On Friday, smears of dried blood marred the hardwood floor of a classroom in northern Thailand, a day after the country’s bloodiest slaughter occurred in one of the most improbable settings.
School bags stood uncollected Thailand on coloured shelves at the Child Development Center Uthai Sawan, while images of youngsters were smiling from the wall, pinned into place with pegs alongside cardboard cut-outs of ladybirds.
Outside, grieving parents gathered in a makeshift shed on blue plastic chairs, nursing their grief and clutching to one another and their children’s blankets and bottles, a reminder of life, as officials completed plans for a visit from the country’s top leaders.
More than 20 young children, Thailand aged 2 to 5, were killed in this classroom on Thursday during nap time when a former police officer armed with a knife and a revolver pushed his way inside and slashed them in their sleep.
A red carpet had been stretched out at the center’s front door for the delivery of a floral wreath, a present from the King’s youngest daughter, Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya.
On Friday, King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida are scheduled to fly north from Bangkok’s Grand Palace to see the families of the deceased and the six injured who are still being treated at Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital.
Their visit follows that of the country’s prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, who visited earlier Friday to tour the hospital and meet with families at the government’s relief centre.
Thailand is used to the underlying tensions that come with being governed by military coup leaders, but violence of the kind seen on Thursday is unusual. The most recent mass killing in the Southeast Asian country occurred two years ago, when a former soldier went on a rampage at a military base before attacking people at a mall in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, often known as Korat, farther south.
The shooter in that case was believed to have erupted after a disagreement with another soldier over a land-selling commission charge. The motivation in this crime is unknown, but after frightening the childcare centre, Panya Kamrab, a 34-year-old former police officer, drove home and shot his wife and child before killing himself.
The overall number of fatalities was 36, including Panya’s wife and two-year-old stepson, who usually attended that day care centre but was not present when the police arrived looking for him. The death of the youngster brings the total number of children slain to 24.
Narcotics may have played a factor – Panya had appeared in court that morning on drug possession charges, according to officials – but blood tests are being conducted to ascertain whether drugs were in his system at the time of the attack.
“In terms of motivation, the police have not ruled out any possibilities; it might be due to personal stress or a drug-induced hallucination; we have ordered a blood test,” Royal Thai Police stated in a statement.
The findings may provide some insight into why it occurred, but they will not put an end to the inconsolable pain felt throughout this small, close-knit community, nor will they address the question of how to prevent it from happening again.
United in grief
Nopparat Phewdam, who lost her brother in the incident, sat outside the day care centre with other parents on Friday. Unlike the others, Nopparat recognised the murderer. He was a frequent client at her convenience shop, she added, and he frequently came in with his stepson. “He appeared pleasant and spoke quietly,” she observed.
Details of the massacre have been slow to emerge, but testimonies so far describe a guy equipped to kill, who did not hesitate to assault innocent children and even shot dead a pregnant staff member who was a month away from giving birth.
According to one staff member, Panya arrived at the facility at noon, when two other employees were eating lunch. They heard “fireworks” and witnessed two coworkers collapse on the floor. “He then drew another revolver from his waist… “I didn’t think he’d kill the kids,” they stated.
According to local police head Major General Paisan Luesomboon, the majority of the killings were caused by “stabbing wounds.” First responders told CNN of the bleak image that met them, with most injuries to the head.
The loss of 36 people in one tragedy would be felt deeply in any community, but the murder of so many young children in a small rural location has shook the village of approximately 6,300 people.
Families in grief sat side by side outside the centre on Friday, waiting for details on government assistance.
