Thailand

Police say the gunman is a former police officer and that he shot himself, his wife and child following the incident in northern Thailand.

[holding out for hours](https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-thailand-shooting-idUKKBN2020T7) before he was eventually shot and killed by law enforcement. [in a statement](https://www.facebook.com/prayutofficial/posts/pfbid0H9WC5eXQqAUiAEoC793MrHyYiJMgJSvh9PBeNTLNnKb525n2nxTuxGP2hHaiZJTyl). “The images are heartbreaking and our deepest condolences go out to the families who lost loved ones,” he said in a national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States “was horrified” by the shooting and stands ready to assist Thailand in whatever it needs. Thailand, with a population of nearly 70 million, has more than 10 million privately owned guns, of which over 4 million are illegal, according to a My thoughts are with all those affected and the first responders,” British Prime Minister Liz Truss She said she was able to escape because the shooter ran out of bullets. They added that most of the children were asleep when the attack happened because it was nap time. Videos of the aftermath shared on social media showed scenes of carnage and grief. Others show scenes of carnage inside. Padnya then made his way into a locked room where kids were sleeping and attacked them with a knife, Jidapa said. During his escape, he killed nine more people, running some over with his vehicle, according to police.

At least 34 people—including 22 children—were killed on Thursday after a former police officer opened fire inside a daycare center in northeastern Thailand, in ...

[resulted](https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-thailand-shooting-idUKKBN2020T7) in 29 deaths over two days and ended with the soldier being shot dead. [according to](https://www.gunpolicy.org/about) GunPolicy.org run by the University of Sydney. The shooting At the time Reuters [reported](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-shooting-guns-idUSKBN20D25W) that the incident had triggered calls for a re-examining of the country’s gun laws. [Mass murder at child care centre, 34 confirmed slain](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2408603/mass-murder-at-child-care-centre-34-confirmed-slain) (Bangkok Post) [Thai police: More than 30 killed in childcare center attack](https://apnews.com/article/shootings-thailand-84efe7ba76707f4b3d47ee8394c4f24f) (Associated Press) [reported](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2408603/mass-murder-at-child-care-centre-34-confirmed-slain).

A former policeman including 22 children in a gun rampage at a daycare centre in eastern Thailand on Thursday, later shooting dead his wife and child at ...

- Gun laws are quite strict in Thailand. - In June 2021, a former soldier fired gunshots in a coronavirus field hospital near Bangkok, killing a 54-year-old patient after earlier shooting dead a convenience store employee. The applicant must be aged at least 20 and first undergo background checks which consider personal conduct, living condition, income and any criminal records. Of those, about 4 million were illegal. - Thais often complain online about a perceived decrease in personal safety and say guns are idolised by some as symbols of power and privilege because they are expensive and not easy to obtain legally. - In February 2020, a soldier angry over a property deal gone sour killed at least 29 people and wounded 57 in a rampage that spanned four locations in and around the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

Thailand recoiled in horror Thursday after at least 36 people were killed, at least 24 of them children, in a massacre at a child care center in ...

“We surrounded the house and then found that he committed suicide in his home.” Yaba is a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine, which is a tablet usually crushed and smoked, known locally as “crazy medicine.” He was slashing the knife, he didn’t use the gun, he kept slashing in there. One eyewitness told Reuters she believed the attacker was coming to pick up his child. so he started shooting as well as stabbing people at the nursery,” police spokesperson Maj. “(Panya) went to look for his two-year-old son, but the boy was not there … “I suddenly heard the sound just sounded like fire crackers. [UK Prime Minister Liz Truss](https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/04/us/liz-truss-fast-facts/index.html) said in a tweet that she was “shocked to hear of the horrific events,” and said that her “thoughts are with all those affected and the first responders.” “It all went down really fast. Police General Damrongsak Kittiprapas said that the attacker “mainly used a knife” to kill the children. When he arrived to the center, he “didn’t say anything,” and “shot at the door while the children were sleeping,” she said. “He also used a knife to stab both children and staff at the center,” Paisan said.

Most of the victims were children in a killing rampage Thursday that began at a child care center in northeastern Thailand, authorities said.

In 2020 ] [a soldier opened fire](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/02/08/thailand-soldier-terminal-21-mall-shooting-rampage-korat/4700184002/) at a shopping mall and other locations in the southern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima, killing 29 people and wounding 58. The Post reported that Panya was expelled from the police force in June and that he faced charges related to possession of methamphetamine pills. Ambulances stood by as police and medical workers walked in the schoolyard.] [Mass murders rare in Thailand] [Mass shootings are rare in Thailand. "There were some staff eating lunch outside the nursery and the attacker parked his car and shot four of them dead," she told the outlet. was "horrified" by the shooting and offering condolences to families who lost loved ones. The suspect drove home and killed his wife and son before killing himself, police said.

North-east region preschool centre attacked by gunman who also killed himself and his family.

“I thought that it was a firecracker, then when I looked out of the window, I saw people on the floor. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned in June of “extreme volumes of methamphetamine” being produced, trafficked and used in south-east Asia. Another teacher told the channel that she was on the phone when she heard a loud bang. The children, aged between two and four years old, were sleeping at the time, she said. Police said most of the children killed at the centre were stabbed to death. Thailand’s prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is expected to visit Nong Bua Lamphu on Friday, said in a statement on Facebook that he offered his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

Driving the news: Authorities identified the gunman as a former police officer and said that, after the attack in the province of Nong Bua Lamphu, he killed his ...

"We owe it to every child to protect them from violence at all times, everywhere." [Dallas launches portal to track domestic violence](https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2022/10/05/dallas-portal-domestic-violence) Most were between the ages of two and five, Reuters reported, citing a local official. [in a statement](https://www.facebook.com/prayutofficial/posts/641666740663509). [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/06/asia/thailand-mass-shooting-intl-hnk/index.html). [reports](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/least-20-people-killed-mass-shooting-thailand-police-2022-10-06/).

A former policeman killed 38 people, including 22 children, in a knife and gun rampage at a daycare centre in Thailand on Thursday, later shooting dead his ...

Gun laws are strict in Thailand, where possession of an illegal firearm carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha was expected to visit the region on Friday. The massacre is among the worst involving children killed by one person. We surrounded his house and then found that he committed suicide in his home," Damrongsak Kittiprapas told reporters. "He started shooting, slashing, killing children at the Uthai Sawan daycare centre," Paisal said. "It's a scene that nobody wants to see.

The question now facing the country as it reels from its deadliest mass shooting is what its notorious gun culture has to do with it.

(As of this writing, it is unclear whether the assailant in today’s shooting acquired his gun through the program, though it was reportedly purchased legally.) [recently arrested](https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-csd-police-apprehend-arms-trafficking-gang-arresting-17-suspects/) more than a dozen people, including one government officer, suspected of involvement in a gun-trafficking gang that is alleged to have sold firearms and ammunition sourced from a state-run program that enables public officials to purchase subsidized guns. [42%](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/06/world/thailand-shooting) of the world’s guns and 31% of the gunmen involved in mass shootings, Thailand’s problems can’t exactly be explained by a lack of gun control. “Perhaps this incident will serve as a wake up call that they need to develop strategies to prevent further tragedies like this in the future,” he says. Picard says that the cost and relative difficulty of obtaining a gun legally have also turned them into something of a status symbol in Thailand representing power, wealth, and privilege. The assailant in the 2020 mass shooting was a Thai soldier who staged his attack using stolen weapons and ammunition from his army base. According to [a report](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1691936/gunning-for-firearms) by the Bangkok Post, firearm purchases can take as long as half a year to complete. [at least 38 people](https://time.com/6220168/thailand-mass-shooting-child-care-center/), most of whom are children, are relatively uncommon in Thailand. When it comes to Thailand’s gun control, these subsidized weapons represent “a huge loophole,” says Michael Picard, an independent researcher focusing on the intersection of the arms trade, corruption, and conflict, and who conducted field research in Thailand in 2019. Anyone caught carrying any of the roughly 4 million unregistered firearms in the country risks facing up to 10 years in prison as well as fines of up to 20,000 Thai bhat ($535). It was [the first and deadliest mass shooting](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-51470359) in Thailand’s modern history, until today. Under Thai law, guns can only be purchased from a limited number of [licensed firearm dealers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECWRUKOXwZE), which are themselves restricted in the number of firearms and ammunition they can sell each year.

This violence is both senseless and heartbreaking. We stand with the people of Thailand and extend our deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones ...

We are deeply saddened by the tragedy in Nong Bua Lam Phu Province, where a gunman took the lives of at least 38 people, including 24 children. We stand with the people of Thailand and extend our deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones today. This violence is both senseless and heartbreaking.

At least 38 people, including 24 children, were killed in a gun and knife attack Thursday at a childcare center in northern Thailand. It was the country's ...

Mass shootings are rare in Thailand, but this is the second incident in less than three years that has resulted deaths. Images have since emerged online that show children and adults lying in pools of blood on the floor following the deadly attack. It's time for Thailand to wake up and realize that protecting its people means getting this situation under control rather than treating this as a 'one-off' incident that can be ignored," Robertson told VOA via email. rate of 120.5 per 100 people, according to a 2017 survey by Australia's GunPolicy.org nonprofit organization. We stand with the people of Thailand and extend our deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones today. According to district official Jidapa Boonsom, the gunman had entered the nursery in Uthai Sawan town around lunchtime before shooting four or five staff, including a teacher who was eight months pregnant, before forcing his way into a locked room where children were sleeping and killing them, she told Reuters. But the number of those killed could have been more. "I feel deep sadness toward the victims and their relatives." In 2020, a solider of the Royal Thai army shot and killed 29 people and injured 58 more at a military camp and a shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima before being shot and killed by authorities. Thai people seek mental health help much more than before," he told VOA. The motive for the killings is unknown. “We are deeply saddened by the tragedy in Nong Bua Lam Phu province,” he said.

Nation in shock after 37 people, most of them children, were killed, while Thai media question why red flags weren't raised earlier.

In the afternoon, coffins bearing the bodies of the victims were taken to local families, to be handed over to relatives. Teachers had tried to lock the front door to keep him out, but he shot and kicked his way into the building. He had appeared in court earlier on Thursday on a drug charge and was due to appear again on Friday. According to local reports, a tablet costs 10 baht (£0.24) for wholesale, about the same as a bottle of water. Crowds gathered outside a local hospital to see the motorcade pass by. Afterwards, he met families of the victims and handed out compensation cheques.

A horrific attack on a childcare centre in northern Thailand that has left dozens dead, prompted strong international condemnation on Thursday.

“No-one should be a target.” No child should be a target or witness of violence anywhere, anytime. “UNICEF condemns all forms of violence against children.

The attacker then shot and killed his wife and their 4-year-old child before killing himself, according to officials. The toll in Thursday's massacre surpassed ...

[You can find all our puzzles here](https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords). [ racing to contain](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/01/world/africa/uganda-ebola-outbreak.html) an Ebola outbreak driven by a strain of the virus that is resistant to existing immunization shots. It also has some of the continent’s highest rates of gun homicide, [but mass shootings are rare](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/world/asia/thailand-worldwide-shooting-statistics.html). Still, the virus has spread to five districts. The death toll could be as high as 30, with 20 probable cases who succumbed to the virus before it could be identified. Two vaccine candidates could offer protection against the Sudanese strain, but they have yet to reach the clinical-trial phase, Dr. human rights agency over abuses targeting the Uyghur people and other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang region. The economic distress in poor countries is palpable, given the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with high food and energy prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His statement appeared to open the floodgates, especially after the Kremlin did nothing in public to punish the Chechen leader. A common thread in the rising criticism has been that Russia’s military was unprepared for a real war. The official said Shoigu should consider killing himself because of the Russian Army’s failures in Ukraine. The attacker then shot and killed his wife and their 4-year-old child before killing himself, according to officials.

The attack in Nong Bua Lamphu Province, one of the country's poorest, was the worst mass shooting by a sole perpetrator in Thailand's history.

The king was expected to visit a hospital in the area in the evening. He was angered by a financial dispute with the family of his superior officer, according to the country’s then army chief. Saeksan Sriraj, the husband of a pregnant teacher who was killed in the attack, thanked people for their support in a Facebook post. Anutin said that the authorities were in the process of conducting an autopsy on the gunman to determine what, if any, substances were in his body during the time of the shooting. Thailand, with a population of about 70 million, had only 656 psychiatrists and 422 psychologists in the entire country, according to the W.H.O.’s Mental Health Atlas 2020. After visiting one of them, a 3-year-old, at Udon Thani Hospital, the minister said the boy was hooked up to a breathing tube and responsive despite suffering a skull fracture. Outside the day care center, he saw a man who appeared to be in his 40s and a young child lying in a pool of blood. That means the king will pay for the funerals of those killed and the medical expenses of the wounded. He decided to drive to the subdistrict office to check in on his friend. But it was unclear when he bought the firearm and whether he was using drugs at the time. A pregnant teacher whose husband said she was “doing her duty as teacher to the fullest capacity.” A young girl who liked to play pretend with her grandmother. Portraits of the victims, 24 of whom were young children, began to emerge, showing the magnitude of loss: A 3-year-old who loved racing toy cars and riding in real ones.

Pink and white coffins bearing the bodies of the 22 children killed in a gun and knife rampage in Thailand were loaded onto a truck late on Thursday.

"Nobody wants this to happen. will feel so depressed and saddened," Anutin said. - Pink and white coffins adorned with gold and bearing the bodies of the 22 children killed in a gun and knife rampage in Thailand were loaded onto a truck late on Thursday and driven away in the darkness.

Thai government buildings flew flags at half mast on Friday to mourn the death of more than 30 people, including 23 children, after an ex-policeman burst ...

In the late afternoon, relatives wailed in pain as funerals were set to be held at Wat Rat Sammakhi. He had just got a new haircut and was proudly showing it off, said his aunt, Naliwan Duangket, 27. Abandoned juice boxes were scattered across the floor. Most of the children, aged between two and five, were slashed to death, while adults were shot, police said in the aftermath of one of the world's worst It was not clear if Panya still used drugs. One witness, Kittisak Polprakan, said he saw the attacker calmly walking out of the daycare centre - a pink, one-storey building surrounded by a lawn and small palm trees - after the massacre "as if he was just taking a normal stroll".

An ex-policeman killed 37 people, 23 of them children, at a nursery before killing himself and his family.

Police said the armed attacker broke into the building just after lunch time on Thursday, shooting his way past a teacher and parent outside. Thursday's attack comes less than a month after an army officer shot dead two of his colleagues at a base in Bangkok. He had been due to face a verdict on Friday. "I was at the factory [when] my friend asked me to check the news. On her phone are photos of Pattarawut, taken just hours before the shooting. His step-son used to attend the centre but hadn't been for the past month.

Friends hugged sobbing family members struggling with staggering loss in a rural Thailand community mourning the children and other victims slain by a fired ...

The mother died from her wounds, and the boy and grandmother were being treated at hospitals, according to local media. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the violence “senseless and heartbreaking.” She said one child who was covered by a blanket survived the attack, apparently because the assailant assumed he was dead. By the time she returned, the children were dead. A motive for the killings remains unknown, although money and marital problems appeared to be involved. But the gunman shot and kicked his way through it. The children, mainly preschoolers, had been taking an afternoon nap, and photos taken by first responders showed their tiny bodies still lying on blankets. A stream of people, including Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, other government representatives and relatives themselves, left flowers at the day care center on Friday. “It is a tragedy that this evil thing has happened,” the monarch told reporters during a rare public appearance. For a time, the grounds outside the temple were crowded with people overcome by grief. They are running through my heart,” said Seksan Sriraj, 28, whose pregnant wife was due to give birth this month and who worked at the Young Children’s Development Center in Uthai Sawan. As the small, white coffins were opened, some screamed, while others fainted and were revived with smelling salts.

Relatives grieving staggering loss Friday laid flowers at a day care center in rural northeastern Thailand where a fired police officer killed dozens of ...

In an interview with Amarin TV, Satita Boonsom, who worked at the day care center, said staff locked the door to the building after seeing the assailant shoot a child and his father out front. Witnesses said the attacker shot a man and child in front of the center before walking toward it. The mother died from her wounds, and the boy and grandmother were being treated at hospitals, according to local media. She said one child who was covered by a blanket survived the attack, apparently because the assailant assumed he was dead. "He came to do what he had in his mind and was determined to do it. By the time she returned, the children were dead. Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida were expected later in the day to visit hospitals, where seven of the 10 people who were wounded remain. Teachers locked the glass front door, but the gunman shot and kicked his way through it. Prime Minster Prayuth Chan-ocha was expected to visit the day care center and the hospitals. When asked whether he thought the center was secure enough, Seksan noted the attacker had been a police officer. They are running through my heart," said Seksan Sriraj, 28, who lost his pregnant wife due to give birth this month in the attack at the Young Children's Development Center in Uthai Sawan. At least 24 of the 36 people killed in the assault, Thailand's deadliest mass shooting, were children.

Smears of dried blood still stained the wooden floor of a classroom in northern Thailand on Friday, a day after the country's worst massacre unfolded in ...

“So all of that means that there’s more people who are developing problems with methamphetamine, and I think that has to be seen as a pretty significant cause of what’s happened here.” Pimpa said her mother had phoned her to tell her there’d been a shooting at the day care center. And they had access to weapons,” he said. Gregory Raymond from Australian National University says he sees parallels between the mass shooting in 2020 and what happened Thursday at the day care center. Damrongsak said the suspect went to the day care center when he couldn’t find his wife and stepson at home. First responders told CNN of the grim scene that awaited them – most injuries were to the head, they said. He crashed his vehicle on the way and shot three teachers before entering the building. They appear to have become alienated in some way. She said he was a frequent customer to her convenience store and often came in with his stepson. In that case, the shooter was said to have erupted after an argument with another soldier over a land-selling commission fee. “Then he pulled another gun from his waist…I didn’t expect he would also kill the kids,” they said. The total death toll was 36, including Panya’s wife and two-year-old stepson, who normally attended that day care center, but who wasn’t there when the officer came searching for him.

It was nap time at Uthai Sawan Child Development Centre in northeastern Thailand and 24 children aged 2 to 5 years were bedded down at evenly spaced spots ...

In one photo, the children fold their hands in prayer while listening to a tour guide outside a temple. Parents drop the kids off at 8am for a morning filled with learning activities like reading, colouring, and playtime. In another, they sit at the foot of a model dinosaur in a museum, looking up in awe. Just over a month ago, the class had gone on its annual field trip. [stormed](/world/asia-pacific/thailand-mourns-after-over-34-die-daycare-centre-attack-targeting-children-2022-10-07/) into the daycare centre, with on duty staff unable to stop him. "They wanted to have cakes, chocolate and strawberry.

Relatives grieved over the small coffins carrying children slain by a fired police officer who stormed a day care center in rural Thailand.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the violence "senseless and heartbreaking." The mother died from her wounds, and the boy and grandmother were being treated at hospitals, according to local media. In an interview with Amarin TV, Satita Boonsom, who worked at the day care center, said staff locked the door to the building after seeing the assailant shoot a child and his father out front. Witnesses said the attacker shot a man and child in front of the center before walking toward it. She said one child who was covered by a blanket survived the attack, apparently because the assailant assumed he was dead. Support and condolences poured in from around the world. King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida were expected later in the day to go to hospitals, where seven of the 10 people wounded remain. By the time she returned, the children were dead. Grief also gripped the rest of the country, where flags were lowered to half-staff and schoolchildren said prayers to honor the dead. Teachers locked the glass front door, but the gunman shot and kicked his way through it. A stream of people, including Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, other government representatives and relatives themselves, have left flowers at the day care center. They are running through my heart," said Seksan Sriraj, 28, whose pregnant wife was due to give birth this month and who worked at the Young Children's Development Center in Uthai Sawan.