Sawt Falasteen - Ex-Thai MP shoots dead local official over money row

The attack took place outside a government building in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, just days after a school shooting in the same region that raised questions over gun control in Thailand.

Flanked by police officers following his arrest, former MP Chalong Riewrang told reporters he had tried to talk to local official Thongchai Yenprasert about money.

"I followed him to his car and hit his car's window, saying I want to talk. He said he will not talk, so I pulled my gun," Chalong admitted.

"I did not aim to shoot, but his driver pulled a gun and pointed it at me so I fired."

Thongchai, who was chairman of the Nonthaburi local government administration, later died of his wounds, according to Sakon Sukprom, director of Phra Nang Klao hospital.

He was hit in the neck and lost a lot of blood, the director said.

Thongchai's driver was also shot, wounded in his right arm, but he successfully underwent surgery, Sakon said.

- Private issue -

Chalong had confessed to being the sole shooter during the incident, but "both sides had guns", regional police commander Wattana Yeechin told reporters earlier.

A firearm was found in Thongchai's vehicle but had not been used, while CCTV footage showed only Chalong firing his weapon from close range, he added.

Wattana said the dispute was over several million baht (tens of thousands of dollars).

"It was a private issue. According to his confession, it was about money that the... chairman borrowed from him for several years, and he asked for the return of the money several times," he said.

Nonthaburi governor Chestha Mosikarat earlier told reporters the suspect and victim were "friends for a long time" and the incident likely stemmed from a misunderstanding.

Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region, with around 10 million firearms estimated to be in circulation -- roughly one for every seven inhabitants.

On Friday, a 14-year-old boy shot dead the grandparents who raised him in Nonthaburi before killing six others at his school and then turning the gun on himself.

Officials have since promised stricter gun laws, but previous pledges have failed to prevent repeated shootings.

A.AlHaj--SF-PST