The live broadcast of the government lottery draw was halted when a 35year old woman threatened one of the emcees with a screwdriver.
The live broadcast of the government lottery draw was temporarily halted when a 35-year-old woman threatened one of the emcees with a screwdriver.
The lottery draw, held in Phatthalung province’s City Hall on Friday, was being broadcast live on Channel 5. The hall was crowded with lottery hopefuls and related officials.
The attacker, later identified as Prapapan from Phatthalung’s Muang district, is believed to have a history of mental illness.
The Channel 5 emcee, Thananya Pipitwinchakarn, was announcing the funds the Government Lottery Office was donating to local authorities, when Prapapan approached her.
Video footage of the incident shows Prapapan walking past the television camera towards Thananya who was looking down. Suddenly Prapapan held a screwdriver against the emcee’s neck.
Two men sprang up to rescue Thananya, and as they were dragging Prapapan away, she was heard yelling that her problems have never been solved or reported by the media. The broadcast of the lottery draw was then temporarily suspended.
The attack left the emcee slightly injured.
Police investigators claim that Prapapan appears to be mentally ill. She apparently tried to lodge a complaint with local authorities and the media on February 28, but when nobody paid her any attention, she was heard yelling that she would make everybody learn about Phatthalung.
