HRW demands investigation into assassination attempt on Deep South MP
Thai authorities should urgently, thoroughly, and impartially investigate the assassination attempt on Kamonsak Leewamoh, a Muslim member of parliament and prominent human rights lawyer, Human Rights Watch said on 10 April.On March 20, 2026, at about 1 a.m., gunmen in a pickup truck opened fire with M-16 assault rifles at Kamonsak’s minivan as he was arriving at his house in Narathiwat province’s Bacho district. Kamonsak was not hit, but his assistant and the driver were seriously wounded. The authorities issued arrest warrants for three alleged gunmen, who are former military personnel. The police impounded a white Toyota pickup truck registered with the Internal Security Operations Command, which is responsible for counterinsurgency operations and security affairs in Narathiwat and other southern border provinces.“The alleged involvement of a key security agency and former military personnel in the assassination attempt against a Muslim member of parliament raises grave concerns,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Thai government needs to ensure that the police can fully, fairly, and impartially investigate this case and bring all those responsible to justice, regardless of their affiliation or rank.”A police investigation found that the attack was an assassination attempt on Kamonsak and identified three alleged gunmen. One of them, a former marine, has been arrested. The other two gunmen, a former marine and a former volunteer with the Thaharnpran paramilitary force, remain at large.Kamonsak represents the predominantly Muslim Prachachat Party in Narathiwat province. He is also well known as a prominent human rights lawyer at the Muslim Attorney Center Foundation, which works with victims of the Tak Bai massacre trials and other cases related to counterinsurgency operations in the southern border provinces. In parliament, Kamonsak has been calling for legal reform to allow the holding of criminal prosecution trials of military personnel in civilian courts.Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is also the director of the Internal Security Operations Command, should ensure that investigators can independently and impartially pursue responsibility for the attempt on Kamonsak’s life, Human Rights Watch said.Since the outbreak of armed insurgency in the southern border provinces of Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat in January 2004, Thai authorities have failed to resolve cases related to attacks on those who speak out about human rights violations by state officials, deepening the climate of fear. Successive governments have done little to address threats and violence against Muslim human rights defenders, activists, and politicians.“The attack on Kamonsak is a crucial test of the Thai government’s pledges to promote and protect human rights,” Pearson said. “Thai authorities should take concrete measures to protect the rights of those in the southern border provinces who denounce security force abuses and demand justice.”
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Sun, 2026-04-12 - 23:05
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Kamonsak Leewamoh
Deep South
Human Rights Watch
