On Thursday, October 6, the deadliest mass shooting in the history of Thailand took place when a deranged ex-policeman entered a child care center and started randomly shooting. He killed at least 22 children in the center, then fled the building, got into his car, and continued to fire randomly at pedestrians. Finally, he entered his own home, killed his wife and children, and then himself. The death toll is at least 38 people.
The location of the mass shooting was Nongbua Lamphu, a city in northeastern Thailand, not too far from the so-called “Golden Triangle” where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos have adjoining borders. The “Golden Triangle” is a beautiful area, with mountains and forests, but also a significant amount of drug smuggling. Because of the terrain, the authorities of the three countries have difficulty stopping the drug running.
The man who perpetrated this horror was an ex-policeman who had been fired from the force earlier this year because of drug related offenses. Whether drugs were involved in this incident is, at present, unknown. So far, I haven’t heard any cries for stricter gun laws.
Citizens of Thailand are allowed to own guns, but very few do. I have been here three months and never seen a gun or a gun shop. However, there is, apparently, a thriving grey and black market in gun sales. Thai citizens (only) who are at least 20 years old can purchase a license that will allow buying a firearm for personal protection, sport, or hunting. Gun violence is not unknown in Thailand. In 2016, Thailand had the 2nd highest gun death rate per 100,000 people in Asia, behind only the Philippines. The figure (4.45) was higher than that in the United States (3.85).
Thailand’s previous worst mass shooting was also in the northeastern part of the country, in 2020, when a disgruntled soldier opened fire in a mall, killing 29 people. He was eventually killed by security forces.
Joe Biden will surely be here soon telling the Thai people to give up their guns. I have a feeling he will be met with a collective one finger salute.
Evil is in the human heart, not in the barrel of a gun.
