NARATHIWAT — A Marine reportedly shot a fellow officer in anger following an argument at a restaurant in Narathiwat province last night.
Police say Admiral Ekkapol Thongraksa, 40, was shot in his left arm and left hip. He was sent to Suhai-Kolok Hospital and was reported to be in critical condition.
Rear Admiral Thanat Asoko, 32, identified himself as the shooter and has been arrested by the police. Both ADM Ekkapol and RADM Thanat are members of the 31 Recon Unit of the Royal Thai Navy Marine Corps stationed in the province, police say.
According to witnesses, ADM Ekkapol and five Marines under his command, including RADM Thanat, arrived at the restaurant in Tak Bai district at around 10 pm last night. An argument broke out among the group and RADM Thana eventually pulled out his 9 mm handgun and shot his commander.
RADM Thanat confessed that he committed the crime out of anger.
Thousands of soldiers and marines have been deployed in Narathiwat and neighbouring provinces since the latest wave of separatist insurgency broke out in the Muslim-dominated southern border provinces in mid-2000s.
For comments, or corrections to this article please contact:[email protected]
You can also find Khaosod English on Twitter and Facebook
http://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish
http://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish
