The chairman of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) has died after being shot at the PAO office in Muang Nonthaburi district this morning, police said, with a former Nonthaburi MP now in custody over the shooting.
Police said the accused, former Nonthaburi MP Chalong, opened fire on PAO Chairman Thongchai Yenprasert inside the office, killing him. A driver at the scene was grazed by gunfire and will be interviewed as a witness once medically cleared.
Nonthaburi governor Chetsada Mosigrat said Chalong and Thongchai were personal friends who had disagreements “in certain matters.” The dispute centred on an 11 million baht debt where Chalong had reportedly supported Thongchai financially in the past and gone to him seeking repayment, which Thongchai refused.
The same report said that shortly after the shooting, Chalong called news presenter Anjalee Pairirak, known as Jae Pong, while she was live on the Mallika Show on the Naewna Online channel. He told her he had just shot the PAO chairman, firing four to five rounds before walking out of the office and crossing the street outside.
Anjalee said she told him to stay calm, sit down, put the gun down and remove the bullets, and not go anywhere else while still armed.
She quoted Chalong as saying: “I shot him dead. I’m hurt. I supported him with everything, I pleaded with him, I went to collect the 11 million baht debt, and he said he didn’t have it and treated me badly. I’ve made my decision, so I shot him. I’ll go and surrender now.”
He then handed his firearm to police and passed his phone to an officer so she could continue speaking with him.
Police have not issued an official statement confirming the content of the call. Investigations are ongoing.
This comes just days after the shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, where a young student opened fire on Friday, August 7, killing nine people, including five teachers and his own grandparents, before dying himself.
A 12 year old schoolgirl who was hospitalised after the attack died of her injuries the following day, and 15 people remained in hospital, six of them in critical condition.
The story Nonthaburi shooting leaves provincial official dead, ex-MP held as seen on Thaiger News.
