Narathiwat – Assailants armed with M16 assault rifles ambushed and opened fire on a volunteer from the Su-ngai Padi Subdistrict Protection Unit while he was riding a motorcycle alone on an errand. They then ran out of the bushes intending to shoot him again to kill him. Fortunately, a ranger vehicle happened to pass by, and he narrowly escaped death.
At 13:19 on 4 June 2026, Police Lieutenant Tharitphat Khamhang, deputy investigator at Su-ngai Padi Police Station, Narathiwat Province, received a report of a shooting victim injured on the Paluru–Su-ngai Padi road, Village No. 3, Paluru Subdistrict, Su-ngai Padi District. He informed his superiors and proceeded to the scene with Police Colonel Tarmeesi Jae-dee, Superintendent of Su-ngai Padi Police Station, along with police and military personnel.
At the scene, the injured party was identified as Mr. Urupong Kamon, 35, a resident of Su-ngai Padi District, Narathiwat, and a member of the Territorial Defense Volunteers at the Su-ngai Padi Subdistrict Protection Unit. He had sustained a single M16 bullet wound to his torso and was found lying in a pool of blood beside a red Suzuki Smash motorcycle without license plates, which had fallen on its side. Military personnel had already transported him to Su-ngai Padi Hospital, where, after initial treatment, he was transferred to Su-ngai Kolok Hospital for further care.
The investigation at the scene, which was a dense grassy area, revealed footprints trampling the grass down in patches. Several spent M16 and shotgun shells were found in the grass and along the roadside. Traces showed that the assailants had fled by running through the grass, leaving a long trail of trampled vegetation. Authorities collected these as evidence.
According to the investigation, before the incident, Mr. Urupong was riding his motorcycle alone on an errand during his leave period. Upon reaching the scene, unidentified assailants concealed in the dense roadside grass opened fire with M16 assault rifles and shotguns, firing multiple rounds. Mr. Urupong was hit once, causing his motorcycle to lose control and fall. The assailants then emerged from the bushes intending to shoot him again to kill him. At that moment, a group of rangers from the 49th Ranger Battalion was passing by in a pickup truck, causing the assailants to flee, using their knowledge of the terrain to escape.
Authorities suspect the attack was carried out by members of an insurgent group aiming to assassinate government personnel as part of ongoing daily attacks.