Killing in a manger: the king of Thailand at the bedside of the wounded

Published on: 07/10/2022 – 17:27 Thailand is in shock the day after an “incomprehensible” massacre in a crèche, which left 36 dead, including 24 children. In a very rare direct interaction with his subjects, the king of Thailand arrived on Friday to attend to the injured. In the aftermath of the massacre in a nursery that killed 36 people, the king of Thailand arrived on Friday evening October 7 at the hospital in the province of Nong Bua Lamphu (north of the country), where the wounded are being treated. For King Rama X, this is a very rare direct interaction with his subjects. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha had earlier laid white flowers in front of the entrance gate of the nativity scene where the bereaved parents. On Friday afternoon, small white and purple coffins were transported by truck to a Buddhist temple where funeral rites will be observed before cremation. Some children were only two years old, like little Kamram whose mother Panita, 19 years, was inconsolable. “It’s incomprehensible” she breathes, carrying her 11-month-old daughter in her arms. 36 people, including 24 children – 21 boys and 3 girls – in this nursery in the district of Na Klang. The assailant then took the road and knocked down passers-by, until he went to his home, “not far” from the nursery, police said. He killed his wife and their young son there, before killing himself. The Prime Minister ordered the opening of an investigation and asked the police chief “to speed up the investigations”. portrait of an assailant plagued by drug addiction problems which caused him to lose his post in the police force last June, which he had joined in 2012. Methamphetamine “Everyone knew the shooter. was a nice guy but later we all knew he was on meth,” said Kamjad Pra-intr, a resident who came to support the families. shooter, said Damrongsak Kittiprapat, the national police chief, on Friday. “He had an argument with his wife” before his bloodshed, he continued, specifying that “nothing irregular” had been detected in his behavior when he appeared in court the very morning of the tragedy, to r respond to charges of drug possession. This is not the first time that Thailand has been bereaved by a massacre of this magnitude. In February 2020, a shooting perpetrated by an army officer left 29 dead, notably in a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima (East). The drama of Na Klang recalls the extent of drug-related problems in the kingdom where wholesale and sale prices have fallen to historic lows due to abundant supply, according to data released in 2021 by the UN. The rural province of Nong Bua Lamphu lies near the “golden triangle” on the borders of Burma and Laos, considered for decades to be the focal point of narcotics production in the region. “We must review and intensify our prevention measures against drugs, and include detoxification for its users,” said Suthipong Joonjaroen, permanent secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, who also called for “strict control” of gun licenses. The pope Francis sent his condolences. The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of so many children and their carers.” With AFP