Thai mall shooting: PM Srettha Thavisin reassures tourists about safety amid calls for tougher gun laws

Name: Teen arrested after mass shooting at shopping mall in Bangkok
Uploaded: 2023-10-04T09:44:27.000Z
Duration: 3 min 3 s
Description: Teen arrested after mass shooting at shopping mall in Bangkok

The shooting at Siam Paragon in Bangkok is likely to hit Thailand’s tourism industry hard, particularly in the Chinese market

Despite calls for tougher gun laws, little will change in a country where enforcement is often weakened by corruption, critics say

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An armed police officer outside the Siam Paragon shopping centre, where the fatal shooting happened on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Zhao ZiwenandAidan Jones

Published: 5:44pm, 4 Oct 2023

Thailand sought to reassure tourists over their safety on Wednesday, after a 14-year-old boy armed with a modified handgun killed a Chinese tourist and a Myanmar national in a Bangkok shopping centre, reviving a debate over gun control in a nation awash with cheap weapons.

The age of the suspected shooter, who opened fire on Tuesday afternoon in Siam Paragon, the city’s most famous mall, has shocked a nation accustomed to daily gun violence but where mass shootings remain relatively rare.

The teenager will be charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder and illegal firearms possession, Police Major General Nakrain Sukhontawit of Bangkok police said on Wednesday, adding he would be taken to a juvenile court.

Earlier, Thailand’s police chief said the suspect had undergone mental health treatment and had stopped taking medication before the shooting.

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Teen arrested after mass shooting at shopping mall in Bangkok

Shortly after his arrest, a video emerged of the 14-year-old in a state of distress. According to the Thai police chief, “voices” had directed the boy to carry out the shooting, which left five wounded in addition to the two dead.