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When the mother and father of the youngest victim of last week’s school mass shooting arrived at the temple north of Bangkok, teary-eyed parents came up to quietly offer condolences before the prayers began in front of the 12-year-old girl’s casket.
Then, in a moment, the tone changed.
A man arrived and dropped to his knees in supplication, sobbing and bowing his head in the traditional “wai” gesture before the couple who had lost their daughter, Naphat Chaimar. It was Nithi Yimruang, the father of the 14-year-old boy who had carried out the shooting, pleading for their forgiveness.
Naphat’s father, Pongthon Chaimar, helped raise the man up by his arms, but his head remained hung in shame, even as Pongthon accepted the apology.
The girl’s parents told Nithi they understood he too was going through a difficult time. His son, Patchat Yimruang, had shot his grandfather and grandmother dead before killing six people and injuring more than 30 at the prestigious Debsirin Nonthaburi school north-west of Bangkok. The teenager had then turned the gun on himself.
The father told the Guardian before the funeral service: “I’m experiencing so many emotions all at once. I feel guilty and heartbroken because I’ve suffered a loss too. I’ve lost my child, as well as my parents. And seeing the little girl’s father being so kind and understanding toward me makes me feel even more guilty.”
He still does not understand why his son did what he did, but he is left to reckon with the violence his own flesh and blood had committed. He leaves the temple of Wat Lat Pla Duk in Nonthaburi province before Monday’s funeral service begins.
Grief, and a royal wreath
The teenage boy had used his grandfather’s gun to carry out the attack. He had lived with his grandparents ever since his parents separated when he was two years old.
But his father visited him every weekend, and took him to extra tutoring classes. “For me, he was number one. But he was a quiet, reserved child. He didn’t talk much and usually kept things to himself. Toward the end, though, he became even quieter than before.
“I used to ask him quite often how things were at school, and he would just say, ‘so-so’. I’d ask him how his classes were going, and he’d just say ‘so-so’.
“But now, there’s no way for me to find out or ask him any more.”
The shooting has resonated across the country, with the king and prime minister leading an outpouring of grief.
Inside the temple’s pavilion in Nonthaburi province, Naphat’s coffin is flanked by a yellow wreath from King Maha Vajiralongkorn and a violet and pink tribute from Queen Suthida. They are joined by wreaths from the prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and several other cabinet ministers.
The palace announced on Sunday the king had granted royal patronage for the victims, their family and relatives. The move means all the injured would be treated as patients under royal care, and royal sponsorship would be awarded for the funeral rites and cremations of those killed.
‘What I miss most about her … are her dreams’
At the temple on Monday, hundreds of mourners – including the deputy prime minister, teachers, parents and friends – fill the room where Naphat’s casket lies as monks chant prayers. The wreaths and chairs are so numerous they spill out into the undercover area outside.
Mourners burn incense next to the images on display that trace her transition from a baby to a confident young girl on the brink of adolescence, playing guitar and performing on stage.
Naphat had been at the school only three months, as part of its newest cohort of grade 7 pupils.
Photograph: Chanakarn Laosarakham/AFP/Getty Images
Father Pongthon says: “What I miss most about her, and what her mother and I miss the most, are her dreams.”
“After the new school term began, she took part in a dance competition and a Thai traditional costume competition. And toward the end of this month, she was supposed to compete in a cheerleading competition as well.
“She took on all these activities, and she was able to do them all. She really enjoyed expressing herself.”
When Naphat’s parents heard the news of the shooting at the school, they kept calling their daughter’s phone. Later, an officer called to say she was at Phranangklao hospital in a critical condition. Naphat died on Saturday, bringing the total death toll to nine, including the attacker.
Naphat’s teacher, who did not wish to be named, remembered her as an entertainer. He told the Guardian, she would not normally have been in the building where the shooting occurred but had gone to get a vaccination along with some other students.
She was walking out of the room where she received the vaccination when she was struck.
Her father, Pongthon, says he does not blame the school. “To put it simply, I think something like this can happen anywhere. Anywhere in the world.”
