A violent case unfolded when a gunman on a motorcycle drew a 9mm pistol and fired multiple shots, killing the owner of a famous coffee brand while he was talking with monks and workers setting up a market tent in front of a temple. Police are focusing on two main lines of inquiry about the motive.
On 6 July 2026, reports stated that at 20:20 on 5 July, Police Lieutenant Colonel Samart Thanin, an investigator at Tha Sae Police Station, received a report of a shooting incident on a concrete road at the entrance of Hin Khao meditation center, Village No. 17, Rap Ro subdistrict, Tha Sae district, Chumphon province. He informed his superiors and went to the scene with Police Colonel Chalard Phonnakarn, Chief of Tha Sae Police Station, Police Lieutenant Colonel Wichai Saengwichian, Deputy Chief Investigator, Police Colonel Thongchai Nuijaroen, Deputy Commander of Chumphon Provincial Police, and patrol and investigation teams.
The incident occurred on a concrete road in the alley leading to Hin Khao meditation center, about 300 meters from the temple, in a community near the Thai-Myanmar border. Workers were preparing to set up market stalls with tents for a durian festival scheduled from 10 to 20 July. The area was dark with no lighting. Authorities found only a pool of blood at the scene.
The victim was still alive with a weak pulse. Nearby villagers and monks provided first aid before he was taken to Tha Sae Hospital but died en route. The victim was identified as Mr. Thanongsak Promchaisri, 51, who was shot with a 9mm pistol twice in the left chest and twice in the abdomen. Police found 15 nine-millimeter shell casings scattered on the road and multiple bullet holes on the concrete surface. They documented and collected the casings as evidence.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Mr. Thanongsak Promchaisri, owner of the “Chai Kae” coffee brand from Panwaal, Chumphon, sold ground coffee, fresh coffee, and specialty blends. He founded a community-based agricultural tourism enterprise and was a well-known figure in Chumphon. He often lectured on coffee processing and community tourism, participating in exhibitions with government agencies locally and nationwide. Before the incident, he had walked from his coffee shop on the road near the temple entrance—about 300 meters from his main residence—to speak with monks and workers preparing tents for the durian festival to be held at Hin Khao meditation center from 10 to 20 July.
After about 10 minutes of conversation with the monks and workers, a suspect wearing black clothing, a hat, and a mask concealing his face—described as stocky, about 165 cm tall, aged 40-45—arrived on a motorcycle of unknown color and license plate. He parked nearby, approached Mr. Thanongsak, drew a 9mm pistol, and fired 15 shots without hesitation until the magazine was empty. Mr. Thanongsak tried to evade the bullets but was hit four times in the torso and collapsed on the concrete road. The gunman then ran back to the running motorcycle and sped away quickly.
At 10:30 on 6 July 2026, Mrs. Sutisa Promchaisri, wife of Mr. Thanongsak, arrived at Tha Sae Police Station with their son to provide further statements to Police Colonel Chalard Phonnakarn, Chief of Tha Sae Police Station, and investigators. After spending more than an hour, she hurried to collect her husband's body from Tha Sae Hospital to perform funeral rites at Hin Khao temple.
Later, Police Colonel Chalard Phonnakarn, the Tha Sae Police Chief, along with investigation and patrol officers, returned to the crime scene to collect detailed evidence and review CCTV footage along various roads believed to be the route the suspect took to escape on the motorcycle.
Regarding the brutal shooting of the famous “Chai Kae” coffee brand owner, police are focusing on two main motives: a personal conflict the victim had been involved in and a romantic issue from earlier in the year. Authorities are gathering evidence and conducting investigations, with expectations to apprehend the suspect soon.