News of a childcare centre massacre in Thailand shook the world on 6 October 2022. 34-year-old Panya Kamrab took the lives of more than 30 people; His fatalities included the deaths of his wife, child, and more than 20 children.
The incident left most of us speechless because the country prides itself on implementing strict gun laws. Moreover, most news of mass shootings notoriously comes from countries like the USA.
In this article, you’ll read:
- More Than 30 People Perished at Childcare Centre Massacre in Thailand
- Importance of Gun Violence Prevention
- Learn To Handle Tragic News With Your Kids
Gun violence hails as one of the most tragic global human rights issues. It threatens the most fundamental human right of the people, which is the right to life.
In relation to this, gun violence causes several tragedies almost every day, affecting many individuals across the globe. According to statistics, there are about 500 people who die every day because of the violence committed with firearms.
Heartbreakingly, the recent news of the childcare centre massacre in Thailand shows the importance of strict gun laws. It also proves that even countries with strict protocols on guns cannot escape such tragedies.
More Than 30 People Perished at Childcare Centre Massacre in Thailand
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On 6 October 2022, a former policeman killed more than 30 people at a childcare development centre in northeastern Thailand. The traumatic childcare centre massacre also included the deaths of more than 20 children.
After the massacre, the killer escaped and made matters worse at home. According to the police report, the gunman shot his wife and child at their home before turning his weapon on himself.
Police eventually identified the killer as 34-year-old Panya Kamrab; he was a former policeman in the area. Investigators also learned that he was dismissed from his job due to drug allegations.
On the other hand, he faced trial on a drug charge and had been in court hours before the shooting incident. This caused people to assume that the trial contributed to his decision of orchestrating the childcare centre massacre.
Chakkraphat Wichitvaidya, a district police official, said that according to the witnesses, the gunman also used a knife when he was in the attack in the town of Uthai Sawan. The area is 500 km northeast of Bangkok in the province of Nong Bua Lamphu.
A Traumatizing Incident for the Children and Their Family
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When the incident happened, District Official Jidapa Boonsom was working in the nearby office. He later stated that around 30 children were in attendance at the childcare centre when Panya Kamrab arrived.
At that time, the number of children at the centre was fewer than usual due to the heavy rain. However, this doesn’t change the fact that too many people perished during the massacre.
“The shooter came in around lunchtime and shot four or five officials at the childcare centre first,” said Jidapa Boonsom. Heartbreakingly, one of those officials included a teacher who was eight-month pregnant.
People initially thought when they heard the gunshots that there were just fireworks. This was one of the tragic reasons why authorities weren’t alerted about the childcare centre massacre while it happened.
“It’s really shocking. We were very scared and ran to hide once we knew it was shooting. So many children got killed, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Jidapa Boonsom also added that the killer first broke into a closed room where the children were sleeping. While inside, Panya Kamrab stabbed some of the sleeping children before opening fire.
The “Shocking” Incident
Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Prime Minister of Thailand, called the incident “shocking.” He sent his condolences to the families of the victims through a social media post. At the same time, he ordered all agencies to take urgent action to treat the wounded.
According to the police spokesperson Paisan Luesomboon, the gunman was at a court hearing a few moments before the events of the childcare centre massacre. He attended the trial court hearing because of his ongoing drug case.
Investigators also claimed that he went to the childcare centre to pick up his child. This allegedly triggered intense feelings of anxiety that possibly contributed to the tragic events.
“He was already stressed, and when he couldn’t find his child, he was more stressed and started shooting,” said Paisan.
Additionally, Paisan recounted that the gunman immediately drove home after fleeing the childcare centre. As soon as he got home, he killed his wife and child and took his own life shortly after.
Tragically, several videos of the aftermath of the childcare centre massacre appeared on different social media platforms. However, news outlets failed to confirm the authenticity of the clips.
Importance of Gun Violence Prevention
Thailand is one of the countries across the globe which has strict gun laws. In that country, possessing an illegal firearm carries a prison sentence. However, ownership is high compared to some other counties in the region.
Illegal weapons in Thailand are commonly imported from nearby, conflict-ridden nations. Despite this, the sudden childcare centre massacre
Moreover, mass shootings in the country are rare. On the other hand, a similar incident happened in 2020. It was when a soldier was angry over a property deal gone sour; at least 29 people and wounded 57 during the incident that spanned four areas.
Learn To Handle Tragic News With Your Kids
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News like the recent childcare centre massacre in Thailand is some of the incidents you should avoid your kids from seeing. This especially applies to parents with toddlers and young children.
In truth, most experts discourage parents from allowing their younger kids have access to news about deaths. Additionally, most schools don’t include current events in their curriculum for children 8 and below.
If your little ones happen to come across tragic news, here are some ways you can respond to their curiosity:
- Put yourself in their shoes. When we deal with tragic news, we just automatically know that such things do happen. However, our kids haven’t been exposed to tragic things. Because of this, you need to put yourself in their shoes and consider their age.
- Let them react first. Upon learning about the news, you need to let your kids process it themselves. You also need to know how they assess the news to know how you can respond to them without overwhelming them.
- Carefully answer their questions. News like the childcare centre massacre might be one of the first types of tragic news they learn of. Because of this, you need to carefully answer their questions about sad news like this.
- Teach them empathy. After answering their questions, your children will most likely feel bad about the passing of the children in the news. You may use this opportunity to teach them empathy for unlikely death news they may encounter in the future.
On the other hand, your pre-teen or teen kids will probably learn about this type of news due to their access to social media. They also usually learn about current events due to social science subjects.
With that said, you can use this opportunity to see your child’s level of understanding of the news. Discuss the case with them and learn about their take on the childcare centre massacre. Additionally, comfort them if they feel sad about the sudden deaths of the kids.
Additional content added by Kaira De la Rosa.