Enraged jealousy of a jilted janitor

PATHUM THANI: On the morning of June 4, a group of secondary school teachers sat at some school desks chatting at the Suan Gularb Secondary School in Tambon Pheut-udom, as hundreds of students sat doing their work. The situation is common – and even passes for education – in countless government schools across the country. What wasn’t common was when the teachers were approached by the school janitor, 35-year-old Somkiat Poosuwan, who started an argument with 24-year-old teacher Nanthana Srijarern, who was described by police as “attractive”. One teacher in the group, 47-year-old Prakit Jutharat, tried to calm down the furious janitor. It didn’t work. The janitor pulled out an 11mm weapon and fired. His first shot hit K. Prakit, who fell face down on the floor. The janitor then fired two more shots point blank into the back of his skull before escaping on his bicycle. After the initial shock, K. Nanthana and some students rushed the victim to hospital, where he died. Suthep Dao-jampa, also a janitor at the school, told reporters that the shooting was an act of insane jealousy. The janitor had fallen in love with K. Nanthana, but had fallen short in his efforts to woo her. Middle-aged janitors find it difficult to win the affections of pretty young teacher, one can assume. When he saw K. Prakit sweet talking the object of his affections, he became jealous and took his revenge. Police suspect a previous conflict between the two men could have added to his rage.