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The incident occurred around 10 p.m. on August 7, when the two victims, 26-year-old Ong Yik Leong and 27-year-old Gan Xiao Zhen, were sitting on the steps of the mall.
The assailant approached them from behind, poured paint thinner over them from a plastic bottle, and set them alight, according to The Star.
The tourists reportedly fled after being doused, but the suspect chased them down and set them on fire, as reported by South China Morning Post.
Members of the public intervened, and the suspect was detained at the scene. He was handed over to the authorities and is currently in custody at a local police station.
Police said the suspect had recently been dismissed from his job as a security guard and was reportedly experiencing stress related to his unemployment.
The suspect, a 30-year-old man from Sa Kaeo province, allegedly attacked the victims out of frustration over his job loss.
Authorities are preparing formal charges of assault and are awaiting the victims’ recovery to take full statements from them.
Bong Yik Jui, the charge d'affaires ad interim at the Malaysian Embassy in Thailand, confirmed that the victims remain in critical but stable condition.
