Tuesday, August 11, 2026 -A former Thai lawmaker has been arrested after allegedly shooting a local government official dead in the southern province of Nonthaburi before calling into a YouTube livestream to tell a political commentator what had happened. Former Nonthaburi MP Chalong Reawraeng reportedly told host Anchalee Paireerak that he had shot Thongchai Yenprasert, a former police official, outside Thongchai’s office.
Thongchai, who was shot in the neck, later died in hospital.
His driver was also wounded after being shot in the arm and hand. Chalong was
arrested and later allowed to speak to reporters at a police station, where he
attempted to explain the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
He claimed Thongchai was angry with him but did not explain
the reason for the disagreement. Chalong also said he did not intend to shoot
Thongchai, whom he described as a “good friend”. According to local media
reports, the two men had been involved in a personal dispute.
Chalong said he had approached Thongchai because he wanted
to talk to him. “He [Thongchai] then pushed me, saying ‘I don’t want to talk, I
don’t want to talk,’” he said. Chalong claimed he followed Thongchai towards
his vehicle before the confrontation escalated.
“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. Thongchai, a retired police colonel, was serving as president
of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation, a local government
body.
During Anchalee’s livestream, she was seen answering a phone
call in the middle of her programme. Although viewers could not hear the
caller, her reaction suggested she had received alarming information. “Did he
die? Did he die? You shot him in the head? You need to wait there for the
cops,” she said, according to footage seen by the BBC. “Don’t go anywhere.”
The shooting occurred just three days after a 14-year-old
boy killed eight people at his home and school before taking his own life in
Thailand’s worst mass shooting since 2022. The two incidents are not believed
to be connected.
The latest shooting is expected to intensify debate over gun
control in Thailand, which has one of the highest rates of civilian gun
ownership in Southeast Asia. Following Friday’s mass shooting, Thai Prime
Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered tougher enforcement of existing gun laws,
including police checkpoints and increased controls on the possession, carrying
and use of firearms.
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