Narathiwat mayor gunned down by four men
Popular two-term mayor of Rueso subdistrict fatally shot while in a meeting at his garment factory in troubled South
A group of four men armed with war weapons shot dead the mayor of Rueso subdistrict at his garment factory in Rueso district of Narathiwat province on Thursday.
The attack took place at around 11.30am at the factory of Hand-in-Hand Limited Partnership in Ban Ya Lae Bo Village in the southern border province, an officer of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) said.
Wichet Thaithongnum, 55, was shot several times inside a meeting room at the factory.
The officer said that CCTV footage revealed four assailants riding two motorcycles to the factory, wearing cloaks covering their upper bodies. They entered the meeting room and fired shots at Wichet, who was in a meeting with Nuree Dewadalae, chairwoman of the factory’s community enterprise.
After the attack, the men fled the scene on their vehicles.
Wichet, locally known as “Mayor Arm”, was a two-time mayor of Rueso subdistrict. He also served as the chairman of the Narathiwat sports association, a committee at the Narathiwat Community College, and owned the Hand-in-Hand factory, which makes garment products.
Officials are investigating the motive for the attack.
