The parents of the teen gunman who committed the Siam Paragon shootings have issued a letter expressing their “deepest apologies” for the actions of their son.
The letter, written in Thai by the boy’s father and released to the media, states that the family is cooperating fully with authorities in the legal process.
The teenager, who faces charges of murder in connection with two deaths at the mall, was transferred on Thursday from juvenile detention to a psychiatric hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
His parents contacted the Situation Command Center at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help disseminate the letter. The ministry had it translated it into English and Chinese.
There has been considerable speculation online and in some mainstream media as to the occupations, wealth or social status of the boy’s parents. Pictures purporting to be of the couple have also been posted. Given the age of the offender, the Bangkok Post has opted to uphold the fundamental observance of the family’s right to privacy, unless they decide otherwise.
The following is an English translation of the letter in full:
“My family and I feel a profound sense of regret. We offer our deepest apologies to the victims, the families of the deceased and the injured, from the recent shooting incident that occurred as the result of our son’s actions at the Siam Paragon department store.
“This includes the public, tourists, business and store owners and those involved in the incident or nearby who were evacuated and troubled in any way.
“It also includes the medical staff, nurses, police, government officials, whether Thai, Chinese, Myanmar or Lao and all parties affected by this incident. We greatly regret also the damage and impact to the country as a whole.
“My wife and I apologise for not communicating to the public sooner. During this time, my family and I have been in the middle of a legal process. Our son is detained in the Juvenile Observation and Protection Center according to an order issued by the Juvenile Court.
“My family and I did not apply for bail because we intend to cooperate fully with the authorities in search of the facts and to ensure that there will not be a repeat of the same violent incident.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked by this incident and accept responsibility as fully as we can. We would also like to promise that we will cooperate with the police, government officials and every agency necessary regarding these legal proceedings as well as support any mitigation and efforts to remedy the effects of this event as best as possible.
“My family and I would like to humbly ask for forgiveness and extend our profound apologies to the families of the deceased, the injured and their families who were most affected by this event, and to everyone from the deepest recesses of our hearts, with our utmost respect.”