Key Points
- Thailand has witnessed a number of shooting incidents in public places in recent times.
- After this incident, the mental healthcare system in Thailand has been widely discussed among the local Thai community.
- Most people have the same question after this incident: how did a 14-year-old have access to a gun?
Following the arrest of a teenaged gunman after the killing of two people and injury of a further five in the busy Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, there is a growing concern about gun laws and mental health.
Such shooting incidents are being increasingly reported from across the world with the latest one being at the Morgan State University in Baltimore on 4 October.
Thailand has witnessed a number of shooting incidents in public places in recent times.
Mall staff check a cable metal detector before opening the mall a day after a teenaged boy with a handgun opened fire inside. Source: AP / Wason Wanichakorn/AP/AAP Image
In 2022, the country witnessed a gun rampage at a daycare centre by a former policeman who killed 34 people, most of them children.
Far from their homeland, members of the Thai-Australian community say they have been observing such news with concern and question Thailand’s gun laws, security measures and mental health services.
Mental health and support in Thailand
Thailand’s national police chief, Torsak Sukvimol, told the media on 4 October that the suspect was reported to have a mental health condition for which he was receiving treatment but had stopped taking his medication on the day that the incident occurred.
After this incident, the mental healthcare system in Thailand has been widely discussed among the local Thai community.
Kan. a Thai community member
“Over the past two or three years, such incidents of shooters opening fire in public places are taking place more often,” she told SBS Thai.
"I feel nervous about what is happening in Thailand and what security measures are being taken to prevent such incidents in the future."
Socio-cultural research in Thailand suggests that, like many other Asian countries, middle-and-upper-income Thai families, especially those in urban areas, tend to exert pressure on young people to achieve academic excellence.
Some members of the Thai-Australian community also expressed concerns about this parenting style that could lead to young people feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
Wan, Melbourne-based social influencer
“Most importantly, they should be happy in life,” Wan told SBS Thai.
“In Australia, mental health is an important issue but I’m not sure what sort of awareness people have out there in Thailand,” she added.
Some expressed their concerns about the healthcare system in Thailand, highlighting the lack of mental health professionals, awareness and support networks which makes it difficult to seek medical treatment.
“There is an imbalance between the number of medical professionals and those who require mental health treatment,” said Wanvisa, a former lawyer.
Mass shooting in the spotlight
The way the Thai media reported such incidents has also become the centre of public debate.
The shooter’s life story has been repeatedly reported on local media, some of which seemed to dramatise his personal life.
Chavalin Svetanant is a senior lecturer at Macquarie University. Credit: Chavalin Svetanant
Chavalin Svetanant, a senior lecturer from the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University, told SBS Thai that the media should display integrity and ethics in their coverage of tragic news.
Highlighting the wrongdoing could lead to copycat attacks, she said.
“The principle of reporting such news is to use facts and not a rumour from untrusted sources,” she said.
Most importantly, the media had to stop shining a spotlight on the shooter because it could be seen as giving them fame and reward, she said.
“Research has found that the more media space you give the shooter, the higher the chances of copycat (events),” Ms Svetanant explained.
Firearms law debate
Most people have the same question after this incident: how did a 14-year-old have access to a gun?
According to the Thailand parliament website, Thai gun laws have well-defined ownership conditions and require a level of age, income, and residency.
Thai firearms laws were amended in 2017 to cover weapon silencers, electric darts and new types of fireworks.
However, after this latest shooting, there are public calls for the government to update the laws and strengthen ownership restrictions.
Wanvisa, who worked as a lawyer in Thailand, elaborated.
"Firearms laws in Thailand haven't been upgraded for a while and (are) already outdated," Wanvisa said.
While investigations are ongoing into this shooting incident, it is still not known how the 14-year-old shooter obtained the gun.
However, there is social media speculation that it could have been sourced from the family home or purchased on the black market.
