Thai government boosts safety measures after Siam Paragon shooting incident

Heightened safety measures are set to be implemented by the Thai government in a bid to restore the confidence of foreign tourists, following the recent shooting incident at Siam Paragon.

Two foreigners, one from China and the other from Myanmar, lost their lives in the incident which also left five others injured, including another Chinese national, a person from Laos, and three Thai citizens.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, in response to questions from the Chinese media, stated that Chinese visitors are always welcome in Thailand and reassured that the government is committed to stepping up security measures to avert future occurrences.

As part of the overall security measures, the Thai government will tighten gun control laws to restrict easy access to firearms.

The prime minister provided these reassurances while responding to media enquiries at the 2nd Thailand Climate Action Conference (TCAC), taking place at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, where he presided over the opening ceremony.

The Situation Command Centre (SCC), a body formed in the wake of the shooting, held a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, offering updates on the ongoing investigations as well as information about financial support for the victims.

Justice for victims

Deputy Foreign Minister, Jakkapong Sangmanee, expressed the government’s commitment to securing justice for those affected by the shooting.

The Deputy Foreign Minister also disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has maintained close contact with embassies of the countries whose citizens were affected, to ensure swift assistance is provided to the families of the deceased and the injured, reported Bangkok Post.

The prime minister has sent a letter to Beijing addressing the incident and plans to visit China mid-month to further strengthen the ties between both countries.

Families of the deceased will receive 1.2 million baht (US$32,485) each from the government as compensation. In addition, each family will receive another 5 million baht (US$135,354) from the Siam Paragon shopping mall.

The five injured individuals, upon their discharge from the hospital, will receive a compensation package of 50,000 baht (US$1,353) from the government and an additional 300,000 baht from the shopping mall.

It was also disclosed by the Ministry that Giffarine Skyline Unity Co, a Thai direct sales company, donated 1 million baht to the government for use in compensating the victims of the shooting that made headlines globally.

Premeditated murder

A 14 year old boy is in police custody in connection with the shooting spree. He has been charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of gun and ammunition, as well as illegally carrying a weapon and discharging it in a public place.

Three men have also been arrested for allegedly selling the weapon and ammunition to the teenager.

The parents of the arrested boy issued an apology letter, expressing their deepest regrets. They extended their apologies to the victims, the families of the deceased and the injured.

They expressed their shock and sadness over the incident, accepting full responsibility and pledging their cooperation with the police, government officials, and any necessary agency in the legal proceedings.

They also promised to support efforts to mitigate and remedy the effects of this event as much as possible.

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