The bloody attack on a day care center in north-east Thailand that killed 37 people has plunged the country into deep mourning and sparked discussions about current gun laws. The flags in the Southeast Asian country flew at half-staff on Friday, and the German embassy in Bangkok also wore mourning flags.
In the evening, King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida wanted to travel to the site of the tragedy and, among other things, visit the injured in the hospital. The massacre is one of the worst acts of violence in the country's recent history.
A police officer dismissed from service for drug offenses stormed the daycare center in Nong Bua Lamphu province on Thursday. With a gun and a knife, he attacked caregivers and children indiscriminately. According to the police, 24 small children between the ages of two and four years are among the victims.
when the children slept
Most of them were just taking their nap when their killer came. Only one little girl is said to have escaped the perpetrator unharmed, he may not have noticed, it was said. Nearly a dozen people were injured, some seriously.
The man later drove to his home in a pickup truck, killing more people along the way. Then he set the car on fire. According to investigators, when the police surrounded the building, he first shot his wife, his son (3) and then himself.
The motive of the 34-year-old is still unclear. However, there are suspicions that he may have been under drugs or medication. He was released in June after methamphetamine pills were found on him. A case was pending against him. A hearing is said to have taken place shortly before the bloody deed. After the accused left the court, he seemed stressed and took sedatives, Deputy Police Chief Torsak Sukwimol quoted the perpetrator's mother as saying. Then he developed paranoia. He grabbed his gun and drove to the daycare center.
Relatives in tears
On Friday, numerous grieving relatives gathered at the scene of the tragedy. Pictures showed people in tears holding baby blankets and milk bottles. Many hugged each other and tried to comfort each other. The faces showed boundless pain and bewilderment.
The young victims were taken to a police station late Thursday in pink and white coffins decorated with gold. The operations manager described the images that the rescue workers on site were offered as shocking. "It was a scene nobody wants to see. It was horrible. It was little children who were sleeping," the Thaiger news site quoted the man as saying.
One comment said: "Mass shootings seem to be more of a thing you see in America, so news of the killing spree in Thailand has shaken citizens to the core." In fact, Thailand generally has fairly strict gun laws, but these are relatively easy - and often - circumvented. Most firearms in the country are illegal. Violence occurs again and again, often resulting in death - but crimes with many fatalities are very rare.
The perpetrator is said to have owned the pistol legally. As an ex-policeman, he was used to handling firearms, Krisanaphong Poothakool, a criminologist at Rangsit University in central Thailand, told ThaiPBS. The expert called for a psychiatric evaluation and criminal record check to be introduced for anyone wishing to obtain a gun license.
Perpetrator was a "ticking time bomb"
As for the possible trigger for the act, the professor said that a combination of drugs, frustration and stress might have led to the excess of violence. The man was a ticking time bomb. However, the case still needs to be investigated in detail.
Two and a half years ago, Thailand was already in shock. In February 2020, a soldier killed 29 people in a shooting spree at a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima in the north-east of the country. There is a parallel to the new case, Poothakool explained: the perpetrator at the time was also used to handling weapons. The man was later shot dead by police.
