Court Hands 5-Year Sentence in MP Shooting Case

Narathiwat Provincial Court has convicted a defendant of destroying a government vehicle belonging to the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) to eliminate evidence in the shooting of Kamalsakdi Liawmaow, a Pheu Thai Party MP from Narathiwat. The court determined the defendant guilty of assisting others in avoiding punishment and destroying, concealing, or losing evidence of the crime, as well as receiving stolen goods for profit. The court initially sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment, but reduced the sentence by half to 5 years after he confessed, with no suspension of sentence. He must also pay compensation to ISOC, which was also a victim. This constitutes significant progress in the assassination attempt on Kamalsakdi Liawmaow. The shooting occurred in March 2025 while the MP was traveling home in Bacho district, Narathiwat. Official investigations have resulted in multiple arrests, comprising five active perpetrators and two suspected masterminds. The perpetrators include former rangers and navy personnel, while the masterminds include an ISOC military officer who allegedly provided the government vehicle used in the attack. Notably, military firearms under state control were also used in the incident. Prime Minister Anuthm Charnweerakul has issued strict orders to control firearms following the school shooting incident that resulted in numerous deaths. Beyond controlling civilian and government official firearms, the premier has also directed relevant agencies to intensify efforts against illegal weapons. However, the southern border situation presents another critical concern requiring serious government attention regarding how to prevent government firearms from being used for violence, as exemplified by the MP case. Therefore, in addition to illegal weapons and civilian-owned firearms, government weapons should also be subject to rigorous inspection.