At least seven people have been killed in a mass shooting at a school in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok. Details are still coming through, and conflicting numbers have been released, but so far it appears that five teachers are among the dead. The suspected gunman, a year nine pupil, seemingly shot himself in the head. More than 30 people are reported injured, with at least nine in a critical condition. The shooter’s grandparents were also found dead at their home, where the suspect is believed to have resided. The firearm, a handgun, apparently belonged to the grandfather. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has already promised a new firearm control law in the wake of the tragedy.
Not much has been released about the suspect, but the Prime Minister said the 14-year-old was ‘under stress’ in relation to his schooling and that the attack appeared to have been ‘well-prepared’. There are reports from students at the school that he was being bullied, and had an unhealthy interest in the FBI and guns. One teacher said the shooter was a good student with good grades and ‘not aggressive’. A police source commented that he was an avid ‘gamer’.
This is one of the worst mass shootings in Thailand, but is so far from an isolated incident that it is remarkable that the country has retained for many its pacific, paradisiacal ‘Land of Smiles’ reputation. Shootings and bombings are a depressingly regular occurrence; this latest is horrific but not exceptional.
