A TEACHER was shot dead and her colleague injured yesterday in a drive-by shooting in trouble-plagued Pattani province.
The attack took place at about 11am as the victims were on their way to a venue to provide free dyeing services to people who wish to colour their clothes black to mourn the passing of much-loved King Bhumibol Adulvadej.
The victims are Sunisa Boonyen, a 49-year-old teacher of the Ma-Yor Non Formal and Informal Education Office, and another employee of the same office, Chadaporn Sriseng, 52.
Security cameras at the area show that two men on a motorcycle followed Sunisa’s car and opened fire when she pulled over to pick up Chadaporn. The attackers immediately fled the area.
The victims were rushed to a nearby hospital but Sunisa succumbed to her injuries. Officials believe the attack was part of ongoing unrest in the deep South.
More than 160 teachers have been killed in the area over the past decade.
The shooting took place just two days after Thai government representatives sat down with representatives of several groups for peace talks in Kuala Lumpur.
General Aksra Kerdphol, who heads the Thai delegation at the latest round of peace talks, said yesterday he urged the representatives to refrain from violence as Thai people were mourning the demise of their much-revered monarch.
The King passed away at the age of 89 on October 13, plunging the entire nation into deep grief.
Violent attacks have taken place almost on a daily basis in Thailand’s southern border provinces for more than a decade.
Internal Security Operations Command’s secretary general General Sasin Thongpakdee yesterday received 56 new bullet-proof vests. They were bought with funds raised at various events between November 11 last year and January 31 this year.
“We would like to thank the private sector for giving bullet-proof vests to us. It raises our moral support. It shows you care about officials working in the deep South,” he said.
Sasin said although bloody attacks continued in the far South, the overall situation was improving.

Single mum blinded by bomb
Patcharin Chalermpingpipat, an academic at the Prince of Songkla University, has lately turned to social media to bring attention to the |tragic fate of Manocha Pongsao, a recent bomb victim.
Manocha, 30, was among the many people injured when a blast rocked a noodle shop in Pattani province on Monday night. The attack killed one person and injured several others. Patcharin said Manocha worked at the noodle shop and was a single mother trying to support her three children.
“The blast has seriously injured her. It has blinded her right eye. Her right leg was amputated from the knee down. She has also sustained injuries to her left eye. At this point, doctors cannot guarantee whether she will be able to regain her eyesight,” Patcharin said in her Facebook post.