Thai police arrested a suspected gunman — identified as former lawmaker Chalong Riewraeng — after he allegedly fired shots that killed a local politician on Monday at a government office on the outskirts of Bangkok.
Authorities said the former MP confessed to the shooting.
Surrounded by police, Chalong told reporters he attempted to speak with Thongchai Yenprasert about money.
“I followed him to his car and hit his car’s window, saying I want to talk,” the suspect said. “He said he will not talk, so I pulled my gun. I did not aim to shoot, but his driver pulled a gun and pointed it at me so I fired.”
Thongchai, who was chairman of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization, died of his wounds, according to Sakon Sukprom, director of Phra Nang Klao hospital.
Thongchai’s driver was also shot and successfully underwent surgery, Sakon added.
Nonthaburi Governor Chestha Mosikarat told reporters the suspect and victim were “friends for a long time” and the incident likely stemmed from a misunderstanding.
Police said the motive for the shooting was a “personal issue.”
“According to his confession, it was about money that the … chairman borrowed from him for several years, and he asked for the return of the money several times,” regional Police Commander Wattana Yeechin told reporters, adding that the dispute was over several million baht (1 million baht is about €26,220 or $30,300).
Second recent shooting
This comes just days after a 14-year-old’s shooting rampage, first at his home and then at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School, left nine people dead and over 20 injured. That incident was Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly four years.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had reiterated his intention to tighten gun control laws in the wake of the shooting. The Southeast Asian country’s current gun laws do not include mental health screenings and allow people as young as 20 to have guns.
Thailand had around 15 guns per 100 residents, the highest rate in Southeast Asia by a wide margin, according to a 2017 estimate by the Small Arms Survey.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
Don’t let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the “star” or “preferred” button, so you’ll always see our verified news first.
About The Author
