Final goodbyes as Thailand marks lives of kid bloodbath victims By Reuters

By Jiraporn Kuhakan

UTHAI SAWAN, Thailand (Reuters) – 1000’s of individuals gathered at temples in northeast Thailand on Tuesday to cremate the victims of a bloodbath of 36 individuals, amongst them 22 preschool kids slashed to demise in a rampage by a disgraced policeman that shocked the world.

Crowds gathered across the usually sleepy city of Uthai Sawan to put flowers and be a part of queues of mourners, who paid their final respects to these slain in a three-hour gun and knife assault on Thursday that marked the worst bloodbath in Thailand’s current historical past.

Orange flames lit up the smoke-filled sky exterior the Rat Samakee temple in Uthai Sawan late on Tuesday, as a line of funeral pyres for 19 of the nursery college victims was set ablaze in entrance of household seated behind a small gravel path.

Earlier, white coffins have been carried by kinfolk and cops, one after the other to the location of the cremation alongside a route lined with mourners, led by relations carrying portraits of the useless – a trainer and 18 kids aged between 2 and 5.

“The trainer will take the lead and the 18 kids will comply with her steps to heaven, in keeping with our beliefs and the wishes of their mother and father and everybody right here to ship them off,” mentioned the temple’s abbot, Prakru Adisai Kijjanuwat, because the ceremony started.

The coffins have been positioned on pyres newly constructed from bricks and dressed with flowers and black and white ornamental material.

Atop the caskets have been footage of these killed, some accompanied by stuffed toys, as orange-robed monks carried out rites.

Police recognized the attacker as Panya Khamrap, 34, a former Bangkok police sergeant who was discharged in January after being in possession of methamphetamines. He was on trial on medication expenses and was in court docket the morning of his assault.

His killing spree ended at his residence about 3 km (2 miles) from the nursery, when he turned his 9 mm handgun on himself, after killing his associate and her youngster.

An post-mortem of Panya’s physique confirmed no indicators of medicine use on the day of the murders, police mentioned.

They mentioned their investigation signifies his rampage was the results of extreme stress from the lack of his job and a breakdown in his relationship.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who attended the ceremony in Uthai Sawan forward of the cremations, on Monday ordered regulation enforcement businesses to tighten gun possession guidelines and crack down on drug use following the mass killing in Uthai Sawan, 500 km (310 miles) northeast of Bangkok.