The sacked policeman who carried out yesterday’s mass shooting in which at least 36 people were killed, most of them children, once confessed to his boss that he had a longstanding problem with drugs. The 34 year old man, named as Panya Khamrab, was fired from the police force after being found in possession of methamphetamine pills, more commonly known as ‘yaba’ in Thailand.
Our extensive report on the incident is HERE.
At the time of his dismissal, he confessed to bosses that he had a long history of drug abuse, going back to his school days. He admitted to having a yaba addiction and that he often had “hundreds” of pills in his possession, according to a Nation Thailand report.
Colleagues complained about his mood swings, which they attributed to his drug use. It’s understood he was shunned at work and frequently disobeyed bosses. He also allegedly once threatened a bank manager with a pistol, after the manager complained about him sleeping in his car outside the bank, instead of guarding workers who were stocking the ATMs with banknotes.
According to Thai media, the gunman began arguing with his wife around a year ago and was having an affair with a karaoke worker whose ex-boyfriend was allegedly a drug dealer.
It’s understood that yesterday’s victims include Panya’s wife and child where the man visited after killing the youngsters and staff at the day care centre. There were also frequent complaints from his neighbours about noisy parties at Panya’s house. One neighbour who confronted him about the disturbance was verbally and physically attacked by Panya. Following that incident, the former policeman was reprimanded and placed on parole.
The death count so far in Panya’s shooting rampage at a children’s development centre in the north-eastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu stands at 36, with 12 others injured. Among the dead are 24 young children.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
