Shooting incident has been explained

I don’t know why Lung Kip felt compelled to write two lengthy letters hinting at an implausible theory regarding the shootings at Wat Pathumwanaram, because the identity of those who fired into the temple compound has been well known for some time. Army personnel testified to the DSI in 2010 that troops were indeed deployed on the Skytrain tracks and engaged in what was described as a 10-minute gun battle after coming under fire from the compound, so they claimed. This testimony was reported in the local and foreign media. The DSI has so far concluded that the Army was probably responsible for three of the deaths at the temple.

The real question therefore is not who fired the fatal shots, but why? And, leading on from that, if the Army did indeed come under fire from the temple, what evidence can it present to prove this, and why was its return fire apparently so uncontrolled and indiscriminate that soldiers shot innocent bystanders and emergency workers, not “armed terrorists” or “men in black”.

The best hope we have for finding out the truth about this tragic incident is for the DSI to successfully conclude its investigation and release the findings. To do that, it will of course have to depend upon full cooperation from all those involved, so we may have to wait more in hope than expectation. In the meantime, we don’t need any more ill-informed speculation or conspiracy theories on this sensitive subject.

Robin Grant

Bangkok