For 18 hours, a soldier holed up in a Thai shopping mall in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima and killed 29 people with weapons stolen from a military base. Reports point to a soured real estate deal between the soldier and his superior as the cause for the shooting. Thai political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak explores the government’s response to the tragedy.
Normally, this sort of incident would have ended at the home of the senior officer.
The disgruntled sergeant would have had an altercation with his superior over the soured deal. Perhaps shots would have been fired, perhaps not. It would have ended there, but the sergeant went on to a deadly rampage.
Low-level recruits and NCO's are known to be routinely cheated by higher-ranking officers. I can extrapolate this to Thai society where bottom-up pressure is building from the disenchanted lower rungs of society. So, I see this as the broadening and worsening of a Thai malaise which has lingered for years.
We have had a more-or-less military-backed government for nearly six years. It has been a lacklustre one, showing mounting incompetence.
This kind of government is supposed to be strong on stability. People are supposed to feel safer in exchange for lesser freedom. But public safety is now compromised. If this government can’t ensure safety for bystanders, what's it good for?
The authorities' response was disorganized. Shocking events like this are hard to handle but at the same time they pose immediate challenges to official wherewithal.
But we saw disarray. The PM, health minister, army and police chiefs took turns to say something. The health minister unnecessarily flew in in his own plane as if to show personal action.
Hours went by while many Thais became anxious as no single line of command emerged to reassure people that this shooting spree was being handled by the authorities.
The PM talked to reporters in a nonchalant style, with no sense of empathy. Just think instead, of Jacinda Ardern after the Christchurch shootings. There was none of that sharing of public mood in Thailand.
At issue also is whether the Thai army will come out stronger or weaker in the public eye. On one hand, the army and the government can argue the important role of security forces to put down heinous events like this.
On the other, military culture needs a revamp and the military's commercial dealings need long-term rectification. This is a wake-up call that the Thai army should become more professional, better paid, and back in the barracks.
This kind of wanton kill-joy of a shooting spree is not something we Thais imagine any of us doing ourselves. We’ve had southern insurgents or protesters being shot at but not a lone Thai shooter on a trigger-happy campaign against others.
I'm still thinking about motive. Being enraged and taking it out on superior is one thing, but why all these bystanders?
- Asia Media Centre