Vice mayor gunned down in ambush on Pattani highway

In a brazen attack on the Phet Kasem Road, the vice mayor of a Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO) in Khok Pho district, Pattani province, was brutally murdered by suspected insurgents on Friday evening.

Witnesses reported that 57 year old Nan Kongsomboon was ambushed by two men on a motorcycle as he was returning home after tending to his cattle. The assailants believed to be insurgents, lay in wait by the roadside before launching their deadly assault. They opened fire, killing Nan instantly, and made off with his handgun.

Responding to the incident, police and volunteers approached the scene with caution, wary of potential bombs planted by the attackers. The area was immediately cordoned off, and the authorities waited until sunrise to commence a thorough investigation. At first light, they discovered eight spent M16 shells and six 9mm casings at the scene.

This violent act adds to the growing list of insurgent attacks plaguing the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. Police revealed that Nan Kongsomboon’s family had already been touched by tragedy, as his brother was also murdered by insurgents several years ago, reported Thai PBS World.

The frequency of these attacks has escalated recently, targeting defence volunteers, police, and public utilities. The local community remains on high alert, grappling with the persistent threat posed by insurgent groups.

In related news, a brazen shooting at a football field in the Pattani Province resulted in the tragic loss of two community leaders.

At around 6.30pm on May 7, gunmen opened fire, killing a subdistrict administrative organisation clerk and a village headman. Two bystanders, including a government official and a meatball vendor, were also injured in the incident.

In other news, a deadly confrontation unfolded in the Thung Yang Daeng district, Pattani, where a four-hour gunfight resulted in the deaths of two suspects and left one officer injured.

This violent exchange occurred on May 1 at a rented house under surveillance for harbouring individuals wanted by the law.