8 MASSACRED BY GUNMEN POSING AS GOVT OFFICIALS IN KRABI
Gunmen in uniform raid Muslim family’s home, tied and blindfolded captives before massacring them
EIGHT relatives, including three children, were killed by gunmen posing as government officials in Krabi province, police said yesterday, a mass slaying investigators believe was sparked by a personal conflict.
Police say six or seven men, dressed in camouflage outfits, stormed a house in the southern province at 4pm on Monday.
They took 10 people hostage and waited for the owner of the property — a local village chief — to return.
“Around 8pm, the owner arrived, and all of them were handcuffed and blindfolded until midnight, when the gunmen opened fire,” said Chaiwut Buathong, chief of Ao Luek district.
Six died at the scene and two others died in hospital, Chaiwut said, adding that three of the victims were girls under 15. Three others were taken to hospital with one in critical condition.
Deputy national police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said the victims came from a local Muslim family and that the gunmen “claimed to be officials who wanted to check on illegal activity”.
Photos taken by medical workers showed two bodies slumped on a blood-splattered children’s bed, with a teddy bear thrown to one side.
Police said they were investigating possible motives, including a property dispute between the village chief and locals who occupied public land.
“Personally, I believe that the motive is a serious personal conflict,” said national police chief Chaktip Chaijinda, who flew to Krabi to lead the investigation.
Firearm ownership is common in Thailand and the country has one of the highest gun-related homicide rates in Asia.
Petty arguments and disputes frequently turn deadly but mass organised killings are rare.
Krabi province is a popular holiday destination boasting beaches like Ao Nang and Rai Ley, though Monday’s killings took place in an area removed from the main tourist drags.
The province boasts a large Muslim community who lived there for centuries. They are Thai speakers and ethnically different from the Malay-speaking Muslims. AFP