Thailand - Four shot dead in southern Thailand

Four local officials were killed yesterday in a gunfight in Pattani's Sai Buri by suspected insurgents, while a man was shot dead in Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district.

At about noon yesterday, a pickup truck with six men armed with war weapons chased another pickup carrying four officials on Sai Buri's Route 42. The gunmen opened fire at the victims' vehicle killing all four immediately and made off with weapons and the 300,000 baht (US$969) in cash they were carrying to pay local defence volunteers.

The victims - identified as kamnan Sangworn Suwannarat, his deputy Preecha Thong-iad, and assistants Suphaphorn Charoensuk and Phornthip Pho-ngern - worked for the administration office for tambon Thung Khla.

Quoting eyewitnesses, police said the gunmen were in a gold-coloured Isuzu pickup truck and theorised that they might have been insurgents. The police do not have information about the licence plate number.

Separately, Narathiwat-native 21-year-old Arphan Awae was shot dead at around 5am by two men on a motorcycle who followed him home from a pub. The police have not ruled out that the murder was insurgency related because thet20,000 baht ($646) the victim had on his person was left untouched. Police say the money might have been earned illegally.

News Desk

The Nation

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