concerns for its students and staff.
PUBLISHED : 9 Aug 2026 at 08:29 UPDATED : 9 Aug 2026 at 14:07 WRITER: Online reporters and Assawin Pakkawan SONGKHLA - The management of Hatyaiwittayalai secondary school in this southern province announced it will close its gates on Monday and Tuesday and provide online lessons after a sacked foreign teacher posted a firearm threat. The school has about 3,600 students and 250 teachers and staff. School director Thitiwit Meechooworapong issued an order on Saturday night saying that the school would provide online teaching on Monday and Tuesday for the safety of its students and employees. According to the announcement this follows a threat by a “Mr Pieter Johannes Dreyer”, identified by the director as a former English-language teacher for English programme students at the school. On July 24 the school management terminated his employment for breach of contract. Afterwards, Mr Dreyer allegedly posted a picture with a firearm, messages and an audio clip in a public group on LINE chat, the school director wrote. The school management agreed the content amounted to a threat against the students, teachers and management. The director wrote that the school management had filed a complaint with Hat Yai police. Security had also been stepped up at the 81-year-old school, which is on Phetkasem Road in Hat Yai district. Hat Yai police said the foreigner in question had left Thailand on July 19 and had not returned. According to police, the sacked teacher is a South African national. He left Thailand through the Padang Besar border checkpoint in Sadao district of Songkhla at 2.39pm on July 19 and did not return. He had stayed in Room 23223 of the Hat Yai City Resort condominium building in Hat Yai district. Police found the previously rented room unoccupied. The man allegedly posted a threatening message with photos of him firing a gun and photos of school executives in a school LINE chat room with about 5,000 users. He also criticised the school management. Immigration police said he had already been blacklisted. On Sunday all the school's gates were shut and police patrols were making regular visits. The screen capture shows a message posted by LINE chat app user named 'Kru Peter' together with the picture of a man in a shooting range. Supplied photo (Photo: Hatyaiwittayalai School Facebook page)
Original source
Bangkok Post