In Thailand, mourning for the children and others slain by an ex-police officer

UTHAI SAWAN, Thailand — Relatives grieving staggering loss Friday laid flowers at a day care center in rural northeastern Thailand where a fired police officer slaughtered dozens of people, including children as young as 2 who were napping.

The nation was shaken by Thursday's horrific attack on a small village nestled among rice fields in one of its poorest areas. Children were at least 24 of the 36 victims of the attack, Thailand's most deadly mass shooting.

"I cried till I could no longer hold my tears." They are running through me," Seksan Sriraj (28), who lost his wife, due to give birth in this month's attack at the Young Children's Development Center of Uthai Sawan, said.

"My wife and I have moved to a peaceful place with our child. I am still alive and will continue to live. He said that if I am unable to continue, my wife will be worried about me and my child, and they won’t be reborn in my next life."

Royal and government officials in white military uniforms laid wreaths on ceremonial tables in front the center's main entrance on Friday morning. A faded Thai flag flew at a half-staff above. They were followed by their weeping families, who held hands in prayer and then placed white flowers on the wooden floor.

Later, the village lined the streets with ambulances to transport the bodies back into the day care center for relatives who were waiting to claim them.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand and Queen Suthida of Thailand were expected to visit hospitals later in the day, where seven of the 10 wounded people remain. Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha was expected visit the day-care center and hospitals. In central Bangkok, a vigil was planned.

Panya Kamrap (34), a former police officer who was fired earlier this year for a drug charge involving methamphetamine, was identified as the attacker by police. He was due to appear before the court on Friday. A Thai TV station was told by an employee that Panya's son had been to the daycare for about a month.

Seksan, when asked if he felt the center was secure enough he stated that the attacker had been a cop. "He did what he thought was best and was determined to succeed. Everyone did their best.

Witnesses claimed that the attacker shot a child and a man in front of the center, before moving toward it. Teachers locked the front door to the center, but the gunman opened it and shot and kicked through it. The children, mostly 2- and 3-year-olds were taking a nap after school. First responders took photos of their bodies, which showed them still covered in blankets. On some images, you can see gunshots to the heads and slashes to victims' faces.

After killing his wife and their child at home, Panya took his own death.

The attack occurred in Nongbua Lamphu, one of the poorest areas of the country.

Satita Boonsom, a worker at the daycare center, stated that staff locked the doors to the building after witnessing the attacker shoot a child outside and his father in the front. The attacker broke the glass and then attacked the workers and children with his knife.

Satita claimed that she and three other teachers climbed over the fence of the nursery to escape. The children were all dead by the time she returned. She claimed that one child, who was covered in a blanket, survived the attack. This was probably because the attacker assumed he was dead.

She stated that the center typically has 70-80 children. However, the attack occurred because of the end of the semester for older children and because a school bus was unable to run due to the rain.

She said, "They wouldn’t have survived."

Satita said that the attacker's son had not been to the daycare center in recent weeks because he was ill.

A 3-year-old boy was one of the youngest survivors. He was riding a tricycle near his grandmother and mother when the assailant started slashing them with a knife. According to local media, the mother died from her injuries and the boy was being treated in hospitals.

Mass shootings are not common in Thailand, but they do happen. Thailand has one of Asia's highest civilian gun ownership rates, with 15.1 guns per 100 people, compared to 0.3 in Singapore or 0.25 in Japan. According to a 2017 survey conducted by GunPolicy.org, this is still a far lower rate than the U.S. rate (120.5 per 100 residents).

All over the globe, condolences and support pour in. "All Australians send love and condolences," Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese tweeted. In a statement, U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken stated that violence was both heartbreaking and senseless.

"I'm profoundly saddened by the heinous shooting at a childcare centre in Thailand," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres tweeted.

The previous worst mass shooting in Thailand was caused by a disgruntled soldier. He opened fire on a shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima's northeastern region in 2020, killing 29 and holding off security forces for 16 hours before finally being shot dead.

Another 60 people were also injured in the attack. The death toll was higher than that of the 2015 attack on civilians that killed 20 people at a Bangkok shrine. Human traffickers are believed to have carried it out in retaliation against a crackdown on their network.

A clerk shot two of his co-workers at Thailand’s Army War College in Bangkok last month. He also injured another one before he was arrested.

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