Militants ambushed and shot a ranger soldier during duty in Ra-ngae, Narathiwat Province, critically injuring him before he died.
On 28 Sep 2026, it was reported that at 19:22 on 27 Sep 2026, Lt. Chalit Khonnakriangkhai, Deputy Investigating Officer at Ra-ngae Police Station, Narathiwat Province, was notified that Ranger Asst. Sgt. Sugrarn Lateh, 32, from the Mobile Unit, 4515th Ranger Company, 45th Ranger Regiment, had been wounded in an ambush.
The incident occurred within a rubber plantation at Ban Kujing Luepa, Village No. 4, Chalerm Subdistrict, Ra-ngae District, Narathiwat. The authorities reported to their superiors and proceeded to inspect the scene with Pol. Col. Suphachat Na Phatthalung, Chief of Ra-ngae Police Station, Col. Witya Sariya, Commander of Task Force Ranger 45, police, military personnel, and emergency responders from Chalerm Subdistrict Administrative Organization.
At the dense rubber plantation site, a village road divided the area. The body of Ranger Asst. Sgt. Sugrarn was found lying in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to the chest below the nipple from an unknown firearm. Officers quickly transported him to Ra-ngae Hospital, but he later died due to severe injuries.
Initial investigations suggested the militants likely used a dirt embankment across the road, also within a rubber plantation, to ambush. Officers found no evidence of the assailants on site due to the dense plantation and unfavorable terrain. The area was secured to coordinate with the bomb disposal unit from Narathiwat Provincial Police and the forensic team for inspection the next morning.
At 11:00 on 28 Sep 2026, Maj. Gen. Yod Arth Phuengpak, Commander of Narathiwat Task Force, Pol. Col. Suphachat Na Phatthalung, and Col. Witya Sariya, accompanied by EOD teams, forensic experts, and canine units, inspected the scene. They found a single 5.56 mm bullet casing about 50 meters from the shooting site on a dirt embankment in the rubber plantation, which was collected as evidence.
Interrogation of Sgt. Supachai Raksasat, team leader, revealed that before the incident, his team of eight personnel was conducting a foot patrol to monitor militant movements in Ban Kujing Luepa and adjacent areas.
At dusk, upon reaching the site, the team was preparing to set up a patrol base when the call to prayer from the mosque was heard. Suddenly, a single gunshot rang out from an unknown direction, hitting Ranger Asst. Sgt. Sugrarn who collapsed in a pool of blood. The team ordered readiness to respond, but the militants, using their knowledge of the terrain, escaped. The incident was reported to superiors and relevant authorities who then came to investigate.
Earlier at 10:00 on 28 Sep 2026, Maj. Gen. Yod Arth Phuengpak visited the graveyard at Ban Juer Rae, Village No. 4, Sako Subdistrict, Su-ngai Padi District, Narathiwat, where relatives of Ranger Asst. Sgt. Sugrarn had brought his body from Ra-ngae Hospital for religious rites. The commander offered condolences, honored the soldier's service, expressed deepest sympathies to the family, and provided initial financial assistance. Many local residents also attended the ceremony.