Wichian Khaokhiew shoots local official over debt

Thai police arrested a former lawmaker on Monday after he allegedly shot and killed a local official at a government office outside Bangkok.

The suspect, Chalong Riewraeng, told reporters he tried to confront Thongchai Yenprasert, chairman of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization, over an unpaid loan. According to Chalong, he tapped on the politician’s car window and asked to talk, but Thongchai refused. Chalong said he pulled his gun only after the victim’s driver drew a weapon. Thongchai died from his injuries, and the driver was hospitalized after surgery.

Regional police commander Wattana Yeechin said the dispute stemmed from a long-standing personal loan of several million baht that Chalong had repeatedly asked to be repaid. Nonthaburi Governor Chestha Mosikarat described the two as longtime friends whose relationship broke down over money, calling it a “misunderstanding.” Police confirmed the shooting was motivated by the unpaid debt.

The killing comes just days after Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly four years, when a 14-year-old boy killed nine people at his home and at a school in Nonthaburi. That rampage prompted Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to promise tighter gun control, as Thailand already has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Southeast Asia—about 15 guns per 100 people—with minimal restrictions on age or mental health checks. The latest shooting raises fresh questions about gun laws and personal disputes turning violent in a country where firearms remain widely accessible.