Bangkok Governor Says Thailand’s Gun Laws 'Outdated' After Deadly Mall Shooting
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt says Thailand's gun laws are "outdated" and that stricter enforcement is needed to keep Bangkok safe, in an exclusive interview with TaiwanPlus.
Transcript
00:00 it's one of the worst acts of gun violence in Thailand's recent memory.
00:04 Less than a month ago, a 14-year-old gunman opened fire in Siam Paragon,
00:08 one of the most visited shopping malls in Asia,
00:11 right at the heart of Bangkok's dense commercial district.
00:14 Two women were killed, one from China and the other from Myanmar.
00:17 And just days ago, a third woman, a Thai national, died in hospital.
00:22 Now, mass shootings like this are rare in Thailand, but gun violence is not.
00:26 And the incident has renewed attention on Thailand's lax gun laws
00:30 and also issues of public safety and youth mental health.
00:33 Now, I'm here at Bangkok City Hall to talk to the capital's top leader,
00:38 Governor Chetchad Sittipan, about how he intends for Bangkok to move forward
00:42 from such a tragedy and make sure that something like it does not happen again.
00:46 Thank you, Governor Chetchad, for speaking with us today.
00:49 If I may start with the Paragon shooting on October 3rd,
00:53 can you walk us through your initial reaction
00:55 and also the mood in Bangkok since the incident?
00:58 Yeah, it was a tragedy, you know.
01:00 And not only is there a lot of loss of life,
01:05 but also what happened to the young, you know, the youth, like 14 years old.
01:09 So I think we were shocked by this.
01:11 It's not happening often in Bangkok, especially for the kids, you know.
01:15 So I think that's a reaction.
01:16 And then we try to think what really happening, what's the cause of it, you know.
01:20 There are many unanswered questions that we have to be looking into details
01:25 and try to prevent another incident like this.
01:28 So right after the incident, the new Prime Minister, Sir Chetchad Ravisin,
01:31 said he'll be tightening gun regulations
01:34 and then also the metal detectors at mall entrances are back.
01:38 That's not a new measure.
01:39 But do you think this is enough?
01:41 What do you think needs to be done to convince not just tourists,
01:45 but everyone in Bangkok that your city is safe?
01:49 Things are more complicated now.
01:53 You know, you can obtain a gun through the internet.
01:55 There are many incidents happening around the world.
01:59 So I think the world is changing.
02:00 I think what I heard, the gun was obtained through internet ordering as a blank gun.
02:07 Blank gun is not intended to be harmful, right?
02:10 But with some modification, it can turn to be a deadly weapon.
02:13 So I think the law has to be updated to the current situation.
02:18 Maybe the law, some of our laws, maybe a little bit outdated.
02:21 I mean, the law of gun control is not in our jurisdiction.
02:24 So I think maybe this is one thing that you can do.
02:28 Metal detection, I think, yeah, I think maybe it can put some, like, screening.
02:34 But we cannot guarantee it's 100%, you know, there's still some loopholes.
02:38 So as you mentioned, maybe gun control is out of your personal jurisdiction.
02:42 But as Bangkok governor, what kind of pressure can you add to the government to do something?
02:47 I think we have the task force committee with the Prime Minister.
02:51 I think we raise these issues because I think the safety of our people and our tourists
02:56 will be important issues for the future.
03:00 But to carry it, not easy to obtain.
03:02 If you do strictly follow the law, it's not easy to carry a gun around.
03:05 You need the permission and it's not allowed to carry it openly in the public, you know.
03:10 So there are some laws that if we strictly enforce, it would be maybe safer than right
03:18 now.
03:19 So we have to at least follow the law strictly and enforce it strictly.
03:24 So in the case of the Paragon shooting, the gunman was a minor and there were reports
03:28 that he struggled with mental health.
03:31 Does Thailand have an unaddressed mental health problem?
03:34 Where do you see the government stepping in here?
03:36 Yeah, I think that life gets more complicated for the kids.
03:41 We have to start maybe thinking about that more seriously.
03:45 And society maybe has more pressure on many people, economic pressure, some expectation
03:53 for the parents, the way that people maybe stay more on the internet.
04:00 We take care of regulation and do our enforcement and people take care of their family, their
04:06 kids and the community.
04:07 So I think the two combined can provide better prevention for the future tragedy like this.
04:14 now.