Nakhon Ratchasima shootings

Last updated

Nakhon Ratchasima shootings
Nakhon Ratchasima shootings
Locations of Suratham Phithak Military Camp (1), Wat Pa Sattha Ruam (2) and Terminal 21 Korat (3), in Nakhon Ratchasima Province
Location Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand
Date8–9 February 2020
15:30 – 09:13 (ICT; UTC+07:00)
Attack type
Hostage-taking, mass shooting, spree killing, shootout
Weapons
Deaths30 (including the perpetrator) [1] [2] [3]
Injured58 [4]
PerpetratorJakrapanth Thomma
MotiveBusiness conflict between perpetrator and his commander [5]

Between 8 and 9 February 2020, a mass shooting occurred near and in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, colloquially known as Korat. A soldier of the Royal Thai Army killed 29 people and wounded 58 others before he was eventually shot and killed. [6]

Contents

The attack began when the perpetrator shot and killed his commanding officer and two others at Suratham Phithak Military Camp (ค่ายสุรธรรมพิทักษ์), the base where he was stationed. The perpetrator then stole military weapons and a Humvee and drove to the Terminal 21 Korat shopping mall, which had a large number of shoppers due to the public holiday Magha Puja, where he opened fire on shoppers. On the way, he also fired at several people on the road and at Wat Pa Sattha Ruam, a Buddhist temple. [7] During the attack, the perpetrator posted updates and shared a live stream on his Facebook account. [8] It was the deadliest mass shooting in Thailand's history, [9] [10] before being surpassed by the 2022 Nong Bua Lamphu massacre. [11]

Shootings

House and Suratham Phithak Military Camp

The shooting began at about 15:30 local time on 8 February 2020 at a house, where the gunman arrived to discuss a property dispute with his commander, Colonel Anantharot Krasae. The gunman confronted him, stole his weapon and shot him dead. He then shot and killed the commander's mother-in-law. [12]

Afterwards, the gunman went to the Suratham Phithak army base where he worked and raided the camp, stealing from a guard post and the camp armories two Type 11 assault rifles (a variant of the HK33), an M60 machine gun as well as 776 rounds of ammunition, [13] killing a soldier in the process. He then stole a Humvee and wounded the driver. The gunman escaped the base and opened fire on two police officers and two civilians, wounding them. The officers sustained multiple gunshot wounds in their legs and backs. [6]

Buddhist temple and Terminal 21 Korat shopping mall

After escaping, the gunman started shooting in the street: he stopped outside Wat Pa Sattha Ruam, a Buddhist temple, and killed eight civilians and a police officer. [6] He then arrived at the Terminal 21 Korat shopping mall in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima. At that point he left the vehicle and began shooting indiscriminately at people outside the mall, killing 12 civilians, before detonating a gas cylinder. He then entered the mall, killing two people and taking sixteen hostages inside the mall on the fourth floor. The gunman live streamed on Facebook Live during the siege and shared photos and memes on his profile page, although his account was eventually taken down by Facebook. [6] [8] [14]

Police officers and soldiers stormed the mall and demanded the gunman's surrender, to which he responded by opening fire, killing two policemen and a soldier and wounding at least three others. He remained inside for several hours, during which his mother was brought by authorities to try to convince him to surrender. [15]

On 9 February, at 09:13 local time, police announced that they had shot and killed the gunman. [16]

Perpetrator

Sergeant Major 1st Class Jakrapanth Thomma (จักรพันธ์ ถมมา, RTGS: Chakkraphan Thomma; 4 April 1988 9 February 2020), age 31, was identified as the gunman. His hometown was Kaeng Khro, located in Chaiyaphum Province. He was stationed at the Suratham Phithak Military Base, where the first shooting took place. Thomma previously received training as a non-commissioned officer and was an expert marksman. [17]

Thomma's acquaintances said he was upset over being allegedly cheated out of a property deal and not being given back his money by his commanding officer, Colonel Anantharot Krasae, and Krasae's mother-in-law, who were both shot dead. During the livestream of the shooting, Thomma shouted, "Rich from cheating and taking advantage of people ... Do they think they can take money to spend in hell?" [12]

Aftermath

Social media use

The perpetrator posted on social media during his attack, asking on Facebook if he should surrender. He had previously posted a picture of a pistol and bullets, captioned "It is time to get excited," and "Nobody can avoid death." Facebook responded by removing the page and issuing a statement condemning the attack. [18]

Criticism of media coverage

The events of the shooting were initially covered as live broadcasts near the scene by Thai broadcasters, which received public and governmental criticism for possibly providing the gunman with information about the movements of authorities intervening at the scene. Thailand's broadcast regulator, the NBTC, have called a meeting with representatives of television stations for discussion of their live broadcasts of the siege. NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tanthasit stated he ordered all TV stations to stop live broadcasting the situation and any other information that could have impeded the actions of authorities from intervening, and had issued warnings that were ignored by some stations, which he implied will lead to disciplinary action. [19] [20] The hashtags #แบนช่องone ("Ban Channel One"), #แบนไทยรัฐ ("Ban Thai Rath ") and #สื่อไร้จรรยาบรรณ ("Media without ethics") trended on Twitter in Thailand in response to the media's live coverage. [21]

Criticism of military and government

In the aftermath, the military co-run government was a target of anger, with the hashtags "Reform the Military" and "Prayuth RIP" trending on Twitter. In particular, it was criticized for being unable to prevent one of its own soldiers from easily stealing weapons and committing the shootings, contrasting with its strong control of politics and the economy. In January 2020, General Apirat Kongsompong lauded new laws intended to make it more difficult for ill-intentioned people to steal weapons from the military. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nakhon Ratchasima province</span> Province of Thailand

Nakhon Ratchasima is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (changwat) lies in lower northeastern Thailand also called Isan. It is the country's largest province by area, has a population of approximately 2.7 million, and generates about 250 billion baht in GDP, the highest in Isan. Neighbouring provinces are Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Buriram, Sa Kaeo, Prachinburi, Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi, and Lopburi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suraphol Sombatcharoen</span> Thai luk thung singer

Suraphol Sombatcharoen was a Thai luk thung singer. Dubbed the "King of Luk Thung", he was one of the first and most important stars of the genre. He was fatally shot while seated in his own car after a live performance in Nakhon Pathom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terminal 21</span>

Terminal 21 is a chain of mixed-use complexes with 4 locations in Thailand; Asok and Rama III in Bangkok, Korat, and Pattaya. The first location was opened in October 2011, located on Sukhumvit Road, by the Asoke intersection, in Watthana District of Bangkok, Thailand. The second location, Terminal 21 Korat, was opened in December 2016 and is located on Mittraphap Road in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Terminal 21 Pattaya was opened in October 2018 and is located in Pattaya District of Chonburi Province. There is a proposal for Terminal 21 Rama III to be built by the Chao Phraya river in the Rama III neighbourhood of Yannawa District in Bangkok. On October 20, 2022, Terminal 21 Rama III officially opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Thai military crackdown</span> Violent state suppression of pro-democracy protests in Bangkok, Thailand (April–May 2010)

On 10 April and 13–19 May 2010, the Thai military cracked down on the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) protests in central Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. The crackdown was the culmination of months of protests that called for the Democrat Party-led government of Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and hold elections. The crackdowns occurred in the vicinity of protest sites near Phan Fa Lilat Bridge and Ratchaprasong intersection. More than 85 were killed, including more than 80 civilians according to the Erawan EMS Center. Two foreigners and two paramedics were killed. More than 2,000 were injured, an undisclosed number of arrests occurred, and 51 protesters remained missing as of 8 June. The Thai media dubbed the crackdowns "Cruel April" and "Savage May". After the protest, its leaders surrendered at the conclusion of the 19 May crackdown, followed by dozens of arson attacks nationwide, including at CentralWorld. Two red shirts who were accused of arson were acquitted later in both courts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass shooting</span> Firearm violence incident

A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers kill or injure multiple individuals simultaneously using a firearm. There is no widely accepted definition, and different organizations tracking such incidents use different criteria. Mass shootings are often characterized by the indiscriminate targeting of victims in a non-combat setting, and thus the term generally excludes gang violence, shootouts and warfare. Mass shootings may be done for personal or psychological reasons, but have also been used as a terrorist tactic. The perpetrator of an ongoing mass shooting may be referred to as an active shooter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nakhon Ratchasima</span> City municipality in Thailand

Nakhon Ratchasima is the capital of Nakhon Ratchasima province, the largest city in Northeastern Thailand and the third-largest city in Thailand. It is 250 km northeast of Bangkok, one of the four major cities of Isan, known as the "big four of Isan", and has a population of 466,098 people as of 2021. The city is commonly known as Korat, a shortened form of its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Munich shooting</span> Mass shooting in Munich, Germany

On 22 July 2016, a mass shooting occurred in the vicinity of the Olympia shopping mall in the Moosach district of Munich, Germany. An 18-year-old Iranian-German, David Sonboly, opened fire on fellow teenagers at a McDonald's restaurant before shooting at bystanders in the street outside and then in the mall itself. Nine people were killed, and 36 others were injured, four of them by gunfire. Sonboly then hid nearby for more than two hours, and killed himself by a self-inflicted gunshot wound when confronted by police.

Livestreamed crime is a phenomenon in which people publicly livestream criminal acts on social media platforms such as Twitch or Facebook Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chakthip Chaijinda</span> Thai police general

Chakthip Chaijinda is a former Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police from 2015 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Yala attack</span>

On 6 November 2019, fifteen people were killed and another five injured in an attack on a security checkpoint in Yala Province, Thailand. Among the dead and injured were a police officer and many village defense volunteers. A total of ten men and five women died in the attack, making it the largest loss of village defense forces in a single attack during the South Thailand insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwood Park Mall shooting</span> Shooting in Greenwood, Indiana

On July 17, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana, United States. The shooting occurred at 5:56 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) and lasted less than one minute. Three people were killed and two others were injured in the shooting before the perpetrator, 20-year-old Jonathan Sapirman, was fatally shot by 22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken, a legally-armed civilian bystander.

On 5 August 2022 at 1:00 AM ICT, a fire broke out at Mountain B, a nightclub located on the Sukhumvit Road in Phlu Ta Luang sub-district, Sattahip District, Chonburi Province, Thailand. The fire began at 1 am ICT and caused 13 immediate deaths. Out of the 38 people injured, seven later died in hospital, bringing the total death toll to 20. In October 2022, another victim died in the hospital; she was the 25th death related to the fire.

On 6 October 2022, 34-year-old Panya Khamrab killed 36 people and injured 10 others by shooting, stabbing, and vehicle-ramming in Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, before killing himself. The attack mainly occurred in a children's nursery located in the Uthai Sawan subdistrict of the Na Klang district. It is the deadliest mass murder by a single perpetrator in the modern history of Thailand, surpassing the death toll of the Nakhon Ratchasima shootings in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lopburi mall shooting</span> Mass shooting and robbery in Lopburi, Thailand

On January 9, 2020, a mass shooting and robbery occurred at the Robinson Shopping Centre in the Lopburi province of Thailand. The gunman, Prasittichai Khaokaew, used a suppressed semi-automatic pistol to shoot seven people, killing three of them. He then stole ฿500,000 worth of gold jewelry before fleeing on a motorcycle. Khaokaew was arrested 13 days later on 22 January. While in custody, he confessed to committing the robbery and shooting because he was in debt and wanted to make his life more exciting. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siam Paragon shooting</span> Mass shooting in Bangkok, Thailand

On 3 October 2023, at 4:10 p.m., a mass shooting occurred at the Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. The suspected gunman, a 14-year-old male teenager, was arrested after surrendering to the police. The teen, who attended a school that was near the mall, was armed with a modified pistol, which he used to fatally shoot a Burmese worker and a Chinese tourist, and injure five others. A Thai woman succumbed to her wounds on 13 October 2023, becoming the third fatality from this incident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Grand Nakhon Ratchasima</span> Provincial pageant in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

Miss Grand Nakhon Ratchasima or Miss Grand Korat is a Thai provincial beauty pageant which selects a representative from Nakhon Ratchasima province to the Miss Grand Thailand national competition. It was founded in 2016 by a local organizer Cheewanat Suphattarobon.

References

  1. "ผู้ว่าฯ สกลนคร เป็นประธานในพิธีพระราชทานเพลิงศพนายอุทัย ขันอาสา ซึ่งเสียชีวิตจากเหตุกราดยิงที่โคราช" [The governor of Sakon Nakhon presided over the cremation ceremony of Uthai Khanasa, who died in the Korat shooting.] (in Thai). Thai News. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  2. "อาลัย 'อุทัย ขันอาสา' รปภ.เหยื่อกราดยิงโคราชเสียชีวิตแล้ว หลังยื้อชีวิตนาน 6 เดือน" [Lamented 'Uthai Khanasa' Security Guard, the victim of Korat shooting was dead. After 6 months] (in Thai). Channel 3 Thailand News. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. "FINAL MOMENTS OF KORAT SHOOTING VICTIMS SHOW A PATTERN OF SACRIFICE". Khaosod . 12 February 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  4. "สูญเสีย! ผู้เสียชีวิตจากเหตุกราดยิงโคราชเพิ่มเป็น 30 คน" [Loss! Death toll of Korat shooting rampage rises to 30]. Thai PBS (in Thai). 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  5. "Korat carnage death toll 27; perpetrator had conflict with his commander : PM". The Nation Thailand. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "One gunman, four locations, 29 dead: how the mass shooting in Thailand unfolded". Reuters. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. "Thai commandos kill rogue soldier who shot dead 26 people". Al Jazeera. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Thailand shooting: Soldier who killed 26 in Korat shot dead". BBC News. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  9. "Thailand Mass Shooting". Solace Global. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  10. Lalit, Sakchai; Vejpongsa, Tassanee (8 February 2020). "Thai army sergeant who killed at least 26 shot dead in mall, officials say". USA Today. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  11. Raymond, Greg (7 October 2022). "Tragic Thai massacre raises issues of mental health, drug use and gun control ahead of next year's election". The Conversation. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  12. 1 2 Paddock, Richard C.; Suhartono, Muktita; Jirenuwat, Ryn (10 February 2020). "Thai Soldier in Mass Shooting Had Business Clash With His Commander". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  13. "ทบ. แจง คนร้ายกราดยิงโคราช ขโมยอาวุธปืน HK11 - M60 และกระสุน 776 นัด". Krungthep Turakij (in Thai). 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  14. "Mass shooter killed at Korat mall, 27 dead". Bangkok Post. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  15. Sumon, Nat; van Hagen, Isobel (8 February 2020). "Thai soldier dead after killing at least 29 in shooting rampage". NBC News. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  16. "ด่วน! วิสามัญฆาตกรรมมือกราดยิงโคราช เสียชีวิต 20 คน" [Breaking! Korat gunman shot dead, 20 killed]. Thai PBS (in Thai). 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  17. "เปิดประวัติเหี้ยม!! "จ.ส.อ.จักรพันธ์" ปูมหลังคลั่งกราดยิง พื้นเพคนชัยภูมิ เรียนนายสิบ แม่นปืน!!" [Background of ruthless mass shooter "Sgt. Maj. Jakrapanth" revealed!! Chaiyaphum native, received army training, sharpshooter!!]. Khaosod (in Thai). 8 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  18. "Thailand shooting: Soldier kills 21 in gun rampage". BBC News. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  19. Chia, Jasmine (9 February 2020). "How social and mainstream media failed us during the Korat mass shooting". Thai Enquirer. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  20. "Thailand's broadcast regulator to meet with TV stations over siege coverage". Thai PBS World. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  21. "โซเชียลวิจารณ์ 'สื่อ' กรณีกราดยิงโคราช ผุด Hashtag #แบนช่องone ขึ้นเทรนด์ Twitter". Techsauce (in Thai). Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  22. Head, Jonathan (12 February 2020). "Thailand struggles to come to terms with first mass shooting". BBC News. Retrieved 12 February 2020.