Thailand shooting: 71-year-old former MP opens fire outside govt building

On Monday, a former Thai lawmaker, 71-year-old Chalong Reawraeng, opened fire outside a government building in Nonthaburi, a city on the outskirts of Bangkok, injuring a local government official and his driver. Following the incident, which took place days after a school shooting in the same province reignited discussions about gun control, Chalong was promptly arrested.

The territorial police commander disclosed that the victim, Thongchai Yenprasert, is a former police officer and the current president of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation. Chalong had approached Thongchai for assistance regarding his difficulties but was consistently denied. The exact motive behind the shooting remains uncertain at this time.

This event occurred amidst the ongoing debate over gun control in Thailand, following the country’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly four years, where nine individuals were killed and over 20 injured after a 14-year-old boy allegedly shot his grandparents before opening fire at a school and ultimately taking his own life. In response to the recent attack, the Prime Minister has pledged to enhance gun control measures, and schoolchildren have returned to class under heightened security measures.