An event in which public officials on Koh Phangan received shotguns as draw prizes will be the last of its kind, a senior Interior Ministry official said on Thursday.

Narucha Khosasivilai, director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration, was responding to widespread public criticism of the event, which was held just three days after a mass shooting in Nonthaburi left nine people dead.

Firearms will no longer be given as prizes to kamnan (sub-district or tambon chiefs) and village headmen as part of a series of new gun-control rules announced this week, he said.

Instead, he said, organisers could consider prizes of equivalent value such as commemorative pins, or cash.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is also the interior minister, is now strongly focused on reducing the number of firearms in circulation, said Mr Narucha.

At the 134th annual Kamnan and Village Headmen’s Day held on Monday on the tourist island in Surat Thani, five shotguns were offered as prizes. On the same day, there was another shooting in Nonthaburi in which a former MP killed the head of the provincial administrative organisation, a former policeman.

Responding to the events in Nonthaburi, Mr Anutin on Tuesday ordered a blanket ban on issuing of new gun permits, along with a halt to the controversial “welfare guns” programme for public officials.

He has also ordered a new gun-control law to be drawn up within 60 days, with a strong emphasis on using technology to track and trace weapon sales and registrations.

Under normal procedures, recipients of the guns awarded at the event on Koh Phangan would have had to apply for Por.3 licences. However, the issuance of such licences has now been suspended nationwide through a government database system.

Mr Narucha said inspections of the guns awarded must be carried out each year, including checks on the recipients of such prizes.

Welfare guns on hold

Discussing the suspension of the “welfare gun” scheme, he said it was originally intended to help officials acquire firearms for maintaining public order at very low prices.

The programme, under which the government has procured tens of thousands of cut-price guns over the past 15 years or so, has given rise to a large resale market.

Given the government’s new policy to curb and limit firearms ownership, the programme has been suspended to ensure equal treatment between public officials and ordinary citizens.

Mr Anutin has also ordered a blanket ban on carrying weapons in public without proper authorisation.

Police have expressed concern that restrictions on carrying firearms, including requirements for officers to leave their weapons at their workplaces, could delay their response in emergencies.

Mr Narucha said the matter would be handled by individual agencies. As a solution, officials who are on duty may carry firearms if they have a written order from their superior assigning them to maintain public order within their area of responsibility.

All police stations and government agencies must issue supporting orders authorising officers who were performing such duties to carry firearms while on assignment, he added.

Gun raffle ‘a morale booster’

Sonchai Sithongkul, a member of the Surat Thani Provincial Administration Organisation, confirmed on Thursday that that the shotgun raffle at the 134th-anniversary celebration on Koh Phangan had indeed taken place.

Similar activities had been held for the past three or four years, he said on the Rueng Lao Chao Nee morning programme on TV Channel 3. Five people contributed to the purchase of the guns that were raffled off, with Mr Sonchai himself donating 20,000 baht.

The Koh Phangan district chief presided over the event, which was attended by kamnans, village headmen, administrative officials, police, local politicians and groups of housewives.

The programme included a dinner, live musical performances and a prize raffle.

Four of the shotguns went to recipients on Koh Tao and one to a recipient on Koh Phangan.

Mr Sonchai said the purpose of giving firearms as prizes was to boost morale and provide equipment for officials performing their duties, as the weapons available to personnel in the area were insufficient.

He acknowledged that in light of the government’s tougher stance on firearms, organisers would need to discuss arrangements for future events and consider different types of prizes.

Mr Sonchai said local officials working in the area needed to take their safety into consideration because they could encounter armed offenders.