Police Hunt Three Gunmen After Officers Killed in Tak Bai Clash
Three gunmen remain at large after a shootout with police in a Narathiwat palm plantation on August 2 left two officers dead and four wounded; authorities have detained four suspects and linked the weapons to a violent gang operating in the
Pol. Lt. Gen. Piyawat Chalemsri, commander of Region 9 provincial police, disclosed updates on law enforcement operations against an armed gang that opened fire on police, resulting in two Tak Bai station officers killed and four injured. The armed suspects also suffered injuries and fled. The incident occurred in a palm plantation in Moo 6, Prai Wan subdistrict, Tak Bai district, Narathiwat province on August 2, 2025. Authorities detained four individuals at the scene along with an assembled HK rifle and magazines. Forensic evidence linked the weapons and cartridges to violent offenders operating in Charoensai district, Narathiwat, and connected them to the group that attacked military rangers at the Buko Samee checkpoint in Rangae district on July 22, 2025. Investigation revealed 14 people involved in the incident, with 11 now in custody and three remaining fugitives. Police said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Interior Minister Pol. Gen. Kittiratt Pandaratchon, National Police Commissioner, and Pol. Gen. Samran Nuanmma, Deputy National Police Commissioner, have ordered intensified area control and pressure on violent offenders. Officers conducted active operations in forested mountain areas identified as hideouts for the suspects. Following pressure from authorities, the gunmen relocated to other areas, leading to this enforcement action. Forensic examination confirmed the shooters were violent offenders who descended from mountain strongholds to carry out operations. On August 2, six Tak Bai station officers in two vehicles searched for drug targets in Prai Wan subdistrict. Upon completion, they took a shortcut through a palm plantation and discovered suspicious activity—people sitting near a hut and a white pickup truck parked near the road in an unpopulated area. Three officers investigated while three others provided cover on the road. The team leader approached the back of the hut and heard sounds from inside. When attempting to investigate, two gunmen inside opened fire with assault rifles, striking Capt. Withaya Chaiyapromkaew, the station's (P) unit commander, who stood on the road providing cover. He died instantly. The gunmen fled toward the rear of the hut and encountered Sgt. Maj. Kittipong Srikham, the squad leader, and Sgt. Maj. Amran Ha, another (P) unit commander, resulting in a close-range gun battle. Sgt. Maj. Amran Ha was struck by the gunmen's bullets and killed.
