Thailand faces new gun tragedy just days after school shooting, exposing deep-rooted crisis
Just three days after a school shooting killed eight people in Thailand, another deadly gun incident in the same province has highlighted the country's severe gun violence problem. The prime minister has promised tighter controls, though similar pledges have failed before.
Three days after a 14-year-old opened fire at a school, killing eight people before taking his own life, another shocking incident unfolded in the same Thai province. Chalong Riewrang, a 71-year-old former politician, visited a local administration office to discuss a debt he believed was owed to him by administration chief Thongchai Yenprasert. The conversation ended when Chalong fired four shots through the window of Thongchai's car, wounding both him and his driver. Thongchai later died of his injuries.
Chalong fled the scene and called a journalist who was in the middle of a live broadcast to tell her what had happened. After police detained him, he spoke calmly to reporters while smoking a cigarette, claiming he hadn't meant to shoot his friend but fired after the driver also drew a weapon.
The same day, a police sergeant shot his wife during an argument in their car before turning the gun on himself. The wife died in hospital.
Scale of the problem
Thai police do not keep official statistics on gun deaths, but estimates suggest between 2,000 and 3,000 people die from gun violence annually - compared to fewer than 50 in Britain, a country with a similar population. Thailand has more than 10 million civilian-owned guns in circulation, four million of which are unlicensed.
Experts point to a high societal tolerance for violence and the perception of guns as status symbols. While Thailand's gun licensing process appears strict on paper, requiring multiple permits, significant loopholes exist - there is no mental health screening requirement, and gun storage safety goes unchecked.
A government scheme allowing police and officials to buy discounted guns has repeatedly faced corruption investigations. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered immediate restrictions and promised new legislation, but similar promises followed previous tragedies in 2022 and 2023 without lasting change.
