Thailand mourns after 36 killed in attack on children’s nursery

DEVASTATED families in north-eastern Thailand have been mourning the nursery schoolchildren and other victims killed by a sacked police officer in the nation’s deadliest shooting rampage.

At least 24 of the 36 people shot or stabbed to death in the small town of Uthai Sawan were children.

A stream of people, including Prime Minster Prayuth Chan-ocha, senior government officials and relatives, have left flowers at the day care centre. By afternoon, bouquets of white roses and carnations lined the wall outside, along with five tiny juice boxes, bags of corn chips and a stuffed animal. A faded Thai flag flew at half-mast above.

“I cried until I had no more tears coming out of my eyes. They are running through my heart,” said Seksan Sriraj, 28, whose pregnant wife was a teacher at the centre and was due to give birth this month. “My wife and my child have gone to a peaceful place. I am alive and will have to live. If I can’t go on, my wife and my child will be worried about me, and they won’t be reborn in the next life. That’s about it.”

Many relatives were gathered in front of the child care centre to start the process of claiming compensation and psychologists were also sent to the site to help them.

Seven of the 10 people who were wounded were being treated in hospital on Friday.

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida were expected to visit two hospitals treating the wounded, and Prime Minster Prayuth Chan-ocha was expected to visit the nursery and the hospitals.

Police said the gunman, Panya Kamrap, 34, had been due to appear in court on Friday.

Sakchai Lalit > Relatives mourn during a ceremony for those killed in the attack on the Young Children’s Development Center in the rural town of Uthai Sawan, north eastern Thailand