PHATTHALUNG — Gunmen opened fire from a sedan late on 23 January 2026, riddling a pickup truck with bullets on a road in Phatthalung province, in an attack police believe may be linked to so-called grey business activities.
Police from Khao Chaison station said the shooting took place on the Ko Thong Som–Khlong Chaloem road in Moo 15 of Khok Muang subdistrict, near a curve in front of Ko Thong Som temple. Officers who arrived at the scene found a four-door pickup truck with Phatthalung registration plates riddled with bullet holes.
No injuries were reported. The driver, Thanawat Thiapphut, 31, and his wife, Anongnat, 29, abandoned the vehicle and fled after the shooting. Police said they were still trying to locate the couple for questioning.
Investigators said the couple had been driving from a rented house to their home near the boundary of Khao Chaison and Tamot districts, about 3 kilometres from the scene, when a bronze-coloured sedan followed them. The car reportedly pulled alongside at the curve and fired about five shots before fleeing.
Col. Paiboon Boonrat, chief of Khao Chaison police, said the motive was believed to be connected to grey-area business dealings. Investigators are gathering CCTV footage from the area and working to identify suspects in order to seek arrest warrants.
Police said the same sedan is suspected of being involved in an earlier shooting on 17 January 2026, when a house in Moo 1 of Khao Chaison subdistrict was hit by gunfire. CCTV footage from that incident showed a sedan firing 23 shots at the property before driving away.
The homeowner, Phairoh Suebsom, 62, said she and her five children were asleep at the time and heard gunshots but were too afraid to go outside. She said she had no known conflicts with anyone and believed the shooting may have been intended as intimidation.
