In Narathiwat, Lieutenant Colonel Sanchai Tapan, Deputy Commander of Ranger Company 4511, was found dead inside his quarters. The commander of Ranger Task Force 45 stated the cause was depression and unrelated to stress from the attack on the Bukeh Sami checkpoint.
At 17:00 on 24 July 2026, Police Colonel Supachat Na Phatthalung, superintendent of Ra-ngae Police Station in Narathiwat Province, received a report from ranger personnel of Company 4511, stationed at Sa Mo Village, Bong O Subdistrict, Ra-ngae District, that a soldier had committed suicide inside his quarters. He, along with Colonel Wittaya Sariya, commander of Ranger Task Force 45, forensic officers, and related authorities, proceeded to the scene for investigation.
The deceased was identified as Lieutenant Colonel Sanchai Tapan, 49, Deputy Commander of Ranger Company 4511. He had a gunshot wound under his chin. Beside his body lay a 5.56mm CQ-A carbine rifle with one spent cartridge. Authorities collected evidence at the scene.
Records show Lieutenant Colonel Sanchai Tapan began service with Ranger Regiment 45 as a volunteer, passed the sergeant school examination, and rose to become a commissioned officer serving with the regiment for over 20 years. Originally from Surat Thani Province, he married a local woman from Yala Province and had two children, one of whom is disabled. He had been suffering from depression and undergoing continuous treatment for more than 10 years.
Lieutenant Colonel Sanchai Tapan’s body is at the morgue of Narathiwat Rajanagarindra Hospital. His family plans to transport the body on Sunday, 26 July 2026, to Yala Province for traditional funeral rites.
Colonel Wittaya Sariya, commander of Ranger Task Force 45, stated that Lieutenant Colonel Sanchai Tapan’s suicide was due to depression, not related to stress from the recent armed attack at the Bukeh Sami checkpoint, which caused the deaths of five rangers. While the entire regiment mourns that tragic event, it was not a factor in his decision to take his own life.