1 dead after shootout at Bangkok gun store
Print Edition
A BOTCHED robbery on a Bangkok gun shop by four Mongolian men left one of them dead after a dramatic daytime shootout yesterday in the city’s Chinatown district, police said.
The men, who police said held Chinese passports, stormed the store with BB-guns in an effort to steal real firearms, but they were thwarted when the owner opened fire.
Armed police quickly joined in the firing and three of the raiders were wounded, with one dying later in hospital.
Officers are still hunting for the leader of the network, who they said has entered Thailand several times.
“They planned the operation well, first surveying the shop one day ahead of the robbery,” said national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda.
“Their purpose was to steal guns but we don’t know what they planned to use the guns for,” he said.
The Inter Arms store is on a popular street for bars and restaurants in the historic Chinatown neighborhood.
Gun ownership is widespread in Thailand and watchdog groups have said the kingdom has one of the highest gun murder rates in Asia.
The Thai government does not provide a specific breakdown for annual gun murders, but the gunpolicy.org website, run by the University of Sydney, estimates 3.48 murders per 100,000 people in Thailand — a ratio on par with the United States.
According to the Interior Ministry, there are 6.1 million registered firearms in Thailand, a country with 67 million people. Gunpolicy.org, however, puts the number at closer to 10 million after accounting for weapons bought on the black market.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
