Prime Minister Bans Shotguns as Raffle Prizes
Thailand's Prime Minister has banned shotguns as raffle prizes for local officials, ordering the Department of Provincial Administration to replace firearms with cash or commemorative items instead following a controversial giveaway on Koh
BANGKOK — On 13 August 2026, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered the Department of Provincial Administration to immediately stop awarding shotguns as raffle prizes, following an incident in which five long-barrelled shotguns were offered at a Kamnan and village headmen's celebration on Koh Phangan.
Speaking at Impact Muang Thong Thani at 10:20, Department of Provincial Administration chief Narucha Khosa-siwilais said the government's policy was to control the number of firearms in circulation, including by suspending the issuance of Por 3 firearm-acquisition permits.
He said kamnan and village headmen would no longer receive guns as prizes. Organisers must instead offer rewards of equivalent value, such as cash or commemorative pins.
"The urgent policy at present is that this must be cancelled or suspended first," Narucha said, adding that regulations allow prizes to be replaced with items of comparable value.
The shotguns raffled at Koh Phangan last week still require Por 3 permits before they can be legally obtained, he said. As permits have now been suspended nationwide through a central database system, officials will review the case and the recipients.
Narucha also addressed concerns over the suspension of the welfare firearm scheme for officials, which some police officers say could make their work more difficult. He said welfare firearms were intended for officials carrying out public-order duties, but the scheme must also be suspended under the urgent policy to limit firearms, in order to treat state officials and the public equally.
Officials may carry firearms only while on duty and where they have written authorisation from a supervisor assigning them to public-order duties in their area of responsibility, he said. Police stations and government agencies must issue orders covering officers authorised to carry guns for duty.
Anutin, speaking shortly beforehand at the same venue, said he had instructed the department chief to cancel the policy and replace firearms with other prizes.
