Drama in Thailand: 'Rebel lawmaker' filmed killing senior politician days after shooting spree

A former Thai parliamentarian, Chalong Riwaruang, was filmed shooting dead Nonthaburi province chief Tongchai Yanprasert, three days after a deadly shooting spree in the same province. The shooter called a political commentator live on air and confessed. He was arrested, apologized, and claimed he did not intend to fire but wanted to discuss a financial dispute. The murder intensifies pressure on the government to tighten lax gun laws.

Just three days after a mass shooting in Thailand, in which a 14-year-old boy killed his grandparents and six others at his school, the country is shaken by another dramatic shooting, in which a former lawmaker killed the senior politician who headed the province where the deadly rampage occurred last weekend. According to authorities, there is no connection between the cases, and the murder stemmed from a financial dispute between suspect Chalong Riwaruang and the victim Tongchai Yanprasert, but the additional shooting is expected to further increase pressure on the government in Bangkok to tighten the country's gun laws, which have one of the highest rates of shooting incidents in Southeast Asia. The murder occurred around 11:00 local time in Nonthaburi province, bordering Bangkok, outside the provincial government offices. Tongchai was hit by several bullets in the head and neck and died of his wounds at the hospital, while his driver was shot in the hand and is in stable condition. Security camera footage captures the shooting: the shooter hides the gun behind his back, leans to talk to the passenger, and as the car begins to move, he draws and fires. Chalong was arrested, and moments after the shooting, he called political commentator Anchalee Phairirak, who was broadcasting live, and confessed to her. In interrogation, he apologized and claimed he did not intend to shoot but wanted to discuss a financial dispute. According to him, Tongchai was 'angry' at him and pushed him, and then the driver drew a gun and aimed at him, so he fired. Tongchai, 71, was a prominent figure in local politics, and since 2004 had been elected several times to head the provincial government. Chalong, also 71, earned the nickname 'Cobra' – a nickname for parliamentarians who rebel against party discipline – after supporting a candidate from another party in 1997. According to the BBC, he ran in 2020 for the position held by Tongchai but lost. The incident comes after the murder spree in the same province on Friday, in which a 14-year-old boy killed his grandparents and then six more at his school. Police are investigating the motive, and it appears the boy had family and school problems. Thailand holds about 10.3 million civilian firearms – about 15 per 100 residents – the highest rate in Southeast Asia. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has promised stricter enforcement against carrying weapons in public.