Former lawmaker arrested after shooting at Nonthaburi government office
Two people were wounded after a former lawmaker allegedly opened fire at a government office in Nonthaburi, days after a deadly school shooting.
Nonthaburi, Thailand. A former lawmaker was arrested after allegedly firing at a senior provincial official and the official’s driver at a local government office on the outskirts of Bangkok on Monday, police said. Two people were wounded and taken to hospital.
Police investigation
Major General Dejrapee Kongdee, the police commander of Nonthaburi province, said the suspected shooter targeted the senior provincial official and his driver. Nonthaburi borders the Thai capital, Bangkok.
School shooting aftermath
The incident came days after a 14-year-old boy carried out a shooting on Friday, first at his home and then at Debsirin Nonthaburi School. Nine people, including the shooter, were killed and more than 20 were wounded in Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly four years.
Thai schoolchildren returned to classrooms on Monday, with some undergoing metal-detector screenings and other security checks. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reiterated his intention to tighten gun controls following the school shooting.
Increased school security
At Debsirin School in Bangkok, a sister institution to the school where Friday’s shooting occurred, authorities installed metal detectors and increased security as students returned after the weekend.
School director Withan Promsintusak said officials introduced weapons screening immediately after the attack to reassure parents and protect students.
“We never imagined that a school, which should be the safest place, is where something like this would happen,” he said.
Thidarat Songrat, the 54-year-old grandmother of a student, said screening was necessary because schools could otherwise be unable to determine whether students were carrying dangerous objects.
The Education Ministry said it would develop new school safety protocols over the next three months, including mental health screenings, emergency response drills, anti-bullying measures and improved detection of weapons and other prohibited items.
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