Policeman who allegedly killed wife surrenders after standoff


A POLICE officer who allegedly gunned down his wife at the kindergarten where she was a teacher in eastern Thailand surrendered after an overnight standoff with authorities, officials said.

Tatsapong Tongthat, an officer at the Bang Lamung station in Chonburi province, allegedly killed his wife on Wednesday morning inside a building at the Nongplalai Muni­cipal Kinder­garten about 150km southeast of the capital Bangkok, the provincial government said.

Authorities said he fled to his home afterwards and police surrounded the house, where he surrendered yesterday after an 18-hour standoff.

All 44 students at the school were unharmed and evacuated with other teachers after the shooting.

Classes were suspended until today as a safety precaution, officials said.

School safety and gun violence in Thailand have come under scrutiny after a 14-year-old opened fire at his high school and family home on Aug 7, killing eight people before apparently taking his own life.

Another 14-year-old student was arrested on Sept 2 after he fired several shots but failed to injure anyone at his school in Kamphaeng Phet province, 200km north of Bangkok. — AP

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