RismadarVoice Reporters, August 10, 2026
A gunman has been arrested after allegedly opening fire at a local government office in Nonthaburi province, near Thailand’s capital Bangkok, officials said on Monday.
The incident occurred only days after a teenage boy carried out a deadly shooting at a school in the same province, reigniting concerns over gun violence and prompting renewed calls for tighter firearm regulations.
Police Commander for Nonthaburi, Major General Dejrapee Kongdee, said the suspect, identified as a former lawmaker, opened fire at a senior provincial official and the official’s driver.
Two people were wounded in the attack and taken to hospital for treatment, according to the police commander.
The latest shooting comes after a 14-year-old boy allegedly went on a shooting spree on Friday, first at his home and later at Debsirin Nonthaburi School. Nine people, including the alleged attacker, were killed while more than 20 others sustained injuries.
The incident was described as Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting in almost four years and has intensified the national debate over firearms and public safety.
Thai schools introduced additional security measures on Monday as students returned to classrooms following the weekend.
At Debsirin School in Bangkok, a sister institution to the school where Friday’s attack occurred, authorities installed metal detectors and introduced additional screening procedures for students and visitors.
School director Withan Promsintusak said the measures were introduced immediately to reassure parents and improve security.
“We never imagined that a school, which should be the safest place, is where something like this would happen,” he said.
Parents and relatives of students also welcomed the enhanced security measures, with some stressing the importance of screening to prevent weapons from being brought onto school premises.
Following the school shooting, Thailand’s Education Ministry announced plans to introduce new safety protocols over the next three months. The measures are expected to include mental health assessments, emergency response exercises, stronger anti-bullying programmes and improved systems for detecting weapons and other prohibited items.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has also ordered tougher enforcement of existing firearm regulations, including increased checks and tighter controls on the possession, carrying and use of guns.
He said carrying a firearm in a public place would not be justified simply on the grounds of self-defence.
Thailand has an estimated 10.3 million privately held firearms, equivalent to about 15 guns for every 100 people, according to a 2017 estimate by the Small Arms Survey. The figure is significantly higher than in other Southeast Asian countries.
Experts have also raised concerns about weaknesses in Thailand’s firearm licensing system, including the absence of mandatory mental health assessments for applicants, the minimum age of 20 for gun ownership and the lack of regular reassessments for existing licence holders.
