Bangkok
Teenager shoots three people in luxury shopping center
Ambulances wait outside an exit at Siam Paragon shopping center as customers rush out. photo
© Tian Macleod Ji/AP/dpa
Shortly before the first anniversary of a violent act that left dozens dead, the holiday destination of Thailand is once again shaken by a firearms incident. Three people die and several are injured.
A 14-year-old boy visits a popular luxury shopping mall in the Thai capital Three people shot dead in Bangkok. Four more victims were injured on Tuesday afternoon (local time), Thai broadcaster Thai PBS reported. The young perpetrator was arrested at the scene by emergency services, it was said.
The shopping center, which is also popular among foreign tourists and contains, among other things, luxury shops, restaurants and a huge cinema complex, is one of the best-known malls in Bangkok and is located directly at Siam Train Station, an important hub in the capital.
Hundreds of people fled the mall after gunshot-like sounds were heard inside the shopping complex. It was not immediately clear whether shots had actually been fired. But then there were the first reports of injuries. Sirens blared as ambulances pulled up in heavy rain. Videos on social media showed some frightened customers barricading themselves inside the mall. The exit leading to the mall at the nearby Siam train station was closed to prevent commuters from leaving the station. The incident occurred at the start of the evening rush hour.
Gun violence is not uncommon in Thailand
The Thai PBS station reported how a man who was shot in the back received emergency care in the shopping center. The injured were taken to hospitals. The broadcaster later published a photo on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that shows the 14-year-old perpetrator lying on his stomach with his arms crossed behind his back and handcuffed. A police officer kneels above him. According to the Thai newspaper “Thairath”, security cameras at the shopping complex captured the perpetrator placing his weapon on the ground, raising both his arms, turning around and kneeling down. There was initially no information about the young person’s possible motive.
The incident shocked the Kingdom of Thailand shortly before the first anniversary of a horrific act of violence in which a former police officer armed with guns and knives killed 36 people, most of them children, in a daycare center in the northeast of the country on October 6, 2022. According to local media reports, the perpetrator who fled later killed himself after also killing his wife and child. A good two years earlier, a soldier killed 29 people in a shooting spree. He had taken hostages in a shopping center, also in the northeast of the country. The man was later shot dead by security forces.
Gun violence is not uncommon in Thailand. According to a database operated by the University of Sydney, there were around 7.2 million firearms in private hands in Thailand in 2021. Statistically, there was a firearm for every tenth resident. According to Time magazine, Thailand has one of the highest gun ownership rates in all of Southeast Asia.