Investigation Unit 9 police conducted a top-secret operation to arrest Lt. Col. Kowit Ratchaniya, the incoming mayor of Koh Yo SAO in Songkhla Province, at his home after a court issued an arrest warrant in the contract killing case of Kamnan Yong, a candidate for mayor of Tha Chamong SAO in Rat Phum District. He was apprehended while driving home. The mastermind reportedly paid a contract fee as high as 1.5 million baht, possibly more.
Regarding the shooting attack on Kamnan Yong, at 06:00 on 31 January 2026, reporters learned that the investigative team from Provincial Police Region 9, together with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and officers from Crime Suppression Division 6 led by Pol. Col. Sakda Charoenkul, Deputy Commander of Satun Provincial Police and acting Deputy Commander of Provincial Police Region 9, were involved.
They presented a court warrant from Phatthalung Province to arrest Lt. Col. Kowit Ratchaniya, also known as Mayor Wit, age 62, the incoming mayor of Koh Yo SAO in Mueang Songkhla District and former police officer, at his residence located in a village in Khuan Lang Subdistrict, Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province.
He is a suspect in the murder of Mr. Payom Sangthong, or Kamnan Yong, age 64, a candidate for mayor of Tha Chamong SAO in Rat Phum District, Songkhla. Kamnan Yong was shot dead in his Toyota Fortuner car on the evening of 19 December last year on Phru On–Tha Maprang Road, Moo 1, Thung Nari Subdistrict, Pa Bon District, Phatthalung Province, near the border with Tha Chamong Subdistrict, Rat Phum District, Songkhla, while returning home after a candidate team meeting.
The arrest plan for Lt. Col. Kowit, or Mayor Wit, was meticulously and covertly arranged to prevent him from being forewarned. Authorities surrounded his home and called him out, where he was found resting inside, and urged him to surrender.
Mayor Wit surrendered peacefully to authorities, who then showed him the arrest warrant and informed him of the charges. Initially, he denied the accusations. He was then taken to search another residence in Koh Yo Subdistrict, Mueang Songkhla District, for additional evidence.
Legally, Mayor Wit faces three charges: 1. Conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, 2. Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and 3. Carrying firearms in a community, village, or public area without a permit and without urgent or justified reasons according to circumstances.
Authorities have arrested four suspects involved in the killing team: the contractor, the shooter, and the driver. These include: 1. Lt. Col. Kowit Ratchaniya, or Mayor Wit, age 62, the incoming mayor of Koh Yo SAO and former police officer, who arranged the shooter; 2. Mr. Thanpisit Patsuwan, age 48, from Songkhla, the shooter; 3. Mr. Witawat Boonsanong, age 41, from Nakhon Nayok, who drove the sedan for the shooter; and 4. Mr. Sakchai Ratchaniya, age 50, Mayor Wit's younger brother, who drove the getaway vehicle after the crime.
Investigations have revealed that Mayor Wit was involved in hiring the killer and planning the assassination of Kamnan Yong.
On the day of the murder, the operation to eliminate Kamnan Yong started from Mayor Wit's house and returned there afterward. The contract fee was as high as 1.5 million baht, possibly more.
Following the incident, the investigative team from Provincial Police Region 9, led by Pol. Col. Sakda Charoenkul, acting Deputy Commander of Provincial Police Region 9, and Crime Suppression Division 6 officers, conducted continuous investigations and gathered evidence to identify the entire hit team. Lt. Col. Kowit Ratchaniya, or Mayor Wit, the incoming mayor of Koh Yo SAO, was identified as the contractor. The motive appears linked to local political conflicts. The case remains open as police continue to investigate and trace the mastermind behind the contract killing.
Meanwhile, this afternoon, Pol. Col. Sakda Charoenkul and Crime Suppression Division 6 officers continued their investigation and discovered that the black sedan used in the crime drove along the Asian Highway towards Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The suspects switched vehicles and fled. After reviewing CCTV footage, authorities found the vehicle abandoned in an abandoned sand pit over 50 rai belonging to a local woman in Moo 2, Cha-uat Subdistrict, Cha-uat District, Nakhon Si Thammarat. The police seized the vehicle and transported it to Provincial Police Region 9 headquarters for a press briefing scheduled for tomorrow. The vehicle will then be handed over to the Pa Bon Police Station for further legal proceedings.
Reports clarify that Lt. Col. Kowit Ratchaniya was the elected mayor of Koh Yo SAO in Mueang District, Songkhla, awaiting official certification from the Election Commission of Songkhla Province, but was arrested on charges of conspiracy to murder in the contract killing case of Kamnan Yong before assuming office.