On 20 March, attackers opened fire on a vehicle carrying Kamonsak Leewamoh, a Prachachat MP for Narathiwat, who was returning from Bangkok after attending a parliamentary session. He was unharmed, but his driver and a police escort were seriously injured.

Three people have been arrested in relations to the attack: Somporn Langdech, a former marine and his son, Yosakorn Langdech, who denied involvement, and Alawi Awae, who later confessed to driving the car used in the attack.

All three were charged with attempted murder and are now detained pending investigation at the Narathiwat Provincial Prison.

An arrest warrant has been issued for two gunmen, Thanaphat Watthanaphinyo and former marine Lt Wirot Ketmani. Both were charged with attempted murder. They remain on the run.

Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) has since come under fire. Questions have been raised about its possible involvement in the attack following a 2 April press conference by the Prachachat Party, in which party leader Tawee Sodsong said that the pickup truck involved in the attack belonged to ISOC.

According to The Reporters, the police were able to identify the vehicle as belonging to ISOC in Narathiwat as footage from CCTV cameras in front of Kamonsak’s house and a dashcam shows that the car has a permit sticker for passing through checkpoints.

After the arrest of Somporn and Yosakorn, the police learned that the car was taken to a garage in Tak Bai district, where it was taken apart and dumped in the Bang Nara River.

Garage owner Sunthon Phromphakdi was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. He denied involvement in the attack but said that he took the pickup truck apart on a request from Somporn, who he has known for 20 years.

Sunthon said that the truck was brought to his garage late at night on 20 March by Thanaphat and Lt Wirot. He was asked to drive the two men to Somporn’s house, and after the news broke about the attack, he believed the two men were involved.

Sunthon said he began taking the truck apart a few days after the attack. Some parts were sold. He also said that he was told to erase the chassis number and separate out the steel frame. He soon lost contact with Somporn, who he later learned had been arrested.

Police investigation found that Lt Wirot borrowed the truck from a friend, Capt. Montri Toprasert.

Narathiwat Provincial Governor Boonchuay Homyamyen said on 7 April that Capt Montri had been questioned by an investigating committee. He said he lent the truck to Lt Wirot, who has been his friend with since they were students at the Royal Thai Naval Academy. He said he did not know the vehicle would be used in an ambush when he lent it to Lt Col Wirot on 19 March, and that he filed a police report for a missing vehicle on 23 March.

Meanwhile, Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyaphan told The Reporters that Capt Montri had been transferred to the headquarters in Bangkok since the Navy did not want to risk him tampering with the case if he remains in Narathiwat.

Rear Admiral Parach said that the Navy is ready to cooperate with the investigating officers about its former officers involved in the attack, although both have left the Navy. He noted that Lt Wirot resigned several years ago to take up another occupation, while Somporn took part in an early retirement programme.

Questions have been raised if the attackers intended to murder Kamonsak, as bullets only hit the front of his vehicle when he was sitting in the back. The Reporters founder and veteran journalist Thapanee Eadsrichai said in a Facebook live broadcast that, according to Southern Border Provinces Investigation Division Commander Pol Maj Gen Chumphon Saksureemongkol, the four men involved had carefully planned the attack and the police have enough reasons to believe they intended to kill Kamonsak.

Pol Maj Gen Chumphon said that the attackers had been waiting for Kamonsak at Hat Yai Airport since the afternoon of 19 March. They did not know which flight he was on, but speculated that he was likely to return home after the parliamentary session for Hari Raya (Eid al-Fitr).

CCTV footage from the airport shows Somporn and Alawi around the arrival area waiting for Kamonsak. They walked past him after he landed at around 21.00. Alawi also confessed that the attackers followed Kamonsak from the airport to Chana district, where he stopped for food. Alawi was then dropped off at another location around 3-4 km from Kamonsak’s house, where Lt Wirot and Thanaphat were waiting in the truck.

Once Kamonsak’s vehicle arrived, the attackers drove by in the truck and opened fire with M16 rifles. Pol Maj Gen Chumphon speculated that Kamonsak was not hit because the car was moving, as seen in the CCTV footage from in front of the house, and because he ducked down onto the seat, making it difficult to hit him.

Previous speculation was that Kamonsak’s driver was the target, but the MP questioned if assault rifles would be needed to kill a driver. He also noted that the driver lives in the province, and so there would have been no need to follow them from the airport if the driver was the target.

During yesterday’s parliamentary session (9 April), after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul delivered his policy statement, Tawee said that the public is asking why an ISOC vehicle was involved in an attack on an MP, and why a captain granted permission for the truck to be taken out. He noted that others involved in the case were detained under Martial Law, but the officer who allowed the use of the truck was never detained. He demanded that the Prime Minister ensure that whoever is behind the attack on Kamonsak is found.

MPs from the Deep South also held a joint press conference yesterday afternoon (9 April). Prachachat Party Secretary-General Sugarno Matha said that he had filed a petition with the Prime Minister demanding that he ensure the investigation is not delayed. Anutin has promised, Sugarno said, that he will follow up with the local authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

People’s Party MP Romadon Panjor said that participants in the press conference are standing together to show that such violence against an elected representative is unacceptable. He called on the Prime Minister and the Army Commander-in-Chief to promptly investigate the attack, and identify the perpetrators and their motives.

“Although some process has been made in the investigation and some arrests have been made, what the public wants to know who is behind this attack, what did they want, what did they have to gain, and is anyone trying to protect them. We want to see that the Prime Minister, as Director of ISOC, is taking this seriously,” Romadon said. He also called for a revision of security protocol for politicians and the role of the ISOC.

Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit also joined the press conference. She noted that the attack took place while heightened travel restrictions were in place in Narathiwat, but the attackers were able to move around freely. She said that the attack was likely to cause fear among the province’s residents, and that while the government talks about peace in its policy statement, trust between the government and the people has been broken. She called on the government and the House Speaker to take responsibility for protecting MPs and senators.

She noted that a former ISOC officer was also involved in the disappearance of her husband, human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, who went missing in 2004, and alleged that the officer was using an ISOC vehicle.

“Does this mean that anyone can take an ISOC vehicle and use it for whatever? And does it mean that when you drive anywhere in an official vehicle, you will escape inspection?” Angkhana asked. “I think this is an important issue. The Prime Minister, as Director of the ISOC, must look into it. You cannot be complacent and let this happen over and over.”

Kamonsak said that he was told there have been several attempts to assassinate him, and he wonders if it is related to each time the truck was lent to the attackers. He also questioned if Capt Montri knew what the truck would be used for. He hoped that the investigators will do their job properly and find out the truth.

Kamonsak said he does not believe the attack was personal, and that it is likely to be political or for security reasons.