Ex-Thai MP kills official over money dispute, police say

Former Thai MP Chalong Riewrang shot dead local government official Thongchai Yenprasert outside a government building in Nonthaburi province on Monday after a financial dispute, police said.

Thongchai, chairman of the Nonthaburi local government administration, later died of his wounds, according to Sakon Sukprom, director of Phra Nang Klao hospital. Sakon said Thongchai was hit in the neck and lost a lot of blood. Thongchai's driver was shot in the right arm and underwent surgery.

After his arrest, Chalong told journalists at a police station that he had tried to talk to Thongchai about money. He said he followed Thongchai to his car, hit the window and pulled his gun after Thongchai refused to talk. Chalong said he fired after Thongchai's driver pointed a gun at him.

Regional police commander Wattana Yeechin said Chalong had confessed to being the sole shooter, but that “both sides had guns”. Wattana said a firearm was found in Thongchai's vehicle but had not been used, and CCTV footage showed only Chalong firing from close range.

Wattana said the dispute involved several million baht, or tens of thousands of dollars. He said Chalong's confession described money that Thongchai had borrowed from him several years earlier.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said no one in Thailand except on-duty officials was legally allowed to carry a gun in public. He said the last gun-carry licences were issued three years ago and were valid for one year. Anutin said authorities would pursue “full legal action” against Chalong, a former member of his party, and called him “a murderer”.

Nonthaburi governor Chestha Mosikarat earlier said the suspect and victim had been friends for a long time and that the incident likely stemmed from a misunderstanding.

The shooting came days after a 14-year-old boy shot dead the grandparents who raised him in Nonthaburi before killing six others at his school and then killing himself. Thailand has around 10 million firearms estimated to be in circulation, roughly one for every seven inhabitants, and officials have promised stricter gun laws.