The mayor of Rueso Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO), in the Rueso district of Narathiwat province, was shot and killed at around noon today in a conference room at a factory.
Initial reports say that Wichet Thaithongnoom, the TAO mayor and chair of the Hand-in-Hand community enterprise, was waiting for workers at the factory to arrive for a meeting when, suddenly, a gunman emerged and opened fire at him with an assault rifle, killing him on the spot before escaping.
The shooting caused a commotion as people ran for their lives. The motive for the murder is under investigation.
Narathiwat mayor gunned down