Thailand was shaken by another deadly shooting on Monday after a former member of parliament allegedly opened fire inside a local government office in Nonthaburi province, killing a senior local official and wounding his driver.
Police arrested former lawmaker Chalong Riewrang following the shooting at the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization, north of Bangkok.
The victim, Thongchai Yenprasert, chairman of the provincial administrative organisation, was critically wounded in the attack and later died in hospital. His driver was also shot and wounded, according to police and Reuters.
Police said they were investigating the circumstances and motive behind the shooting. Reports from several outlets indicated that the incident may have stemmed from a personal financial dispute involving money allegedly owed to the former lawmaker.
The case has drawn particular attention because it comes only three days after a deadly school shooting in the same province, placing Thailand’s persistent gun-violence problem back at the centre of national debate.
Former Lawmaker Taken Into Custody
Chalong, a former Nonthaburi MP and former member of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s political party, was taken into police custody after the shooting.
Authorities have not characterised the alleged financial dispute as an established motive, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The shooting occurred at a government facility in broad daylight, raising fresh concerns about the accessibility and use of firearms in Thailand, where gun violence has repeatedly triggered calls for tighter controls.
Another Shooting, Days After School Massacre
The latest killing came just days after a much larger tragedy in Nonthaburi.
On Friday, a 14-year-old boy opened fire at a school after first killing his grandparents. The teenager subsequently killed several people at the school before taking his own life.
Reuters reported that nine people, including the shooter, were killed in the attack, with more than 20 others injured. The incident was Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting in almost four years.
The two shootings, occurring within days of each other in the same province, have intensified pressure on the Thai government to address gun ownership, firearm enforcement and security in public institutions.
Government Promises Tougher Gun Controls
Prime Minister Anutin has responded by ordering tougher action against illegal firearm possession and the carrying of guns in public.
The government has also announced measures including stronger security at schools, metal detectors, emergency preparedness drills, improved weapons detection and mental-health screening.
Thailand has one of the highest levels of civilian firearm ownership in Southeast Asia. Reuters estimates that there are roughly 15 firearms for every 100 people, although the exact number of privately held weapons is difficult to establish because of unregistered firearms.
The country’s gun laws already restrict firearm ownership, but enforcement and the large number of illicit weapons in circulation remain major challenges.
A Growing Test for Thailand
Monday’s shooting has placed the government under renewed pressure to demonstrate that its promises of tougher gun controls will translate into effective enforcement.
For communities in Nonthaburi, the sequence of violence has been particularly unsettling: a deadly school shooting followed within days by the killing of a senior local government official.
The incidents have also reignited a familiar question in Thailand — whether repeated promises to tighten gun laws will finally produce meaningful change.
For now, police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack and the alleged financial dispute involving Chalong.
But the latest killing has already added another painful chapter to Thailand’s continuing struggle with gun violence.
Just days after a school became the scene of a mass shooting, another government institution has become the site of a fatal attack — intensifying calls for Thailand to confront the country’s gun problem before more lives are lost.
