Krabi: A blazing row between two national park employees in this southern province resulted in one being shot and seriously wounded, according to park officials.
Yutthapong Damsrisuk, chief of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, said the wounded employee was shot twice during the heated exchange which took place at their residence in Maya Bay, a popular tourist destination.
He said the injured man was taken to Krabi Hospital where he underwent surgery while his assailant was arrested and was in police custody.
The incident was reported to Atthapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), who ordered the park to resolve the issue without delay.
Citing an initial inquiry, Mr Yutthapong said the two employees argued inside their residence before one lost his temper, pulled out a gun and shot his colleague. The shooting took place at about 10am, but the incident did not affect tourists and Maya Bay remained open.
Twenty-four people are employed to look after tourists at Maya Bay, which is visited by 2,000 people per day on average.
Pol Col Surasak Jaidee, superintendent of Koh Phi Phi police station, said officers were still investigating the shooting and based on initial findings, they were having breakfast when the shooting took place.
Mr Atthapol said the two workers, who were friends and natives of Trang, had been working at the park for over a year. They argued over a personal matter and were not drunk when the shooting took place, he added.
He said the park alerted police to the incident and the shooter waited for police to turn up and surrendered.