BURI RAM: An 18-year-old girl was left critically injured when attacked with acid by two assailants while dining with relatives at a restaurant.
Natthikarn "Aum" Khairum, a student at a school in Nang Rong district, was splashed with acid while having a meal with her aunt and grandmother at a local restaurant.
Her aunt, Wiwat Chaketram, and her grandmother, Ta Bawornram, were also injured in the attack. They sustained skin burns, though their injuries were not as severe as Ms Natthikarn's.
Ms Wiwat said she noticed the attackers emerge from a car without licence plates that was parked outside the restaurant. The two men walked from the car towards Ms Natthikarn and poured two jars of acid over her.
Her clothes were destroyed immediately, and her skin badly burned, Ms Wiwat said.
Ms Natthikarn is now out of danger in Buriram Hospital, but the acid may have destroyed her sight permanently.
Ms Wiwat said Ms Natthikarn has been living with her grandmother since her parents divorced and moved to another province for work.
The family suspect that the motive for the attack may have stemmed from a relationship Ms Natthikarn was in.
Meanwhile, Nong Rong Police said investigators were hunting the two attackers.
Officers are currently tracking them down using CCTV footage and patrols across Nang Rong district.
According to the police's initial investigation, Ms Natthikarn was involved in a legal battle with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend.
The former boyfriend had been harassing her, according to local police.