Firearm News
The Gun Culture Underlying Thailand's First Mass Shooting
19 February 2020
Reuters
Normally serene Thailand has been on edge since a rogue soldier went on the rampage in a northeastern city this month, killing 29 people in a shooting spree that ended in a standoff with police at a shopping mall.
Ten days later, a man walked into a clinic in a busy Bangkok shopping mall and gunned down his ex-wife before fleeing the scene. He was later arrested.
The killings, along with several other high-profile gun crimes, have called attention to the high rate of... (GunPolicy.org)
Aftermath of Thailand's Worst Mass Shooting
17 February 2020
al Jazeera
Korat, Thailand - The day of horror started like any other Saturday for Tanatit, "Tok", 43, a moto-taxi driver who works in front of Nakhon Ratchasima's Terminal 21 shopping centre.
He was sitting with a group of other riders - making light of another busy day - chatting, laughing between rides. The men could not have known they were about to witness a massacre.
"He just walked up and started shooting. He killed two people right here," Tok told Al Jazeera, pointing to... (GunPolicy.org)
The Underlying Trends of the Korat Mall Massacre
17 February 2020
Channel News Asia
BANGKOK: The mass shooting at the Terminal 21 mall in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima (or Korat) over the weekend is unprecedented in Thailand.
It raises serious questions about the security of arms in the Royal Thai Armed Forces. It also sheds light on corruption in the armed forces and on Thailand's gun culture in general.
The assailant killed at least 29, including civilians, soldiers and police responders and wounded scores more with a staggering amount of firepower... (GunPolicy.org)
Business Spat Behind Mass Shooting
10 February 2020
New York Times
BANGKOK — Thailand's army commander said Tuesday the soldier who killed 29 people in a shooting rampage had not been treated fairly in a land deal involving his commander and such arrangements would have to be halted.
The gunman killed his superior officer and the officer's mother-in-law, stole weapons and a vehicle and headed to a popular shopping mall in a northeastern city where he holed up for hours before security officers killed him.
Gen. Apirat Kongsompong... (GunPolicy.org)
Stockpile Security Lapses in Thai Mass Shooting
10 February 2020
Voice of America
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, THAILAND - It's still unclear how a Thai soldier managed to steal heavy weapons from an army base which he then used to kill 29 people and hold off security forces for almost 16 hours while he was holed up in a popular shopping mall.
That he could is less surprising, say experts in military matters.
The question has a special sting because the country's tough-talking army commander just a few weeks ago gave a high-profile interview in which he said... (GunPolicy.org)
Thai Soldier Kills 29 in Mall Mass Shooting
9 February 2020
New York Times
KORAT, Thailand — The authorities killed the gunman near the cold storage refrigerators of the Foodland supermarket in the mall he terrorized during Thailand's deadliest mass shooting.
It was just before 9 local time on Sunday morning — 18 hours after he fired the first shots in a relentless spree that left at least 29 people dead and 58 injured in the city of Korat, northeast of Bangkok.
Thailand's prime minister said the rampage started with a real estate... (GunPolicy.org)
At least 20 Dead in Thai Mall Mass Shooting
8 February 2020
Washington Post
BANGKOK — A Thai soldier rampaged through a bustling shopping mall and a nearby army camp on Saturday afternoon, killing at least 20 people, authorities said, in a shooting he partly live-streamed on Facebook.
The chaotic violence triggered a tense standoff with the gunman, who was holed up in the mall into the early morning darkness. The alleged shooter, toting an assault rifle and clad in camouflage and a helmet, was identified by authorities as 32-year-old... (GunPolicy.org)
9 June 2019
Bangkok Post
"If you have a gun, shoot me," shouted Preecha Kunthong before he was hit with several bullets between the eyes and killed on May 19 in Saraburi's Muang district while buying a packet of instant coffee.
The 59-year-old man, who had that morning gone to breakfast with a friend at the local market, allegedly fell into an argument with the shooter as he stood in line at a convenience store opposite Saraburi Hospital.
This story isn't an unusual one in the country with... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Culture and Data in Thailand
12 March 2019
Channel News Asia (Singapore)
Gun homicides in Thailand are striking. To prevent them we should look beyond the numbers and headlines at what is fuelling these incidents, says research director for the University of Sydney's Gunpolicy.org, Michael Picard.
BANGKOK: Thailand arguably has a gun problem, but sensational headlines about the country being a regional, even global, leader of gun violence are misleading and dubious.
Though it's difficult to know the extent of the issue for sure, both... (GunPolicy.org)
Smuggled Military Weapons Seized Near Thai-Cambodian Border
18 April 2018
Nation (Bangkok)
Thai authorities have arrested a man suspected of smuggling illegal weapons from Cambodia to Thailand, according to Cambodian National Police.
On Tuesday night, Thai authorities intercepted a vehicle at a checkpoint in Klaing Yai district, in Thailand's Trat province, about 50 kilometres from Cambodia's Cham Yeam checkpoint, a Cambodian National Police website announcement reads.
The weapons seized included two that appear to be Chinese-made Type-95 assault rifles,... (GunPolicy.org)
Cambodia, Thailand Investigate Arms Smuggling
23 June 2017
Khmer Times
Cambodia and Thailand are now working together to investigate weapons being smuggled from Cambodia to Myanmar via Thailand after a cache was recently confiscated by the Thai military in Thailand's Trat province.
Speaking at the inauguration for the new provincial governor in border province Koh Kong on Friday, Interior Minister Sar Kheng said National Police Commissioner General Neth Savoeun was working with Thailand's Police Commissioner General to investigate the... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Smuggling on the Thai-Cambodian Border
20 June 2017
ASEAN Today
Cambodia's Defense Ministry may have blood on their hands. The Thai media have claimed they are directly involved in arms smuggling. The Thai media made the claims after Thai authorities found a weapons cache in a vehicle in the Trat province of Thailand. They assert that the weapons may be linked to Cambodian Defense Minister, Tea Banh.
The Cambodian Defense Ministry are investigating the issue. However, the recent spate of arrests suggests that the problem is not... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Dismantle Massive Online Gun Market in Thailand
18 September 2016
Bangkok Post
Police have cracked a massive online market in firearms, including high-powered war weapons and assault equipment, in a series of lightning raids across the country.
In early morning action on Saturday on 76 locations in many provinces, a combined taskforce of officers from three police divisions detained 20 suspects and seized 141 firearms.
The raids were launched after it emerged that teenage students were buying firearms through social media and then committing... (GunPolicy.org)
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US Gun Smugglers Illegally Sent Firearms to 46 Countries
16 March 2016
Washington Post
Arms trafficking from within the United States, long thought to be relegated to gun-running for Mexican drug cartels, is far more extensive than previously thought, according to a new report by a weapons research group released Wednesday.
The report, published by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, examines more than 150 court cases involving arms trafficking from within the United States from 2010-2015. Spanning 46 countries and six continents, the report details... (GunPolicy.org)
A Look at Thailand's Fervent Gun Culture
19 February 2016
Deutsche Welle
Widely known as a welcoming tourist destination, Thailand is also a country awash with easily obtainable firearms, featuring one of the highest gun homicide rates in Asia. DW examines why gun ownership remains so high.
Thailand has the highest reported rate of gun-related deaths in Southeast Asia - almost 50 percent more gun homicides than the Philippines. And with 7.48 registered violent gun deaths per 100,000 people, the figure is also twice as high as that of the... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than 1,600 Guns Seized by Police in Thailand
30 July 2014
Bangkok Post
Two of four men suspected of being involved in violent attacks against anti-government protesters have been arrested on firearms-related charges, police said.
Nattapan Bangla, 40, and Charoen Promchart, 38, were caught on Monday, four days after the military court issued a warrant for their arrest.
Krissada Chaikahe and Phasanai Panat, the two others named in the same warrant, are still on the loose. Mr Krissada is also wanted on a warrant approved by the Criminal... (GunPolicy.org)
34,350 Seized Guns Destroyed by Royal Thai Police
15 July 2014
National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT)
BANGKOK - The Royal Thai Police destroyed 34,000 guns today under the exacting watch of an Inspector General who gave assurances that none of the confiscated weapons will again be used to commit any crimes.
Pol Lt Gen Chaiya Siriamphankul, Deputy Chief of the Inspector General's Office, oversaw the inspection and destruction of the weapons in a process that was finalized today.
Over 34,350 guns that were seized in cases judged by the courts from year 2000 to 2013,... (GunPolicy.org)
30 June 2014
Voice of America, Reuters
BANGKOK — Thailand's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) on June 29 displayed tons of illegal ammunition and weapons, mainly confiscated by military task forces across Thailand between May 22 and June 25.
The NCPO said both the military and police task forces took part in raids to seize the weapons.
"Jakrapob Penkair was one of the many people who are found to have been behind the [underground] movement and are involved with these weapons," said Police... (GunPolicy.org)
Thai, Malay Authorities Combine to Combat Gun Smuggling, Cross-Border Crime
26 June 2014
Borneo Post
BUKIT KAYU HITAM - The Border Intelligence Unit (BIU) at the Malaysian-Thai border, set up by the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman last year, has seen a string of successes against cross-border crime.
Since the BIU, under Bukit Aman's Criminal Investigation Department was set up, its intelligence network has been intensified at areas suspected to the haunts of cross-border criminals.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the BIU's... (GunPolicy.org)
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Kalashnikov Small Arms Production in Russia More Than Doubles in 2014
28 April 2014
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – The Kalashnikov Concern produced 230 percent more small arms weapons in the first quarter of this year than in the year-ago period, the company's press service told RIA Novosti Monday.
"In the first three months of the year we had a record-high volume production of small arms in the amount of 31,000 items, which makes 41 percent of the total output of similar products for 2013," the company said.
"The current results are 230 percent higher than those in the... (GunPolicy.org)