Award-winning police teacher, son slain from ambush
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Award-winning police teacher, son slain from ambush

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The pickup truck that was carrying Pol Lt Col Suwit Chuaythewarit and his policeman son lies overturned on the road after the bomb explosion in Sri Sakhon district, Narathiwat, on Tuesday morning. (Photo supplied)
The pickup truck that was carrying Pol Lt Col Suwit Chuaythewarit and his policeman son lies overturned on the road after the bomb explosion in Sri Sakhon district, Narathiwat, on Tuesday morning. (Photo supplied)

NARATHIWAT - An award-winning police officer who ran a remote school for children was killed, along with his policeman son, when their pickup truck was ambushed on Tuesday morning.

Pol Lt Col Suwit Chuaythewarit, 56, and his son Pol Snr Sgt Maj Dome Chuaythewarit, 35, were attacked on Sri Sakhon-Chanae Road in tambon Sri Banphot of Sri Sakhon district about 9.50am, police said.

Their vehicle was overturned by the explosion of a bomb buried in the road. 

Pol Lt Col Suwit was the principal of Tua Ngo Border Patrol Police School in tambon Sri Banphot. It is a primary school with about 120 Muslim pupils, none of them native Thai speakers.

Pol Lt Col Suwit was a Muslim and a native of the southern province of Phatthalung. He and his son worked with 11 other teachers at the border patrol police school.

Officials said the two men were on their way to buy school supplies when they were slain. 

Pol Lt Col Suwit received the Princess Maha Chakri Award 10 years ago for his excellent contribution to education and the development of  students’ lives. During his childhood, he had studied at another border patrol police school in his native province of Phatthalung. That had inspired him to become a border patrol police teacher.

He earlier said he decided decades ago to teach at the remote Tua Ngo Border Patrol Police School in Narathiwat because he wanted to give the children there, who did not speak Thai, access to an education.

His aim was to teach them to speak Thai so that they could expand their education to other subjects fundamental to their development.

His school also focused on teaching morality and sufficiency.

Pol Lt Col Suwit Chuaythewarit (photo supplied)

Pol Lt Col Suwit Chuaythewarit (Photo supplied)

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