Days after school shooting, ex-MP shoots local official in Thailand

Days after a mass shooting at a school, a former member of parliament on Monday shot a local official in Thailand.

Chalong Reawraeng, 71, a former MP for the province of Nonthaburi, shot Thongchai Yenprasert, the President of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation, and his driver, according to BBC News.

Both of the victims are currently in the hospital. Thongchai is a former police officer.

After the shooting, Chalong called a YouTuber, who was livestreaming at the time, and announced that he had shot Thongchai. Their conversation was caught on the livestream. While Chalong could not be heard, the YouTuber —former journalist Anchalee Paireerak— was heard telling Chalong to not flee.

“Did he die? Did he die? You shot him in the head? You need to wait there for the cops. Don’t go anywhere,” said Paireerak.

The shooting comes three days after a 14-year-old schoolboy went on a rampage, killing his grandparents at home and shooting dead at least six persons at the school before turning the gun onto himself. There is no indication yet that the two incidents are related.

While the authorities have not yet spoken about Chalong’s motive, the local media have reported that he told journalists while being apprehended that he was upset about Thongchai not accepting a request for a favour.

Chalong is a three-term former MP for the Pheu Thai party. He contested the latest election unsuccessfully as a candidate of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai party. He earned the nickname of ‘cobra’, which is used in Thailand for politicians who go against party lines, according to BBC.

In 1997, Chalong defied the party line to vote for a prime ministerial candidate from another party.