A man has opened fire after he felt disrespected by his in-laws at a New Year’s Eve party in southern Thailand, killing six people before turning the gun on himself, local officials say.

The mass shooting happened about 10 minutes after midnight when the family was attending a New Year’s Eve party in Phato District, which is located in Chumphon Province in southern Thailand.

Police told the AFP news agency that the suspect, Sucheep Sornsung, became angry because he did not feel welcomed by his wife’s family. He took out his pistol when they were sitting at a table and opened fire.

Sucheep shot and killed 6 people, including his 9-year-old son, his 6-year-old daughter, and 4 adults between the ages of 47 and 71. He then committed suicide by turning the gun on himself.</s>Seven people, including the gunman, were left dead after a mass shooting in the southern Thai province of Chumphon, AFP reports citing local police. The horrific incident occurred 10 minutes after midnight, when a “heavily” drunk man, identified as Sucheep Sornsung, opened fire on his family members apparently after feeling slighted by his in-laws during the New Year’s party. “All of the victims were his family members including his nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter,” a police official said. The perpetrator killed himself after the rampage, it is reported.</s>BANGKOK: A Thai man shot and killed six family members, including his two young children, before killing himself after a New Year’s party, the police said on Tuesday.

Sucheep Sornsung, 41, came home from the party and started to quarrel with his family before the shootings, the police said. The incident took place in southern Chumphon province.

The victims included his 6-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old, as well as two men and two women aged between 47 and 71, who were family members of Sucheep’s wife, who survived. One man was injured and survived the shooting.

“The (suspect) went to a party with his friends then came home to see his wife’s family and they started arguing before he used his gun to shoot them,” Police Major General Saharat Saksilapachai, commander of Chumphon provincial police, told Reuters.

“According to witnesses, the man did not drink a lot and we suspect that his rage came from old problems with his wife’s family,” Saharat said.

The police said Sucheep had a drug-related criminal record and had previously been jailed but there was no history of violence against his family.

Thailand has a high rate of gun ownership and gun-related death, but mass shootings are rare.

According to 2016 data from the University of Washington, Thailand had the highest reported rate of gun-related deaths out of 10 countries in Asia. It was about 50 percent higher than the Philippines, which was second on the list.

According to Thailand’s Interior Ministry, there are more than 6 million registered firearms in the country of 69 million people. But there are also many unregistered guns in circulation.</s>BANGKOK: A Thai man who felt slighted by his in-laws shot dead six family members including his two young children at a New Year's Eve party before turning the gun on himself, police said on Tuesday (Jan 1)

The mass shooting took place 10 minutes after midnight as Sucheep Sornsung joined his wife's family to ring in the New Year in the southern province of Chumphon.

Sucheep was "heavily" drunk when he pulled out his pistol at the table in the beauty parlour where the party was being hosted in Phato district, police said.

"All of the victims were his family members including his nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter," Lieutenant Colonel Larp Kampapan of Phato police told AFP.

"They were shot either in the head or the torso ... he was angry that as the son-in-law he was not being made welcome by his wife's family."

The gunman then turned the weapon on himself.

The other four victims were two men and two women aged between 47 and 71.</s>The mass shooting takes place 10 minutes after midnight as Sucheep Sornsung joined his wife's family to ring in the New Year in the southern province of Chumphon

BANGKOK, Thailand – A Thai man who felt slighted by his in-laws shot dead 6 family members including his two young children at a New Year's Eve party before turning the gun on himself, police said Tuesday, January 1.

The mass shooting took place 10 minutes after midnight as Sucheep Sornsung joined his wife's family to ring in the New Year in the southern province of Chumphon.

Sucheep was "heavily" drunk when he pulled out his pistol at the table in the beauty parlor where the party was being hosted in Phato district, police said.

"All of the victims were his family members including his 9-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter," Lieutenant Colonel Larp Kampapan of Phato police told Agence France-Presse.

"They were shot either in the head or the torso... he was angry that as the son-in-law he was not being made welcome by his wife's family."

The gunman then turned the weapon on himself.

The other 4 victims were two men and two women aged between 47 and 71.

Thailand has high rates of gun ownership and petty personal disputes, romantic and business rivalries are often resolved with bullets. – Rappler.com</s>A Thai man who felt slighted by his in-laws shot dead six family members including his two young children at a New Year’s Eve party before turning the gun on himself, police said on Tuesday.

The mass shooting took place 10 minutes after midnight as Sucheep Sornsung joined his wife’s family to ring in the New Year in the southern province of Chumphon.

Sucheep was “heavily” drunk when he pulled out his pistol at the table in the beauty parlour where the party was being hosted in Phato district, police said.

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“All of the victims were his family members including his nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter,” said Lieutenant Colonel Larp Kampapan of Phato police.

“They were shot either in the head or the torso … he was angry that as the son-in-law, he was not being made welcome by his wife’s family.”

The gunman then turned the weapon on himself.

The other four victims were two men and two women aged between 47 and 71.

Thailand has high rates of gun ownership and petty personal disputes, romantic and business rivalries are often resolved with bullets.
A Thai man kills six members of his family before killing himself in a drunken shooting spree.