Thailand rocked by second shooting tragedy in three days

A gunman has been arrested after firing shots at a local government office on the outskirts of Bangkok, killing one man and wounding another in Thailand's second major gun crime incident in less than a week.Thongchai Yenprasert, a former colonel who was shot through the neck, died in hospital after succumbing to his injuries.The suspect is former member of Thailand's House of Representatives, Chalong Reawraeng, Nonthaburi police chief Dejrapee Kongdee said.He had known his alleged victim for many years, with the dispute believed to be over money.Mr Thongchai is a former police officer who led the provincial administrative organisation.Thongchai Yenprasert died in hospital after being shot in the neck. (Facebook)His driver was hit in the arm and hand and is being treated in hospital for non-life threatening injuries.Chalong declared he had carried out the attack on a phone call to a well-known political commentator, the BBC reported, with the commentator livestreaming the incident on YouTube.He was formerly a member of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's party.The attack in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, came just three days after a school shooting in the same region that raised questions over gun control in Thailand. There does not appear to be any link between the two attacks.Friday's rampage began at the teenager's home and continued at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School, leaving nine people dead, including the shooter, and more than 20 wounded in the country's deadliest mass shooting in nearly four years.Thai school children returned to their classrooms on Monday, some going through metal detectors and other checks, as Prime Minister Charnvirakul reiterated his intention to tighten gun controls in the wake of the shooting.Shoes left behind by evacuated students at Debsirin Nonthaburi School. (Reuters: Chalinee Thirasupa)School director Withan Promsintusak said officials had acted immediately after the attack, introducing weapons screening to reassure parents and protect students."We never imagined that a school, which should be the safest place, is where something like this would happen," he said. Following Friday's shooting, Thailand's Education Ministry has said it would develop new school safety protocols over the next three months, including mental health screenings, emergency response drills, measures to tackle bullying and improved detection of weapons and other prohibited items.The prime minister also ordered tougher enforcement against people carrying guns in public and said police would set up checkpoints as part of a crack down, which would include tightening controls on the possession, carrying and use of firearms. Thailand had ​an estimated 10.3 million firearms in civilian possession, equating to around 15 guns per 100 residents, the highest rate in South-East Asia by a wide margin, according to a 2017 estimate by the Small Arms Survey.Wires/ABC