The vice mayor of a Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO), in Khok Pho district of restive Pattani province, was shot and killed by insurgents on the Phet Kasem Road as he was returning home on a motorcycle from tending to his cattle on Friday evening.
According to eyewitnesses, two assailants on a motorcycle, believed to be insurgents, had stopped on the roadside and waited for their victim, 57-year-old Nan Kongsomboon.
They opened fire, killing Nan at the scene. They also stole the victim’s handgun.
When police and volunteers arrived at the scene, they kept a safe distance, fearing that the insurgents might have planted bombs nearby. The area was, however, cordoned off.
The officers waited until sunrise today, by which time they felt safe enough to move in to investigate. Eight spent M16 and six 9mm shells were found at the scene.
Police say that the victim’s brother had also been killed several years ago.
Of late, insurgent attacks on defence volunteers, police and public utilities have increased in the three southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
Credit: ThaiPost
