A former member of Thailand’s House of Representatives, Chalong Reawraeng, has allegedly shot a former police colonel outside the offices of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization in Bangkok.
Thongchai Yenprasert, a provincial official, died in hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to the neck, while his driver was shot in the arm and hand.
Meanwhile, police arrested Reawraeng on Monday after he allegedly confessed to carrying out the attack during a phone call with a political commentator who was livestreaming on YouTube at the time.
In another surreal development, Chalong gave a press conference from the police station after he was arrested, in which he said he had approached the victim for money he had previously lent him.
According to the lawmaker, the disagreement continued after the two left the office, and he followed Thongchai to his vehicle before drawing his weapon.
He claimed that he did not initially intend to shoot Thongchai but said the official’s driver also pulled out a gun and pointed it at him, prompting him to open fire.
“I followed him to his car and hit his car’s window, saying I want to talk,” the suspect said. “He said he will not talk, so I pulled my gun. I did not aim to shoot, but his driver pulled a gun and pointed it at me so I fired.”
Chalong expressed regret over the incident, saying he had been friends with Thongchai and had hoped they could resolve their disagreement through discussion.
“I wanted to apologize to the people of Nonthaburi,” he said, adding that he had not intended for the confrontation to escalate.
Reacting to the incident, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said no one in Thailand other than on-duty officials was allowed to carry a gun in public. He pointed out that the last gun-carry licences were issued three years ago and were only valid for one year.
He said authorities will pursue “full legal action” against Chalong, a former member of the prime minister’s party.
“No matter who he is, he is now a murderer,” Anutin said.
The shooting in Nonthaburi province comes just days after a teenager shot his grandparents and opened fire on a school in the same area, killing seven people.