Ranger Officer Found Dead in Barracks After Decade of Depression
A 49-year-old deputy ranger commander in Narathiwat died by suicide after a decade-long battle with depression, investigators said. The officer was found dead in his barracks with a gunshot wound on July 24.
On July 24, Col. Withaya Sarinya, commander of Ranger Group 45, reported that a junior ranger officer at Company 4511's base in Samao village, Bongo subdistrict, Rangae district, Narathiwat, took his own life in his quarters. Officers found the 49-year-old deputy company commander with a gunshot wound beneath his chin. A 5.56-millimeter rifle and one spent cartridge casing were found near his body.
Investigators determined the death resulted from severe, long-term depression unrelated to stress from recent militant attacks that killed five ranger soldiers. The officer had served with Ranger Group 45 for over 20 years, starting as a volunteer and rising to commissioned rank. A native of Surat Thani, he had married a woman from Yala and fathered two children. He had been receiving continuous treatment for depression for more than ten years.
The officer's remains are held at Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Hospital. Relatives plan to collect his body on Sunday, July 26, 2025, to conduct funeral rites according to custom in Yala Province.
