Pattanan Mumklang's mother Kanitha Koonthawee, 28, and grandmother Saowanee Donchot, 52, scatter the ashes of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre in the town of Uthai Sawan, into the sea at the Royal Navy base in Sattahip, in Chonburi province, Thailand, October 24, 2022. The chubby-cheeked girl with a toothy smile had dreamed of seeing the sea and playing in its waves. Her grandmother had promised they would visit this year. But on Oct. 6, Model and many of her classmates were murdered at their nursery by a former police officer, in the world's deadliest killing of children in recent years. Now, several weeks later, her family traveled to the coast to scatter her ashes. "Finally, I can bring you here," Saowanee said through tears. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
A boat bobbing on the Gulf of Thailand carried the ashes of four-year-old Pattanan Mumklang.
Nicknamed "Model", the chubby-cheeked girl with a toothy smile had dreamed of seeing the sea and playing in its waves. Her grandmother had promised they would visit this year.
Kanitha Koonthawee, 28, mother of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, holds up Model's picture during her cremation at Wat Si Uthai in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 12, 2022. "If the next life is real, please come back to be my daughter again," Kanitha said. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
But on Oct. 6, Model and many of her classmates were murdered at their nursery in northeastern Thailand by a former police officer, in the world's deadliest killing of children in recent years.
Now, several weeks later, her family traveled to the coast to scatter her ashes.
"Finally, I can bring you here," her 52-year-old grandmother Saowanee Donchot, who had been raising her, said through tears.
Phisnapa Mumklang, 30, speaks to Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha during a visit with family members of the victims, who were presented with a cheque symbolising government financial compensation, outside the daycare centre which was the scene of a mass shooting, in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 7, 2022. Some 36 people, 23 of them children, were killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
Model was among 36 people, 23 of them children, killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself.
The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss.
'SOUNDS OF JOY'
Kanitha Koonthawee, 28, pays her respects in front of the coffin of her daughter, Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, during a mass funeral at Wat Si Uthai in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 11, 2022. "If the next life is real, please come back to be my daughter again," Kanitha said. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
Model was among the oldest of the children killed last month, all aged between two and five.
She had a turbulent start in life. She was born in prison after her mother, Kanitha Koonthawee, was jailed on drug charges. Her father was also behind bars.
Her grandmother, rice farmer Saowanee, adopted her when she was eight months old, just as she was learning to stand, and the two quickly bonded. Saowanee remembers telling her, "You're my daughter now", as she was handed over.
Phisnapa Mumklang (C), 30, pays her respects during a mass funeral for the people, including her niece Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who were killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, at Wat Si Uthai in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 11, 2022. Model was among 36 people, 23 of them children, killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
"We were each other's shadows," she said. "We were together 24-7, apart from when she went to school."
Model was a boisterous child, her grandmother said in an interview in their family home, a single-storey house on a quiet street flanked by banana trees and coconut palms. If she wasn't getting her hands dirty playing in mud and sand, she was messing around with tools and plastic guns. She loved to play football.
Their home was filled with the girl's laughter and defiant squeals.
Pattanan Mumklang's mother Kanitha Koonthawee, 28, and grandmother Saowanee Donchot, 52, hold up the ashes of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre in the town of Uthai Sawan, before scattering them over the sea at the Royal Navy base in Sattahip, Chonburi province, Thailand, October 24, 2022. The chubby-cheeked girl with a toothy smile had dreamed of seeing the sea and playing in its waves. Her grandmother had promised they would visit this year. But on Oct. 6, Model and many of her classmates were murdered at their nursery by a former police officer, in the world's deadliest killing of children in recent years. Now, several weeks later, her family traveled to the coast to scatter her ashes. "Finally, I can bring you here," Saowanee said through tears. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
"Those were the sounds of joy, I realise now," Saowanee said.
'PLEASE DON'T BE MY LITTLE GIRL'
On the morning of Oct. 6, Saowanee dropped Model off at the nursery as usual. In the afternoon, employees of a government office next to the nursery came and asked if Model had been at school that morning. They told Saowanee to go there because there had been an attack.
Saowanee Donchot, 52, holds up the urn of her granddaughter Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre in the town of Uthai Sawan, before scattering her ashes over the sea at the Royal Navy base in Sattahip, Chonburi province, Thailand, October 24, 2022.The chubby-cheeked girl with a toothy smile had dreamed of seeing the sea and playing in its waves. Her grandmother had promised they would visit this year. But on Oct. 6, Model and many of her classmates were murdered at their nursery by a former police officer, in the world's deadliest killing of children in recent years. Now, several weeks later, her family traveled to the coast to scatter her ashes. "Finally, I can bring you here," Saowanee said through tears. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
On the drive there, she prayed, "Please don't let it be my little girl."
But when she asked officials at the scene, they were silent.
"My heart sank," she said. "I only thought, 'How am I going to continue to live?'"
Police officers stand guard outside a daycare centre, which was the scene of a mass shooting, in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand October 6, 2022. Some 36 people, 23 of them children, were killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
On her phone, she scrolled through photos taken at the nursery that day. The teachers, two of whom were also killed, sent daily updates to the parents and guardians about their children.
In one photo, Model sits cross-legged at a tiny desk in a blue bib and white shirt, in front of a wall plastered in rainbow stickers. She holds a pencil, intently focused on the page in front of her.
Model's belongings – tiny sneakers adorned with cartoons, a stuffed Piglet toy, a pink backpack with pictures from the Disney movie Frozen – lay strewn about their house.
Saowanee Donchot, 52, looks at a picture of her granddaughter Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, on her mobile phone at her house in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 23, 2022. Model's belongings – tiny sneakers adorned with cartoons, a stuffed Piglet toy, a pink backpack with pictures from the Disney movie Frozen – lay strewn about their house. "I told myself, I need to be strong," Saowanee said. "But how can I move on? What's the purpose of living? Who am I living for?" REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
"I told myself, I need to be strong," Saowanee said. "But how can I move on? What's the purpose of living? Who am I living for?"
Kanitha, who was working close to the capital of Bangkok after her release from prison, has moved back to the family home.
Wracked with guilt over her absence from her daughter's life, she asked, "Why didn't I do better for her?"
Buddhist monks and family members of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, pray at a temple near her house in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 12, 2022. Model was among 36 people, 23 of them children, killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
ASHES AND ROSE PETALS
In late October, Saowanee, Kanitha and other relatives made the long journey by bus and plane to the country's southern coast.
On the road, the family was quiet, but there was a sense of solace about being able to do something that Model had wanted.
Officials arrive with wreaths sent by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Queen Suthida and other royal family members during a mass funeral, at Wat Si Uthai temple, following a mass shooting at a daycare centre in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 8, 2022. Some 36 people, 23 of them children, were killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
Once on the boat, at a spot far from shore, the family unwrapped Model's ashes and let them float away on the waves. From a golden bowl, they scattered orange blossoms. Pink rose petals floated on the water.
"If the next life is real, please come back to be my daughter again," Kanitha said.
(Reporting by Athit Perawongmetha; Writing by Poppy McPherson; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)
(L-R) Naritsara Seanraksa, 11, Kanitha Koonthawee, 28, Wanna Kotcha, 47, and Saowanee Donchot, 52, arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport with a bag containing the ashes of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre in the town of Uthai Sawan, in Bangkok, Thailand, October 24, 2022. The chubby-cheeked girl with a toothy smile had dreamed of seeing the sea and playing in its waves. Her grandmother had promised they would visit this year. But on Oct. 6, Model and many of her classmates were murdered at their nursery by a former police officer, in the world's deadliest killing of children in recent years. Now, several weeks later, her family traveled to the coast to scatter her ashes. "Finally, I can bring you here," her grandmother Saowanee said through tears. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Saowanee Donchot, 52, the grandmother of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, holds up the shoes which Model was wearing on the last day at her house, in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 23, 2022. Model's belongings – tiny sneakers adorned with cartoons, a stuffed Piglet toy, a pink backpack with pictures from the Disney movie Frozen – lay strewn about their house. "I told myself, I need to be strong," Saowanee said. "But how can I move on? What's the purpose of living? Who am I living for?" REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Kanitha Koonthawee, 28, 2nd-L, mother of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, looks at a picture of Model as she gathers with her family members during a mass funeral at Wat Si Uthai in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 8, 2022. Model was among 36 people, 23 of them children, killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha A flower tribute is arranged in front of the daycare centre, which was the scene of a mass shooting, in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 8, 2022. Some 36 people, 23 of them children, were killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Pattanan Mumklang's mother Kanitha Koonthawee, 28, and grandmother Saowanee Donchot, 52, pay tribute to the ashes of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre in the town of Uthai Sawan, before scattering them over the sea at the Royal Navy base in Sattahip, Chonburi province, Thailand, October 24, 2022. The chubby-cheeked girl with a toothy smile had dreamed of seeing the sea and playing in its waves. Her grandmother had promised they would visit this year. But on Oct. 6, Model and many of her classmates were murdered at their nursery by a former police officer, in the world's deadliest killing of children in recent years. Now, several weeks later, her family traveled to the coast to scatter her ashes. "Finally, I can bring you here," Saowanee said through tears. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Saowanee Donchot, 52, sits next to the urn containing the ashes of her granddaughter Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre in the town of Uthai Sawan, as she travels with other family members to a beach at the Royal Navy base to scatter the ashes over the sea in Sattahip, Chonburi province, Thailand, October 24, 2022. The chubby-cheeked girl with a toothy smile had dreamed of seeing the sea and playing in its waves. Her grandmother had promised they would visit this year. But on Oct. 6, Model and many of her classmates were murdered at their nursery by a former police officer, in the world's deadliest killing of children in recent years. Now, several weeks later, her family traveled to the coast to scatter her ashes. "Finally, I can bring you here," Saowanee said through tears. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Toys are placed next to a stupa containing the urn of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, at a temple near her house in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 12, 2022. Model was among 36 people, 23 of them children, killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Family members and neighbours have lunch with Saowanee Donchot, 52, after she lost her granddaughter Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, in a mass shooting at a daycare centre in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 23, 2022. Model's belongings – tiny sneakers adorned with cartoons, a stuffed Piglet toy, a pink backpack with pictures from the Disney movie Frozen – lay strewn about their house. "I told myself, I need to be strong," Saowanee said. "But how can I move on? What's the purpose of living? Who am I living for?" REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Buddhist monks sprinkle holy water onto the urn of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, at a temple near her house in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 12, 2022. Model was among 36 people, 23 of them children, killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Saowanee Donchot, 52, the grandmother of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, places Model's urn inside a stupa at a temple near her house in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 12, 2022. Model was among 36 people, 23 of them children, killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Saowanee Donchot, 52, grandmother of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, reacts outside the daycare centre in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 6, 2022. Model was among 36 people, 23 of them children, killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha A coffin containing the body of Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, burns during her cremation at Wat Si Uthai in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 12, 2022. Model was among 36 people, 23 of them children, killed by an ex-cop wielding a knife and a gun during an hours-long rampage that only ended when he killed his girlfriend, her son, and himself. The massacre has plunged the tight-knit rural community in northeastern Thailand into shock and left dozens of families grappling with incomprehensible loss. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Saowanee Donchot, 52, looks at a picture of her granddaughter Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, on her mobile phone at her house, in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 23, 2022. Model's belongings – tiny sneakers adorned with cartoons, a stuffed Piglet toy, a pink backpack with pictures from the Disney movie Frozen – lay strewn about their house. "I told myself, I need to be strong," Saowanee said. "But how can I move on? What's the purpose of living? Who am I living for?" REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Kanitha Koonthawee, 28, is reflected in a picture of her daughter Pattanan Mumklang (known as "Model"), 4, who was killed in a mass shooting at a daycare centre, at her house in the town of Uthai Sawan, Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand, October 12, 2022. "If the next life is real, please come back to be my daughter again," Kanitha said. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
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