Tak Bai Police Station officers conducting a drug raid in Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province, were fired upon by gunmen. Two officers were killed and three injured. Officials are rushing to seal off the palm plantation to apprehend the suspects.Tags: [police raid, drug investigation, shooting, Narathiwat, Tak Bai, palm plantation, casualties]
At 11:48 a.m. on 2 Aug 2016, Pol Col Phakawat Wansanuk, Chief of Tak Bai Police Station in Narathiwat, was notified of a gunfight between suspects and police at a makeshift shelter inside a palm plantation at Ban Bueng Chalam, behind the Phraiwan Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Village No. 6, Phraiwan Subdistrict. The clash caused fatalities and injuries among officers. He reported to superiors and joined Pol Lt Gen Piyawat Chalermsri, Commander of Police Region 9; Pol Maj Gen Prayong Kotsakha, Narathiwat Provincial Police Chief; Pol Col Direk Chomyong, Deputy Provincial Police Chief; Mr. Krisda Suksabai, Tak Bai District Chief; along with bomb disposal teams from the Narathiwat Police Provincial Division, forensic officers, and related personnel to inspect the scene.Tags: [police chief, investigation, gunfight, Narathiwat authorities, bomb disposal, forensic team]
Two police officers were found dead by the roadside opposite the makeshift shelter, separated by a drainage canal. They were identified as: 1. Sergeant Hamran Ha, head of the investigation team at Tak Bai Police, shot multiple times in the chest and body; and 2. Corporal Wittaya Chaipromkaew, also investigation team leader, shot multiple times in the body on the bridge leading to the shelter.Tags: [fatalities, police officers, gunshot wounds, Tak Bai Police]
Three officers were injured: 1. Lieutenant Kittipong Srikham suffered a grazing bullet wound to his left ribs; 2. Police Corporal Traitos Kulsantawasiri sustained a grazing bullet wound to the head; and 3. Corporal Wannuchit Saeko was shot in both legs. They were resting near the shelter when the attack occurred. Authorities transported the deceased and wounded to Tak Bai Hospital. After initial treatment, the three injured officers were transferred to Narathiwat Rajanagarindra Hospital for further care.Tags: [injured officers, medical evacuation, Tak Bai Hospital, Narathiwat Hospital]
At the scene, authorities found M16 shell casings beside the shelter and inside the palm plantation at three locations, totaling over 10 rounds. Three suspected men, initially identified as residents of the shelter, were taken to the Marine Ranger Command interrogation center in Tak Bai District, Narathiwat, for further investigation to determine any involvement or knowledge of the incident.Tags: [evidence collection, shell casings, suspects detained, interrogation, Tak Bai]
Investigation revealed that before the incident, Lieutenant Kittipong Srikham, deputy investigation chief at Tak Bai Police, led a six-officer team traveling by pickup truck to investigate drug-related matters in the village.Tags: [drug investigation, police operation, Tak Bai Police]
After completing their mission, they were returning to Tak Bai Police Station in the pickup when they spotted a group of men sitting at a shelter with several motorcycles parked on the road. Lieutenant Kittipong ordered the driver to stop for inspection. As officers disembarked and split up to approach the shelter, separated by a drainage canal, one gunman fired multiple M16 rounds at Sergeant Hamran, causing him to collapse.Tags: [police approach, inspection, ambush, gunfire, M16 rifles]
The officers then launched a counterattack. The gunman, cornered, fled into the adjacent palm plantation. Corporal Wittaya pursued the suspect, who hid at the base of a palm tree and fired multiple shots, wounding Wittaya and causing him to fall.Tags: [chase, gunfight, palm plantation, pursuit, injured officer]
A firefight ensued between officers and the gunmen, resulting in three officers wounded by gunfire. When the gunmen learned police were requesting reinforcements via radio, they fired to cover their escape and used their knowledge of the terrain to flee successfully.Tags: [firefight, police reinforcements, gunmen escape, terrain familiarity]
Most recently, Pol Lt Gen Piyawat, Police Region 9 Commander, ordered joint forces from the military, police, and local administration to surround and pressure the suspects believed to be hiding in the palm plantation. No reports yet confirm if the suspects have been captured. The area has been declared a danger zone, prohibiting unauthorized persons and media from entering due to safety concerns.Tags: [manhunt, joint forces, cordon, danger zone, media restrictions]
A police source from Tak Bai Police Station, speaking privately, revealed that one fleeing suspect may not be connected to the shelter residents but could be a member of an insurgent group temporarily seeking refuge. The suspect reportedly threatened to stay briefly but fired upon officers upon their arrival, believing they intended to arrest them. Authorities will continue investigating.Tags: [suspect background, insurgency, temporary refuge, police investigation]