Kanchanaburi: The chief of the Salak Phra forest fire station was shot and is in critical condition. The head of the Salak Phra forest fire station was seriously wounded by a gunshot while on duty. He has regained consciousness. The assailant, a former employee of Erawan National Park, has been apprehended by police. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment has provided initial financial assistance.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Suchart Chomklin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, assigned Pol. Maj. Gen. Nanthachat Suphamongkol, Advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, along with Mr. Atthapol Charoenchansa, Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, to visit and offer support to the family of Mr. Warun Chansawang, Head of the Salak Phra-Erawan Forest Fire Control Station and Assistant Head of Erawan National Park in Kanchanaburi Province, who was seriously injured after being shot by assailants while on duty in the area.
Following surgery, doctors reported that the bullet entered the left rib cage, affecting the spleen, stomach, diaphragm, and lungs. The injured person is now conscious but is still losing a significant amount of blood, requiring close monitoring and on a ventilator in the ICU.
In this regard, Pol. Maj. Gen. Nanthachat conveyed the concern of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment to the families of the injured, provided initial financial assistance, and confirmed that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, along with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, will fully oversee welfare, medical treatment, and other benefits to alleviate hardship and boost morale among the officers who served to protect national resources.
Subsequently, the advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and the Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation traveled to Lat Ya Police Station in Kanchanaburi Province to follow up on the case's progress. They met with investigators, monitored the questioning of the suspects, and urged decisive legal action to ensure justice was served as quickly as possible for the officials involved.
Initial investigations revealed that the suspect was a former government employee of Erawan National Park who had been prosecuted for encroaching on national park land. He resigned from his position in September 2015 before returning to cultivate the same plot of land, approximately 2 rai (about 0.8 acres), which was the subject of the previous legal proceedings. On the day of the incident, Mr. Warun encountered the suspect at the scene and attempted to proceed with legal action. This angered the suspect, who then pulled a firearm from his backpack and fired shots at the officer. Furthermore, the suspect has a history of drug use.
The police have now apprehended the suspect and are in the process of conducting further investigations and gathering evidence to proceed with legal action.