Former Thai MP arrested after Nonthaburi official shooting

A former Thai lawmaker was arrested Monday after allegedly shooting a local government official and the official’s driver in Thailand, then calling into a YouTube livestream to say he had carried out the attack.

Chalong Reawraeng, also spelled Chalong Riewrang, was taken to a local police station after the shooting in Nonthaburi, police said. Nonthaburi police chief Dejrapee Kongdee said investigators were still examining a motive.

“We are investigating him in regard to his motive. The two who were shot are being treated at a hospital,” Dejrapee said.

The official, Thongchai Yenprasert, was chairman of the Nonthaburi local government administration, also known as the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation, the BBC reported. He was a retired police colonel and former police official. Dejrapee said one of the victims was “seriously injured” and identified the other as the official’s driver, without giving details of the driver’s condition. Police did not immediately confirm any deaths, CBS News reported.

The BBC reported that Thongchai, who was hit in the neck, died in hospital. His driver was shot in the arm and hand.

Chalong, a former member of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s party, later called political commentator Anchalee Paireerak while she was livestreaming on YouTube, according to the BBC. Anchalee, a former journalist, was seen taking the call during her program.

“I’ll call you back… Oh, something big [happened]? Go ahead, what’s that?” she said, according to the BBC, which viewed the video. Viewers could not hear the caller’s next words, but Anchalee reacted with shock.

“Did he die? Did he die? You shot him in the head? You need to wait there for the cops,” she said on the video. “Don’t go anywhere.”

After his arrest, Chalong was allowed to hold a press conference at a police station, where the BBC reported he attempted to explain what had happened while smoking a cigarette. He told reporters that Thongchai was “angry” at him but did not explain why. He said he had not intended to shoot Thongchai, whom he described as a “good friend.”

Chalong said he had told Thongchai he wanted to talk to him. Local media reported the two had been involved in a personal dispute, though the police chief declined to comment on that possible motive.

“He [Thongchai] then pushed me, saying ‘I don’t want to talk, I don’t want to talk,’” Chalong said, according to the BBC.

Chalong said he then followed Thongchai toward his car.

“When I pulled the gun out, I didn’t intend to shoot him. But then [Thongchai’s driver] pulled his gun out and pointed it at me, so I fired,” he said.

The shooting came three days after authorities said a 14-year-old boy shot dead the grandparents who raised him in Nonthaburi, killed at least six others at his school and then turned the gun on himself. The BBC described Friday’s attack as Thailand’s worst mass shooting since 2022 and said the two attacks were not related.

Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region. Around 10 million firearms are estimated to be in circulation, roughly one for every seven people. The BBC reported that Thailand has the highest rate of gun ownership in Southeast Asia by a wide margin.

After Friday’s school shooting, Prime Minister Anutin ordered tougher enforcement of gun laws and said police would set up checkpoints as part of a crackdown. Other measures would include tightening controls on the possession, carrying and use of firearms. Officials have promised stricter gun laws before, but repeated shootings have continued.