An army officer, on his Songkran break visiting his family in the southern province of Pattani, was shot dead by insurgents in front of his family home in Panare district on Saturday.

The 4th special force regiment, based in Phitsanuloke province, expressed condolences to the family of the victim, Sgt-Maj (first class) Ruslan Doloh, a member of the regiment, yesterday in a Facebook post.

According to the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) of the Fourth Region’s Forward Command, 37-yearold Ruslan refereed at a soccer match in Panare’s municipal area yesterday afternoon.

After the match, Ruslan rode back to the house on a motorcycle. As he arrived at the door, insurgents emerged from their hiding place in the compound and opened fire, killing him at the scene.

Police found several spent 9mm and 7.62mm shells.