Gunman opens fire at Thai government office, two injured

A gunman was arrested after opening fire inside a government office in Thailand’s Nonthaburi province on Monday, days after a deadly school shooting in the same area renewed calls for tighter gun controls.
According to agency reports,the suspected shooter, identified by police as a former lawmaker, allegedly fired at a senior provincial official and his driver, according to Nonthaburi police chief Major General Dejrapee Kongdee. Two people were injured and taken to hospital.The incident comes just days after a 14-year-old boy went on a shooting spree at his home and the Debsirin Nonthaburi School on Friday. Nine people, including the teenager, were killed and more than 20 others were injured in what was Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly four years.
The latest shooting has added to concerns over public safety as Thai schools strengthen security measures.Students returned to classrooms on Monday amid tighter checks, including metal detectors and screening for weapons. At a school affiliated with the institution where Friday’s shooting occurred, additional security measures were introduced to reassure parents and students.Thailand’s Education Ministry has also announced plans to introduce new school safety measures over the next three months. The proposed steps include mental health checks, emergency response drills, stronger measures against bullying and improved screening for weapons and other prohibited items.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has pledged stricter enforcement of the country’s firearm laws following the school attack.The government plans to step up checks on people carrying weapons in public and strengthen controls on firearm possession and use.“No one has the right to carry a firearm, especially in a public place,” Anutin said, rejecting self-defence as a justification for carrying guns in public.
Thailand has one of the highest rates of civilian gun ownership in Southeast Asia. Experts have also pointed to gaps in the licensing system, including the absence of mandatory mental health screening for applicants and a lack of periodic reassessment of gun licence holders.