PATTANI - An assistant village head in Yarang district was shot dead about 100 metres from his home after finishing his security duty Thursday morning.
Local police were informed of the shooting at about 7.30am. They found the body of Mahamaporee Bato, the 52-year-old assistant head of Ban Pratu Chang village, on a road in his village in tambon Sadawa.
Witnesses said Mahamaporee was riding his motorcycle back home after finishing his security duty at the house of a local administrator in Moo 4 village.
About 100 metres from his home, four people on two motorcycles rode up from behind and opened fire. After he collapsed onto the road, he was shot in the head at point-blank range and killed instantly.
Police attributed the murder to the insurgency. Two years ago the assistant village head supervising security affairs was ambushed and shot in the leg after finishing his security duty.