by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
BANGKOK (Worthy News) – A gunman who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand’s Hat Yai city on Wednesday wounded a teacher and a student before being detained, authorities said, in a rare attack that sent students and staff into panic.
The shooting occurred at Patongprathankiriwat School in Hat Yai, a major commercial city in Songkhla Province near Thailand’s border with Malaysia. Hat Yai is one of the largest urban centers in southern Thailand and serves as a regional transportation and business hub.
Police said the suspect, a 17-year-old male, entered the campus,appearing agitated. Authorities reported he used a firearm stolen from a police officer earlier in the day.
Deputy Superintendent Wichian Soboon told reporters the suspect had been apprehended after officers secured the three-story building. “The perpetrator has been captured,” he said.
TEACHER AND STUDENT INJURED, NO FATALITIES
Officials said a female teacher was critically wounded and underwent surgery, while a teenage girl was shot in the waist and was in stable condition at a local hospital.
Police commander Teerasak Chaiyotha said the suspect has a sister enrolled at the institution, but investigators have not yet determined a motive. Authorities confirmed no deaths were reported and that all students and staff were safely evacuated.
Video footage shared by witnesses showed armed officers storming the compound while students were escorted to safety.
RARE BUT NOT UNPRECEDENTED VIOLENCE
While school shootings are rare in Thailand, the Southeast Asian nation has experienced several high-profile gun attacks in recent years. In October 2022, a former police officer killed 36 people, including 22 children, at a daycare center in Nong Bua Lamphu province in one of Thailand’s deadliest mass killings. In 2020, a soldier carried out a shooting rampage in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, killing 29 people before being shot dead by security forces.
Authorities are continuing to investigate how the suspect accessed the stolen weapon and whether personal, psychological, or other factors contributed to Wednesday’s attack.
Thailand has relatively high civilian gun ownership compared with many Asian nations, though firearms are regulated and require licensing. Illegal weapons, however, remain accessible in some areas, and oversight has been criticized as inconsistent.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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