• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Saturday, May 21, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

Rogue Thai soldier kills at least 21 in mass shooting

February 9, 2020
in WORLD
Source: Aj Jazeera

Source: Aj Jazeera

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



On Saturday, February 8, a Thai soldier based in Nakhon Ratchasima, a city a few hours northeast of Bangkok, killed his commanding officer, stole semiautomatic weapons, and drove to a local mall, killing at least 21.

Some 33 other people were wounded. The gunman went on a rampage at the mall, eventually taking 16 hostages. Throughout the evening and into the night, Thai security forces evacuated and sealed off the mall and surrounding area.

At the time of writing, the gunman is still at large inside the mall. The motive of the gunman is unclear, as is the status of the hostages.

“We don’t know why he did this. It appears he went mad,” said defense ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanit.

The gunman livestreams the attack

As the attack unfolded, the shooter used Facebook to live stream and post updates on the killings, echoing tactics used by other mass shooters, including the Christchurch, New Zealand shooter in 2019.

Facebook took down the attacker’s page shortly after he began recording. Some of the messages posted on his page before it was taken down include, “Should I surrender?”, “Nobody can avoid death”, and “Being rich from taking advantage of others, do they think they can use money in hell?”

In a statement, a Facebook representative said, “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by this tragedy in Thailand. There is no place on Facebook for people who commit this kind of atrocity, nor do we allow people to praise or support this attack.”

Gun violence in Thailand 

While not as prevalent as other places such as the United States or Central America, gun violence in the Southeast Asian nation is not unheard of. Thailand has some of the highest gun violence rates in Asia.

Gun ownership is high and illegal guns are easily purchased. Nevertheless, mass shootings are still extremely rare.

Nevertheless, in recent weeks the country has seen a spate of gun violence. Yesterday’s attack comes just weeks after a disgruntled school headmaster robbed a gold shop in Lopburi, another city north of Bangkok, killing a young child and two adults in the process.

The circumstances surrounding this latest shooting left locals in disbelief.

Nattaya Nganiem, a local who’d left the mall only shortly after Saturday’s shooting started, was particularly shocked by the attack.
“I can’t believe this is happening in my hometown,” she said. “I mean, this shopping mall, we go there almost every other day.”

[article_ad]

Related

Tags: AsiaShort read
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

China housing

China gives property-buying benefits to families with three children amid declining housing market and birth rates

May 18, 2022
Hong Kong elections

Securing 1,416 votes, former security chief John Lee is now Hong Kong’s new leader

May 9, 2022
Philippine election

What you need to know about the Philippine presidential election right now

May 9, 2022

China’s lockdowns are ineffective in the long run says White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci

May 6, 2022

Hong Kong online investment scam victims lost over HK$132 million this year

May 6, 2022

Nervous investors dumped US$26 billion of Alibaba stock over report of “Ma” arrest – but, it wasn’t Jack Ma

May 4, 2022

What’s going on with Xiaomi in India?

May 3, 2022

We could face a global recession in two years, says Singapore

May 2, 2022

Hong Kong’s Sustainabl. shows how small changes can have a big impact

May 1, 2022

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

© 2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.