A former policeman killed 24 children and 13 adults on October 6 in Na Klang, Thailand. The policeman had been dismissed from the force a year ago over drug allegations. On the day of the massacre, the former policeman had earlier been in court and decided to go to a daycare center in Uthai Sawan to collect his child, according to spokesperson Paisal Luesomboon.
After being informed his child was not present that day, he instantly began shooting and slashing the children at the daycare center. According to police reports, most of the children who died were severely stabbed. According to a local official at Na Klang, most of the children who died were between two and five years old. After committing these gruesome murders, the former police officer later went home and killed his stepson and wife before killing himself.
The Crime Scene
Read More »According to witnesses, when the former policeman arrived at the institution around lunchtime, he first killed two officials who were taking lunch at the daycare center. Luckily, he spared the life of one woman who saw him kill the officials. However, the distressed woman confessed that she had begged for her life. According to the lucky victim, the attacker said nothing to her, walked past her, and shot at the door. He then headed straight to a room where some children were sleeping and forced himself in. Police reports confirm that the executioner had a 9mm pistol with him at the time of the incident, which he had obtained legally.
After all the killings, the former policeman headed home and killed some people on his way home. This is how the gunman killed a majority of adult victims as well. Among the adults he killed was a pregnant woman who was about eight months pregnant. According to police reports, the pregnant woman was stabbed to death by the attacker. Later, the police identified the pregnant woman as a teacher at the daycare center where the killings occurred.
The Ex-Policeman
After different inquiries, the police identified the attacker as Panya Kamrab. According to Nanticha Panchum, the headmaster of the daycare center, Panya Kamrab was a chatty and polite individual. The headmaster explained that the gunman’s stepson used to attend school at the daycare. However, the former policeman’s child had hardly attended school at the daycare center for over a month. The headmaster also explained that Panya Kamrab was always dedicated to dropping off his stepson at the daycare center every morning before the child suddenly stopped going to the daycare center.
According to police reports, Panya Kamrab was a 34-year-old man who used to serve as a policeman. He lived with his wife and stepson just a few miles from the daycare center. He was recently dismissed from the police force, where he served as a police sergeant. He got suspended in January and was permanently dismissed in June. Aside from drug abuse, he was suspected of having sold methamphetamine to various people in Thailand. He had a court hearing on Thursday, and the final verdict was scheduled for Friday, October 7.
Kamrab had a pistol, a shotgun, and a knife on the day of the attack. He used a white Toyota with Bangkok registration plates to flee the crime scene after the massacre. According to witnesses, he drove into bystanders and opened fire on some of them as he tried to escape to his house. The police officials still have no clue what drove the attacker to commit these gruesome murders.
Casualties of the Attack
Other than the killings, at least 12 casualties were severely injured by the gunman during the incident. Among the injured people was a teacher who managed to escape with two of her colleagues. She mentioned that the attacker was using a curved grass-cutting knife. The men killed at the entrance of the daycare center were having lunch. The teacher explained that the men tried to the best of their ability to lock the man out but were unsuccessful and ended up being killed by the attacker. According to the police investigation, the attacker also killed one of the children while escaping from the daycare center.
Remarks and Funeral Preparations by the Grieving Families
Ongsa and Phupa were three-year-old twin brothers who were killed in the attack. Pimpa Thana, the mother of the twins, explained in disbelief how she and her husband were shocked when they were informed that both their children had died during the attack. She told the reporters how his sons loved to dance and listen to fairytales. Nuankanjana Sola, a 49-year-old woman, also explained how she had rushed to check the victims’ list after being informed of the incident. She further explained how she immediately fainted after seeing her grandson’s name on the list of casualties.
After news of the incident had spread, several people gathered at the crime scene. Medical workers set up tables to provide mental health support to support the families affected by the incident. Monks and other people who felt grieved by the incident gave donations to the affected families to cater for funeral expenses. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and other government officials also visited the daycare to leave flowers and meet the bereaved families to show support. The funeral proceedings will be conducted in a temple in Northern Thailand, where many casualties will receive Buddhist rites.
Latest Developments on the Indiscriminate Manslaughter in Thailand
Thailand’s king, Maha Vajiralongkorn, and the queen visited various hospitals where the incident victims received treatment. The king and queen also met each victim’s family members and offered gifts to show their support.
Due to the incident, it was necessary to confirm whether or not the attacker was under the influence of drugs. This was because of his history of drug abuse. However, according to Thailand’s national police chief, Gen. Damrongsak Kittipraphat, the results confirmed that no drugs were found in the attacker’s system.
Fortunately, four children who got stabbed by the gunman survived after being rescued and receiving immediate medical attention. These children had mainly been stabbed in the head. One of them was a three-year-old boy called Kritsakorn Ruangcharoen. Unfortunately, he had suffered significant skull fractures. His mother died in the attack, and his grandmother was severely injured.
Saeksan Sriraj, the husband of the pregnant woman killed in the attack, recently explained in a Facebook post how his wife had been dedicated to doing her duty as a teacher despite her condition. Sriraj also expressed his grief by describing how he is still unable to come to terms with the unexpected death of his wife and unborn child. However, he continues to show gratitude to all the people supporting him in these challenging times.
Panya Kamrab acquired his firearm as a police sergeant due to specific laws that allow police officers and law enforcers to acquire personal arms from the government. These regulations exempt them from passing strict checks that mainly apply to civilians. As a result, these rules need to be thoroughly revised to protect citizens and avoid such incidences. This is primarily due to recent news about another police officer who killed his colleague after an argument regarding a business commission.
