NA KLANG, Thailand — Heartbroken families
prayed Saturday for the victims of a Thai nursery massacre as the king offered
his support, telling relatives he “shares their grief” in a rare public
interaction with his subjects.
اضافة اعلان
King
Maha Vajiralongkorn met survivors and relatives
at a hospital in northeastern Nong Bua Lam Phu province late on Friday, a day
after an ex-police officer murdered 24 children and 12 adults on a three-hour
gun and knife rampage in a sleepy rural area.
Families and well-wishers offered prayers at a
Buddhist temple on Saturday, beginning three days of funeral rituals for the
victims of one of the country’s worst ever mass killings.
Incense mingled with the smell of countless bouquets
of flowers arrayed around the coffins, many topped with photos of the smiling chubby
faces of children cut down by sacked police sergeant Panya Khamrab.
Flowers and toys offered as gifts to the departed
youngsters piled up at the gates of the nursery as the close-knit community in
rural Na Klang district struggled to comprehend the atrocity.
“I have son myself and he likes to play with toy
cars, so I thought the children killed in the attack would love it as well —
they were about the same age as my son,” Weerapol Sonjai, 38, told AFP after
leaving an offering.
Rare royal visit
As the king offered his help
and condolences during his hospital visit, grieving families knelt on the floor
— as is Thai custom in the presence of the monarch, who is seen as semi-divine.
“I come here to give you support. I am extremely sad
for what has happened. I share your sorrow, your grief,” he said in video
footage published online on Saturday.
“There are no words that can express the sorrow. I
support you all and wish you to be strong, so the spirits of the children can
be at ease.”
The king, with Queen Suthida at his side, said he
would pray for the dead.
“We have to do our best, the best that we can,” he
said.
The royal visit came after a day of grief at the
small yellow-walled nursery on the edge of a village some 500km north of
Bangkok.
Weeping parents placed white roses one by one on
steps of the nursery where their young children’s lives were cut short.
Duenphen Srinamburi, the grandmother of one of the
victims, described the horror of the attack.
“The children were sleeping. He didn’t use a gun, only
a knife,” she told AFP.
“My grandson’s face was slashed from here to here,”
she added, gesturing diagonally across her face.
“His face was all mangled.”
The attack has stunned Thailand and caused horror
around the world. On Saturday the Thai community in Melbourne,
Australia, held
a candlelit vigil to mourn the victims.
Inconsolable families
Prime Minister Prayut
Chan-O-Cha joined mourners on Friday, laying flowers and handing out
compensation checks to grieving families.
Some, struggling to comprehend the atrocity, wept
inconsolably, clutching their children’s favorite toys or blankets — and in one
case a half-full bottle of milk.
The dead include pregnant teacher Supaporn
Pramongmuk, whose husband posted a poignant tribute on Facebook.
“I would like to say thank you for all the support
for me and my family. My wife has fulfilled her every duty as a teacher,”
Seksan Srirach wrote.
“Please be a teacher in heaven, and my child please
take care of your mother in heaven.”
The attacker forced his way into the childcare
center at about 12:30pm on Thursday to begin his murderous spree, opening fire
with his own legally owned 9mm pistol and slashing with a knife.
Afterwards the 34-year-old went home to murder his
wife and son before taking his own life, police said, ending the rampage at
about 3pm.
In total, he killed 24 children — 21 boys and three
girls — and 12 adults. Most died from a combination of knife wounds and
gunshots, according to police investigators.
Prime Minister Prayut has ordered a swift probe into
the massacre, and police said they will question 180 witnesses.
Senior officers have said Panya was sacked from the police
for drug abuse, while several people in the close-knit community have told AFP
he was known in the area as a methamphetamine addict.
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