Songkran is not always a good time for everyone, and the celebration brought injury and unpleasantness for people in some provinces this year as water pistols made way for guns.
Violence erupted not once, but twice, in Ayutthaya on Thursday night when revellers sprayed bullets instead of water during the festivities.
Four people from Bang Sai district were hurt by gunshots fired by another group of youths as they celebrated the Thai new year at Wat Phu Khao Thong, a popular venue in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district of the province, about 7.30pm, Ayutthaya police reported.
Two hours later, members of another youth gang shot at rivals in a parking area of the Ayutthaya Park shopping centre in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya used for a Songkran party. Seven people were injured, police said. Details of the weapons used were not released and no arrests had been made.
Deputy Ayutthaya police chief Pol Col Puwadit Chanakchapat said police were tracking down the people who pulled the triggers at the two events. “They damaged the image of Ayutthaya. This is a Word Heritage site and a popular tourist attraction,” he said. More police and volunteers would be deployed to prevent further violence, he added.
(Source:Bangkok Post)