A nine-year-old girl and her father were shot dead while the mother and her son were critically wounded early Tuesday after gunmen fired on their pick-up truck in a rural area of this violence-impacted southern province, police said. The incident took place in the early morning when the 53-year-old father, a fruit vendor, drove his pick-up truck, accompanied by the three other members of his family, and headed to buy fruit in Rangae district for sale later. According to the police, a number of gunmen followed them in another pick-up, firing an estimated seven shots at them, causing the victims' vehicle to overturn after hitting an electrical power pole at the roadside. The father and daughter died at the scene, while the mother and son were seriously wounded and sent to hospital for treatment.Plus:
Two soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb ambush, and a police officer was shot, both incidents taking place in the southern border province of Narathiwat. A remote-controlled bomb weighing five kilogrammes was detonated as 12 provincial paramilitary rangers patrolled a road in Ruso district. The two wounded men were rushed to hospital, while one suspect was detained for questioning.
In Tak Bai district, a police sergeant was ambushed on his way to a mosque on Monday morning. Pol.Sen.Sgt-Maj Satsadee Yuso, 50 exchanged gunfire with the gunman, who retreated. Shot in the head, the officer is now in hospital.
In Yala's Krongpinang district, nine out of ten schools reopened Monday after closing August 6 when the Baan Krongpinang school director Sitthichai Chan-apiban was shot and wounded. Baan Krongpinang school, the only school which remain closed, is due to reopen Wednesday with better security.