Off the wire
• Feature: Bereaved Argentine mother opens free soup kitchen for poor kids  • National lawmakers gather in Beijing for annual assembly  • DPRK warns of "toughest counteraction" against ongoing U.S.-S.Korea joint drill  • China vows strengthened crackdown on illegal publications  • Feature: Bangladesh opens ancient Buddhist scholar's memorial stupa built with Chinese support  • Trump's Attorney General speaks with Russian ambassador twice during 2016 elections: reports  • Feature: Cuban tobacco growers benefit from thriving Cigar sales  • Mexican president lauds private sector's confidence in investment  • Malaysia to release DPRK suspect in airport killing  • Train derails, car explodes after collision on railroad crossing in C. Japan  
You are here: 　 Home

Four villagers, including eight-year-old, killed by gunmen in S. Thailand

Xinhua, March 2, 2017 Adjust font size:

Four people, including an eight-year-old, were killed on Thursday in an ambush by unknown gunmen in the southernmost region of Thailand, police said.

The deceased villagers included Somchai Thongchan, 47, assistant village headman in Rue Soh district of Narathiwat province, about 1,100 kilometers south of the Thai capital, while the three others were known as his family members, including his eight-year-old son.

A 12-year-old girl was injured in the relentless gunfire while a six-year-old girl was safe, the police said.

Somchai was driving his pickup truck with the five members of his family aboard when the unknown gunmen opened fire at his vehicle on a road in the predominantly-Muslim district, the police said.

The latest fatal attack on southernmost Thai villagers apparently occurred a few days after Deputy Prime Minister/Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan had publicly vowed to re-establish "safety zones" and restore peace and prosperity throughout the chronically turbulent Deep South region. Endit