Three men gunned down over two days

Three people have been gunned down, including a rubber tapper whose corpse was then set alight, in Yala over the past two days, police said.

Pol Lt Pratya Hethak, a duty officer at Yaha station, said rubber tapper Chatchai Saethong, 55, was slain yesterday on a local road in tambon Baror, in Yaha district and his body was set on fire.

His burned body was found near his motorcycle. There were spent 9mm cartridges strewn across the road which were taken as evidence, Pol Lt Pratya said.

The incident was reported at around 6.30am yesterday, he said.

An investigation found that Chatchai left home on his motorcycle to go to work. When he arrived at his rubber plantation he was attacked by an unknown number of suspects and shot dead, Pol Lt Pratya said after inspecting the crime scene.

The killers then poured petrol over Chatchai’s body and set him on fire before fleeing, he said.

Shortly after, Muang Yala police chief Pol Col Chamlong Suwaluck said he was alerted of the murder of a volunteer ranger in Muang district.

Pol Col Chamlong said he sent investigators to inspect the crime scene where they found Arnas Damusor, 26, a volunteer attached to the 41st Ranger Regiment’s Wang Raman camp in Raman district, lying dead on Poryani-Jorbo-ngor Road in tambon Sateng Nok.

He said the victim had multiple gunshot wounds. Seven spent AK rifle cartridges were found at the scene.

His relatives told investigators they heard gunfire shortly after Arnas left home yesterday morning. His body was found about 500 metres from his house.

Police initially attributed the killing to insurgents, but said personal conflicts have not been ruled out.

Another rubber tapper, Ibboroheng Radaeng, 36, was shot dead in a rubber plantation on Wednesday afternoon in Yaha district, police said.

Maeyoh Yeng, the victim’s wife, said she and her husband had gone to work as usual in a rubber plantation about 7km from the main road.

Around noon, Ms Maeyoh said she heard gunfire and found Ibboraheng lying dead with a severe shotgun wound to the head.

Police believe insurgents were responsible for the attack, adding that Ibboraheng was a former security volunteer.

Meanwhile, Pattani police have sought an arrest warrant for a man suspected of being involved in a garage owners murder and a car bomb attack last Sunday in Muang district.