Authorities arrested two men, a father and son, among four suspects involved in the shooting of Kamolsak, an MP from the Prachachat Party, which left his driver and police escort seriously injured. Both suspects initially deny the charges. DNA samples have been collected for further investigation.
Regarding the case, unknown assailants used a white four-door pickup truck of unknown make and license plate as a vehicle. They fired M16 assault rifles at Mr. Kamolsak Leevamo, 59, a member of parliament for Narathiwat’s 5th district representing the Prachachat Party, while he was riding in a black Toyota car registered in Yala, returning from Hat Yai airport. The shooting occurred in front of his residence on Phetkasem Road, Bajoh Subdistrict, Bajoh District, Narathiwat. Two people were seriously injured: Mr. Uchalum Kole, 55, the driver, and Police Sergeant Harirak Hemminah, 43, his police escort. The incident took place on 20 Mar 2016.
Most recently, at 23:10 on the night of 29 Mar 2016, Pol. Col. Niyom Suwankong, Superintendent of the Narcotics Suppression Division, Narathiwat Provincial Police, coordinated with the Narathiwat Special Operations Unit and police officers from Paluka Samo Police Station to apprehend Mr. Somporn, 57, a resident of Narathiwat, and his 24-year-old son Yotsakorn. They were driving a pickup truck from Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, and were among four suspects targeted under the Emergency Decree for the shooting of MP Kamolsak’s vehicle. The attack seriously injured the driver and police escort. Several items were seized, including an 11 mm handgun with a magazine loaded with 10 rounds and mobile phones.
Authorities then took the father and son into custody for expanded interrogation. Pol. Maj. Gen. Prayong Kotsakha, Chief of Narathiwat Provincial Police, Pol. Col. Direk Chomyong, Deputy Chief of Narathiwat Provincial Police, and officials from three related agencies jointly conducted in-depth investigations. DNA samples were collected from both Mr. Somporn and his son Yotsakorn. Both men initially deny the allegations.
A source from the team monitoring the case privately revealed that, after examining the trajectories of 32 M16 cartridge casings collected at the scene, the weapon had never been used in any security-related cases in the three southern border provinces. Preliminary investigations show no connection to political motives or security issues. Officials are persuading the two suspects to explain why four people were involved in the attack, whether anyone hired them, and who was behind it. Records show that Somporn has a history of involvement as a hired gunman.
Subsequently, reporters contacted MP Kamolsak Leevamo of Narathiwat regarding the arrest of suspects in the M16 shooting attack. However, he was unreachable as his mobile phone was off. He is currently on duty in Bangkok.
