Johor crown prince says family was near Siam Paragon shooting, later sought refuge at Singapore embassy

JOHOR BAHRU: Johor's crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has revealed that he and his family were near the shooting incident at Siam Paragon mall on Tuesday evening (Oct 3) and later sought refuge at the Singapore embassy in Bangkok after things escalated.

In response to queries, Singapore's foreign ministry told CNA that it was "honoured" to assist the crown prince, adding that both Malaysia and Singapore share "a tradition of mutual support for our citizens who may need help whilst overseas".

The shooting incident on Tuesday afternoon saw two women killed - one from China and the other from Myanmar. Five others were injured. Thai police have arrested a 14-year-old suspected gunman. 

In an Instagram story posted at around 11.30pm yesterday, Tunku Ismail said that he, his wife Che' Puan Besar Khaleeda and the couple’s four children were in a hotel lobby near the mall when they heard people “shouting and running” after the shooter started firing.

“It was loud and there was a lot of screaming. We were all sitting in the hotel lobby at that time. We carried the kids/family to safety, running to the basement with my team, and the only thing on my mind was how many shooters were there, what weapons they had and what was the situation,” wrote Tunku Ismail, who did not name the hotel they were in during the incident.

He said that he and his team had to be prepared “for any circumstance” at that point when they heard gunshots. 

“I still have images of me telling my kids, ‘everything is going to be okay. Babah and Mama are here' and telling them to get down while waiting for the car,” said Tunku Ismail.  

He added that he and his security team then stood in front of his family members, creating “a human shield to protect them at all cost”.

“The idea was to get the family and my team out of there. My wife hugged all our kids, staying low and trying to calm them because they were terrified and were crying. I was shouting at the top of my voice to our security to get the car to the basement and get us to a secure location away from the place,” wrote Tunku Ismail. 

“I told them to get us to the Malaysian embassy, and the driver told us the Singapore embassy was closer and that was when I contacted the Singapore Consul General in Johor. Now we're here safe in the (Singapore) Embassy,” he added. 

Tunku Ismail said he then called Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Defence Minister Mohamad Hasan to inform them what happened and said that the family would fly back to Johor “once all is secure”. 

“This is the worst experience I've ever gone through. Protecting the lives of my children from a killer,” wrote Tunku Ismail. 

“Alhamdulillah, we're safe. Thanks to my security team and our friends from Singapore and Malaysia. I will forever be grateful to all of you,” he added. 

In an Instagram story post at around 3am on Wednesday, Tunku Ismail's wife Che' Puan Besar Khaleeda wrote that she was grateful that her family was safe following the incident. 

"Syukur Alhamdullilah everyone from our family and entourage are safe and sound. Thank you very much for your prayers, well wishes and kind thoughts," she wrote. 

When contacted, a spokesperson from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said officials from the Singapore embassy in Bangkok were "honoured to receive" the Johor crown prince and his family following the shooting incident on Tuesday. 

"Malaysia and Singapore are close neighbours with a tradition of mutual support for our citizens who may need help whilst overseas," the spokesperson said.

"Malaysia has also graciously extended consular assistance to Singapore nationals on other occasions. In April 2023, Malaysia helped evacuate 14 Singaporeans from Khartoum, Sudan, following the outbreak of conflict there." 

CNA has also contacted the Malaysian foreign ministry for more details.