Community leaders shot dead in Thai far South

PATTANI, May 3 (TNA) - Gunmen shot a kamnan, or village head, and three assistants dead here on Thursday and took two guns from the victims. A group of 4-5 gunmen on a pickup truck attacked a vehicle, carrying the victims on Road No. 42 (Narathiwat-Pattani) in Baan Ba-ngo Burong of the Trohbon locality in Sai Buri district. The victims were identified as Sangworn Suwannarat, the kamnan of tambon Thungkhla, Tambon Thungkhla inspector Preecha Thong-iad and the kamnan’s assistants, Supaporn Charoensuk and Porntip Pho-ngoen. The gunmen fired assault rifles at the vehicle, which then plunged into a roadside and crashed into a tree. But the attackers kept showering the victims with bullets in the stopped vehicles until all the four people died and stole a shotgun and a .38 pistol from the vehicle. The violence took place when the victims were returning from a meeting at the Sai Buri district office and heading for their houses. (TNA)