Thailand has seen a rise in gun violence in recent years. On February 11, 2026, a 17-year-old student opened fire at a public high school in the southern province of Hat Yai, killing one person and wounding two others, using a gun he had stolen from police. He was arrested after a short standoff.
On July 28, 2025, a gunman opened fire at a popular fresh food market in Bangkok, killing five people before taking his own life. Police said the attack stemmed from a personal grudge.
On October 3, 2023, a 14-year-old boy opened fire with a handgun inside a major shopping mall in Bangkok, killing two people before being apprehended. Police said his weapon was originally manufactured to shoot blanks but was modified to fire live ammunition.
On March 23, 2023, police commandos in Phetchaburi province, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of Bangkok, killed a man to end a 14-hour standoff after he had shot to death three people.
On October 6, 2022, a police sergeant who had lost his job used guns and knives to kill 37 people, including two dozen toddlers at a daycare center in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu. After the attack, he returned home and killed his wife and stepson before taking his own life.
On February 8, 2020, a soldier angry about a land dispute went on a 16-hour shooting rampage in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, killing at least 29 people and wounding dozens more. Police and military personnel shot him dead after an overnight siege.
On January 9, 2020, a masked gunman shot dead three people, including a 2-year-old, during a robbery of a gold shop in a shopping mall in central Thailand's Lopburi province. A school headmaster was arrested less than two weeks later and was sentenced to death after pleading guilty to murder charges.
These incidents highlight the ongoing issue of gun violence in Thailand. The country has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Asia, although indiscriminate mass killings are rare. The recent tragedies have sparked public debate on gun control.