A violent confrontation between land rights activists and a palm oil company turned fatal Friday evening in Krabi’s Plai Phraya district, leaving one villager dead and two company employees seriously injured. The incident marks a dramatic escalation in a years-long dispute over a 560-hectare plantation.

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Tensions boiled over when about 20 villagers from Khao Chon sub-district attempted to stop company workers from digging a boundary trench. Protest leader Sumiontri Sookdam claims the land originally belonged to local cooperatives, accusing the palm oil company of illegally occupying the property through nominee arrangements and lacking proper documentation.

The situation turned deadly when gunfire rang out during the confrontation, fatally wounding 42-year-old protester Sanong Nooroom. Enraged villagers then attacked the plantation manager, identified only as Thanom, and his son, leaving both men with severe injuries, THai PBS reported.

“This land is our livelihood,” Sookdam told reporters, explaining that repeated petitions to authorities had failed to resolve the dispute. “We had no choice but to occupy what’s rightfully ours.”

Local police have launched a full investigation into the shooting and subsequent assault. The incident highlights Thailand’s ongoing struggles with land rights conflicts, where rural communities frequently clash with agricultural corporations over disputed territories.

Hospital officials confirmed Nooroom died before reaching medical care, while the injured company employees remain under treatment. Authorities have deployed additional security to the area amid fears of further violence as both sides vow to continue fighting for control of the contested land.

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The deadly confrontation comes just weeks after similar protests in neighboring provinces, raising concerns about a potential surge in land-related violence across southern Thailand’s agricultural regions. Community leaders are calling for immediate government intervention before the conflict claims more lives.

-Thailand News (TN)