Government approves aid for Nonthaburi school shooting victims
The government has approved financial assistance ranging from 100,000 baht to 1 million baht for those killed, permanently disabled or injured in the shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School.
Paradorn Prissananantakul, Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, chaired a meeting of the Prime Minister’s Office Disaster Relief Fund Committee on Friday to consider assistance for teachers and pupils affected by the shooting in Nonthaburi.
The meeting followed an order from the prime minister to expedite financial support for those killed and injured in the incident.
The committee approved payments of 1 million baht for each fatality, 700,000 baht in cases of permanent disability, 200,000 baht for serious injuries and 100,000 baht for minor injuries.
The Prime Minister’s Office Disaster Relief Fund currently has 254 million baht available.
Previous shooting cases used as precedents
Paradorn said the committee had based its consideration on criteria applied following four previous incidents with similar characteristics.
These were the mass shooting at the Terminal 21 shopping centre in Nakhon Ratchasima, the shooting at a childcare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu, the shooting by a young person at Bangkok’s Siam Paragon shopping centre and the shooting at Phatong Prathan Khiriwat School in Hat Yai district, Songkhla.
He said the latest incident was particularly distressing because it occurred at a school and affected teachers and pupils going about their normal daily lives.
In reaching its decision, the committee considered that the fund consisted of public donations intended to help members of the public affected by disasters.
It also determined that the Nonthaburi shooting, although caused by an individual, resulted in deaths and injuries among members of the public in a school where teachers and pupils were carrying out their ordinary activities.
The incident therefore fell within the definition of a public disaster under Clause 3 of the regulations governing the Prime Minister’s Office Disaster Relief Fund, making those affected eligible for assistance.
Fund regulations set basic assistance rates
The committee also considered Clause 17 of the fund’s regulations and its 2025 announcement on financial assistance rates for disaster victims.
The existing criteria provide 50,000 baht in funeral expenses, a 30,000-baht livelihood grant for each bereaved family and an additional 50,000 baht for families in which the deceased had children aged 25 or younger.
Paradorn said officials would now work to provide support and relief to those affected as urgently as possible.
The total amount required had not yet been calculated because the authorities first needed confirmed figures for the injured and the severity of their conditions.
He expected the approved payments to be distributed within a few days. The government would also examine whether additional financial assistance could be provided by other agencies.
Strict enforcement of public gun restrictions
Turning to firearm controls, Paradorn said the Interior Ministry did not permit firearms to be carried in public under any circumstances, except by government officers performing official duties.
He said the restriction would now be enforced more rigorously.
Paradorn added that, in his capacity as a member of parliament, he intended to propose amendments to Thailand’s Firearms Act.
