Shooting at a school in Thailand: Police neutralize the gunman and three people are injured

Thai security authorities announced Wednesday that they had neutralized a gunman who stormed a school in the south of the country, an incident that sparked panic and left three people injured, including two children. This incident has reignited the debate surrounding gun ownership and violence in educational institutions in the Asian kingdom.

Details of the attack in Songkhla province

According to a statement from the Thai Central Bureau of Investigation, police responded swiftly to a report of an armed individual in a state of unrest inside the Phatong Pratan Khairwat School in Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province. Police confirmed they were forced to shoot the suspect to subdue him, following initial conflicting reports about his fate. His arrest was later confirmed by the National Police.

The Ministry of Public Health explained in its statement regarding the victims that the incident resulted in a woman and a 14-year-old girl sustaining gunshot wounds. They were immediately transported to the hospital for emergency surgery. Another child suffered an ankle injury after falling from a height while attempting to flee the scene amidst the panic that gripped the school following the sound of gunfire.

Thailand's gun ownership crisis

This incident once again highlights the issue of widespread gun ownership in Thailand, which has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Southeast Asia. Official and unofficial estimates suggest there are approximately 10 million firearms in circulation in the country, roughly one gun for every seven citizens. Despite repeated government promises to tighten licensing laws and close legal loopholes, the black market and the proliferation of unlicensed weapons continue to pose a significant security challenge.

A painful record of shootings

This attack brings to mind a series of tragedies that have shaken Thai society in recent years, raising questions about safety measures in public places and schools:

• Nursery massacre (2022): In one of the deadliest incidents in the country's modern history, a former police officer, armed with a gun and a knife, stormed a nursery in northeastern Thailand, killing 36 people, including 24 children, in an incident that shocked the world and sparked national mourning.
• Mall attack (2023): Last year saw a horrific incident in the capital, Bangkok, where a 14-year-old boy with mental health problems opened fire inside the crowded Siam Paragon shopping mall, killing two people and injuring others.
• Korat attack (2020): A former soldier launched a random attack that lasted for hours in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), killing 29 people and injuring dozens at a shopping mall and a military base.

Thai authorities are continuing their investigations into the latest incident to determine the motives behind the attack, amid popular demands for increased security in schools and stricter controls on firearm possession to prevent a recurrence of such disasters.