Top Thai government officials pushed for tighter gun regulations and a renewed war on drugs last week after a mass killing at a daycare in northeastern Thailand killed 36 people, including 24 children. Meanwhile in the Na Klang district of northeastern Thailand, devastated families gathered at Buddhist temples to attend mass cremations for their loved ones.
The attacker, former police officer Panya Khamrab, also killed his wife and stepson before turning the gun on himself on October 6. Khamrab stabbed children sleeping in the daycare, as well as a teacher who was eight-months pregnant. The Royal Thai Police said it had fired Khamrab in June for possession of methamphetamine, and he was set to go on trial the day after the massacre.
Patompon Kong, academic dean of Chiang Mai Theological Seminary and pastor of Grace New Life Church, reflected on the tragedy and how to understand the worst mass killing in Thailand’s history.
The shooting incident at the Uthai Sawan Child Development Center has stirred up fear, confusion, anxiety, pain, resentment, and loss for the Thai people. Many have blamed it on a wide range of social, economic, and religious problems. But from the perspective of Thai Christians, the real problem is the sinful state of our souls. Thai society will be only truly saved by the gospel (Col. 1:15-20). Let us look deeper at each of these problems.
In the past 40 years, I’ve noticed Thai society change from an open-handed to a closed-fist posture. Before, Thai people were dependent on each other. It was common practice to be courteous to neighbors and show mutual respect.
But today, people only show kindness to those in their own circle. Rather than sharing, people scramble for resources. Differing political views are splitting up families, communities, regions, and the nation. This may have prevented Khamrab from receiving the help he needed.
News reports revealed that Khamrab often behaved aggressively, at times drawing his police gun and threatening people when drunk. He had abused methamphetamine since high school and continued to buy meth from drug smugglers while working as a police officer.
Khamrab’s relatives said he asked the mayor to help with his drug problem, but his request was denied because tackling drug addiction and smuggling was a massive endeavor local authorities could not solve on their own. He resorted to finding a solution by hurting others, his family, and himself.
Since the mass killing, people have discussed what pushed Khamrab over the edge. Some view it as a result of quarrels with his wife. Others pointed to his money troubles since getting fired from his job and the difficult economic climate in Thailand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many people questioned whether the country’s gun control laws could have prevented this event and whether only police officers should have the right to possess guns. Yet in many cases, shootings are caused by the unauthorized possession of guns. (About 40 percent of the guns in Thailand are unregistered.)
Some Thais believe the attack was a result of the country’s moral failings. In a country where Buddhists make up 93 percent of the population, the common mantra is that “every religion teaches us to be a good person.” The average Thai honors the beliefs of others. But if religious principles help society operate well, why did the shooting happen? Where were the religious doctrine and good morals?
It is incorrect to conclude that religious morality is not good; however, the average person does not follow moral principles when they face societal pressure. This causes many of the problems we see in Thai society today.
Although various government and private agencies have come to help in the aftermath of the attack, I cannot look at the incident and blame Khamrab’s actions on drug abuse or gun control or economic stressors. We have to look at the true roots of Thai society from a biblical perspective.