A group of ten armed men killed two durian buyers in Yala’s Bannang Sata district last night. One of the victims was the son of a village headman and the other was from Chanthaburi province.
The attackers made off with the victims’ side arms, gold necklaces, bracelets and Bt50,000 in cash.
Police examining the scene said the attack occurred at about 9.25pm and that a large number of spent shell casings, from military-grade weapons, were found in and around tents, which the victims had erected for the purchase of durian from local planters in Talingchan sub-district.
Initial investigations have revealed that the attackers called the victims out of their tents before opening fire on them. Police are still investigating whether the attack was related to separatist groups in the south.
One of the victims, the son of a village headman, had been shot in his car in 2006, while the other was his friend, who came to the area annually to buy durian.
