“I cried till my eyes were dry,” recalls one guy whose pregnant wife and unborn child were among the 36 shot and stabbed to death, including at least 24 toddlers napping in the afternoon.
In Thailand, devastated families are mourning the murder of 36 people, including dozens of preschoolers, by a fired police officer in the country’s worst-ever mass homicide.
At least 24 of the 36 persons fatally shot or stabbed in Uthai Sawan, a tiny hamlet in Thailand’s northeast, were youngsters.
On Friday morning, royal and government leaders lined up in front of the Young Children’s Development Centre’s main entrance to lay wreaths on ceremonial tables.
Family members of the deceased were seen bowing their heads and placing white flowers on the wooden floor.
“I cried till my eyes were dry,” said Seksan Sriraj, 28, whose pregnant wife was an instructor at the center and was expected to give birth this month.
They are circulating through my heart.
“My wife and child have departed for a land of tranquility. I am alive and must continue to exist. If I am unable to continue, my wife and child will be concerned, and they will not be reborn in the next life. That’s it.”
King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida of Thailand were expected to visit two hospitals treating the injured, while Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha was slated to visit both the hospitals and the nursery. A vigil was also planned for a park in the heart of Bangkok.
The shooter was identified as Panya Kamrap, 34, a former police sergeant who was sacked earlier this year for a methamphetamine-related criminal offense and who was scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
Mr. Seksan said that the assailant was a police officer when asked if he believed the nursery to be secure enough.
He stated, “He came to do what he had in mind and was determined to execute it.”
I believe that everyone did their best.
Police believe the shooter targeted the center because it was close to his residence.
According to witnesses, the assailant shot a man and a child in front of the building before entering the school.
The glass front door to the center was secured by teachers, but the gunman fired and kicked his way in.
Primarily two- and three-year-old youngsters were napping in the afternoon. According to the police, Panya committed himself after killing his wife and child at home.
