Charges dropped against naval officer in Narathiwat MP shooting

The Narathiwat provincial public prosecutor has decided not to indict a naval officer charged by police with attempting to murder People’s Party MP Kamonsak Leewamoh due to insufficient evidence.

The prosecutor said, however, that the order is not final and police can appeal to the attorney general if additional evidence emerges to support the case.

Captain Decho and another naval officer, Captain Montri, turned themselves in to police investigators in Narathiwat province on May 5 to acknowledge charges against them for their alleged involvement in the attempt on Kamonsak's life on March 20.

A group of armed men, travelling in a pickup truck belonging to the southern office of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), opened fire with automatic rifles on a van carrying the MP and an aide from the airport to his home in Bacho district.

According to the police investigation, Decho allegedly contacted the gunmen before and after the ambush, while Montri allegedly arranged the ISOC vehicle for the gunmen.

Four other suspects are under investigation. They were identified as "Wiroj", a naval officer, "Thanapat", "Somporn" and "Sunthorn", the owner of the garage accused of dismantling the ISOC pickup truck in an attempt to cover up the crime.