Johor Crown Prince thanks Singapore for helping him and family as he recounts Bangkok Siam Paragon mall shooting

Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who was near the scene of Tuesday's shooting incident in Bangkok, has recounted his experience and thanked Singapore for keeping him and his family safe.

Writing on his Facebook and X pages late on Tuesday night (Oct 3), Tunku Ismail said he and his family were sitting in a hotel lobby near Siam Paragon shopping mall when people started shouting and running into the building when the shooter started firing.

He said he and his family, together with their security team, immediately ran to the hotel's basement. He did not say which hotel they were at.

"We had to be on alert and be prepared for any circumstance because all we knew at that point were the gunshots we heard. We didn't have any other information and had to be ready for anything," Tunku Ismail said.

"I still have images (in his mind) of me telling my kids, 'Everything is going to be okay. Babah and mama are here,'" he added. He also told his four children aged between two and seven to stay down while they waited for their car to arrive.

At the same time, he and his security team "stood in front" of the family to create a "human shield to protect them at all cost", Tunku Ismail added.

He said all he wanted was to get his family and his team out safely.

Meanwhile, his wife, Che' Puan Besar Khaleeda, tried to calm the terrified, crying children by hugging them while staying low.

Once their transport arrived, Tunku Ismail told the driver to get them to the Malaysian embassy, but he was told that the Singapore embassy was nearby.

That was when he contacted Singapore's Consul-General Jeevan Singh in Johor for help.

"Now we're here safe in the embassy," he said, adding that he also called Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Defence Minister Mohamad Hasan to inform them of the situation. The Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand Jojie Samuel joined him later.

Thai police on Tuesday arrested the teenage gunman suspected of killing two foreigners and wounding five people in a shooting spree at the luxury mall, spreading panic as hundreds ducked for cover throughout the nine-storey complex, while others fled through its multiple exits.

The shooting that took place along Bangkok's main shopping belt came as the country had been rolling out measures to boost its sluggish economic recovery.

Tunku Ismail said he would fly back to Johor once it was safe to do so.

He wrote a follow-up post three hours later saying he has landed in Johor.

"This is the worst experience I've ever gone through. Protecting the lives of my children from a killer. Two people died. May God bless their innocent souls," he said.

Although he expressed his sadness at missing the football match between Johor Darul Ta'zim and BG Pathum United on Tuesday night as part of the 2023 AFC Champions League, he was glad his family and his team were safe.

Tunku Ismail is the owner of Johor Darul Ta'zim football club, one of Malaysia's leading clubs.

"Alhamdulillah (thanks be to God), we're safe. Thanks to my security team and our friends from Singapore and Malaysia. I will forever be grateful to all of you."

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.