Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered a clampdown on drugs, including an emphasis on rehabilitation, following the mass shooting and stabbing at a nursery in northeastern Thailand that left 37 people dead, mostly young children.
The unprecedented attack has shaken Thailand, where mass killings are rare, and prompted calls for a tougher stance on drugs. It was carried out by a former police officer, identified by police as Panya Khamrab, who had been dismissed from the force for methamphetamine possession.
Government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri yesterday said in a statement that Prayuth had ordered the police to urgently crack down on illegal drugs and to bring users to receive treatment.
Photo: Reuters
Prayuth “ordered provincial governors to strengthen drug prevention plans to tackle problems in their areas,” the statement said, adding that the government had always taken drug eradication seriously.
The opposition Pheu Thai Party has said it is preparing to open an extraordinary session of the Thai House of Representatives after the nursery killing. The party — founded by loyalists of exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose infamous drug crackdowns were strongly condemned by rights groups and left an estimated 2,500 dead — has criticized the current government for not doing enough to tackle drugs.
Pheu Thai leader Chonlanan Srikaew has promised a “war on drugs” if the party wins next year’s elections, including stronger prevention and rehabilitation.
An autopsy indicated that Panya had not taken drugs in the 72 hours prior to the attack. He had appeared in court over drug charges a few hours beforehand, and was due to appear again the following day.
His mother told local media he was in debt and had drug addiction problems.
Supplies of methamphetamine have grown rapidly across southeast Asia over the past few years. A recent UN report said the price of tablet and crystal methamphetamine had fallen to all-time lows as supplies had surged.
According to local reports, a tablet costs 10 baht (US$0.26) at wholesale, not much more than a bottle of water. The street price for the pills is 20 to 25 baht.
More than 1 billion methamphetamine tablets were seized in east and southeast Asia last year — seven times higher than 10 years ago.
Analysts say that the cartels, whose production is centered in southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle along the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, continue to thrive despite police raids.
Statistics quoted by local news show that last year, the authorities seized 272 million methamphetamine tablets; 8,691kg of crystal methamphetamine; and 484kg of heroin. During the same period, 144,110 people were arrested over drug-related offenses.
Chonlanan also called for a review of gun legislation. Mass shootings are rare in Thailand, although in 2020 a soldier opened fire at an army base and shopping mall, killing at least 29 people, an unprecedented incident that prompted a debate over firearm ownership, rates of which are high in Thailand. Similar questions have re-emerged after the nursery attack.
Possession of an illegal firearm can lead to a prison sentence of up to 10 years or a fine of up to 20,000 baht, although unregistered guns remain prevalent due to poor enforcement.
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