Prayut shocked by attempt on life of Japan's ex-PM Abe
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was shocked by the gun attack on former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Friday.
Don said PM Prayut is about to issue a statement on the incident on behalf of the Thai government and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in Thailand’s capacity as Asean’s coordinator.
“The prime minister was extremely shocked by the incident. He didn’t think this would happen to his friend,” the foreign minister said.
According to him, Prayut and Abe have known each other for a long time as they often met during bilateral and international conferences, both in Thailand and Japan.
When asked by reporters at Government House on Friday, Prayut said he was aware of the attack on Abe. But he refused to comment on the matter, saying he had a sore throat.
Abe was shot on Friday morning, described as an assassination attempt by the Japanese media, while he was campaigning in the city of Nara ahead of Sunday’s election for the Japanese parliament’s upper house.
The 67-year-old former prime minister was in a “grave condition” after being shot, Japanese media quoted his successor and current PM, Fumio Kishida, as saying.
A 41-year-old man, identified as Yamagami Tetsuya, was arrested at the scene while holding a gun. The suspect has been taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder, according to Japanese media.
