A military rifle used to kill the mayor of a tambon in Narathiwat has been traced to more than 20 different criminal cases throughout the southern region of Thailand.
Wichet Thaithongnum, the mayor of tambon Rueso municipality in Rueso district of Narathiwat, was shot dead inside a meeting room of his garment factory on Thursday. The attack was carried out by four assailants travelling on two motorcycles. They remain at large.
Wichet, known locally as “Mayor Arm”, was a two-time mayor of the tambon. He also served as chairman of the Narathiwat Sports Association and owned the Hand-in-Hand factory, which was well-known for supporting community enterprises.
Police said forensic officers at the scene collected 19 M16 bullet casings, which were later found to have been fired from an AK-102 assault rifle. Initial analysis led authorities to believe that the firearm used in the murder was also involved in 23 other acts of violence in Rueso and Tak Bai districts of the southern province.
Cases in which the rifle was present include the fatal shooting of two defence volunteers, Amorn Bootthongboon and Sonthaya Chaisit, who were providing security for local teachers in February this year.
Authorities believe the gunmen were tipped off about Wichet’s whereabouts, as they were able to enter the factory and quickly locate and shoot him. Three other people were present in the room during the incident but were unharmed.
According to a source in local security forces, the killing of the mayor followed the arrest of Sugifree Mueraheng, a member of a local insurgent group.
He reportedly told officials that his group had a central cache of weapons from which members could draw, but the location of the cache was constantly changing.
Police are investigating four potential motives in the shooting, according to a source close to the investigation.
Local politics, business interests, personal disputes and security issues are all being considered, said the source.
Wichet Thaithongnum, the mayor of tambon Rueso municipality in Rueso district of Narathiwat, was shot dead inside his garment factory on Thursday. (Photo: Chaidantai Facebook page)