Two anti-terrorism policemen who sacrificed their lives to end the mass shooting in Thailand’s northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima were received in a royally sponsored bathing ceremony in Bangkok, according to local TV on Monday.
The bodies of Trakul Tha-asa and Petcharat Kamchadphai, both 35, were transported from Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok. Their coffins were covered with Thai national flags, with senior officers and guards walking next to the coffins.
Their bodies were later moved to their hometown for funerals.
National police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda on Monday praised on TV the anti-terrorism officers’ acts of heroism.
These two officers sacrificed their lives to protect innocent people as the shooter used war weapons that could penetrate body armors, said Chakthip at the honoring ceremony.
The shooting rampage starting from Saturday afternoon killed at least 29 people and injured over 50 others in the Terminal 21 shopping mall, and the gunman himself was shot dead by security forces on Sunday.
All cabinet ministers and officials at Government House are to wear black on Tuesday as Thailand mourns those victims killed in the shooting.
Meanwhile, Nakhon Ratchasima Governor Wichian Chantharanothai on Monday said that nine of the injured are in a critical condition, with three still remaining unconscious.
