NARATHIWAT, Thailand – A nine-year-old girl watching television with her family and a visually impaired elderly woman became the latest victims of escalating violence in Thailand’s restive south after coordinated attacks left four dead and two seriously wounded on Thursday.

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The sound of gunfire shattered the evening calm in Narathiwat province Thursday when separatist militants carried out back-to-back attacks that left a child and elderly woman among four dead. In the first assault, masked gunmen sprayed bullets through the windows of a family home in Tambon Kosit as five relatives watched television – killing nine-year-old Sasita Chankong instantly as she sat curled beside her uncle on their living room floor.

Bullet holes now pockmark the bloodstained walls where three generations were cut down in what locals describe as the worst attack in Tak Bai district this year. Just hours later and 40 kilometers away, attackers executed 76-year-old Sa-ngai Sangyoi – blind since birth – as she rocked on her porch in Chanae district, gunning down the defenseless grandmother before turning their weapons on her son who rushed to help.

Two survivors—Chao Chankong (44) and Pakinai Rangsao (29)—were rushed to the hospital with severe injuries. Forensic teams spent hours collecting bullet casings and ballistic evidence at the bloodstained scene.

Lt. Gen. Paisarn visited Narathiwat to oversee security after deadly shootings in Chanae and Tak Bai on May 2.

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Forensic teams worked through the night collecting evidence, with initial reports indicating the attackers used AK-47 rifles – the weapon of choice for southern insurgents. The violence has prompted immediate school closures across three districts, while anxious villagers complain military patrols have failed to protect them despite years of conflict.

This latest bloodshed underscores the increasingly brutal tactics being employed in Thailand’s decades-long southern insurgency, where civilian casualties now account for nearly 90% of all victims. The nine-year-old’s pink school backpack still hangs by the door of the bullet-riddled home – a heartbreaking reminder of the human cost of a conflict that shows no signs of abating.

Female defense volunteer injured as car explodes in Pattani

By the Numbers:
• 19 years: Duration of southern insurgency
• 7,228: Documented fatalities since 2004
• 13,456: Civilians injured in conflict

Sources: Royal Thai Police, Deep South Watch.

-Thailand News (TN)