Killed on their way to orchard
A senior officer from the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), speaking on condition of anonymity, said the trigger mechanism greatly resembled the bombs used by Communist Party of Thailand insurgents a few decades ago, but authorities are still trying to determine if the bomb was home-made or factory built.
Niran Khongsaeng, 54, but not Damrong Thongrong, 58, were killed on their way to their longkong orchard in Tambon Cherngkiri in Narathiwat's Sri Sakorn district.Police said they were confused as to why the culprits only beheaded Niran. Niran is a resident of Yala's Tambon Talingchan, while Damrong is from Narathiwat's Tambon Sungai Padi. It was not clear if they were working as farm hands at the orchard or were the actual owners. Police later spoke to a witness who was standing about 600 metres away from the crime scene. The witness said the victims were riding a tractor when four gunmen in black outfits and covered heads charged from the nearby wooded area and sprayed them with bullets. He watched one of the attackers behead Niran before fleeing into the woods. Meanwhile, Thanongsak Phongpasert, director of the State Railways of Thailand in the South, said the service from Yala to Sungai Kolok will resume on April 23. The line was closed after gunmen opened fire on a train last week. Police are looking for six suspects in connection with the train shooting.
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