Nong Nick’s close shave with death
It was Sunday June 30 late afternoon. 18-year old Ms Oraphan Plachumthet or Nong Nick, a Mathayom 5 student of Benjamarachuthis school, was riding on the pillion of a motorcycle driven by her junior schoolmate, 16-year old Tantikorn Puichumpol, on their way home from school where they had participated in a sports competition.
As the motorcycle was running on the Pattani-Narathiwat road in Yaring district of Pattani, three shots were fired at the two students by a lone gunman from the bushes somewhere along the road. Police said afterward that the shots came from a 9mm pistol which was earlier used in at least six gun attacks in Mayo, Thung Yang Daeng and Yaring districts of Pattani, killing eight people, including five solders and three civilians. Three civilians were also injured with the same pistol.
One shot hit Tantikorn. The second struck Nong Nick at her ear sending her into unconsciousness. The two innocent victims were later picked by passers-by and rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The gunshot broke Nong Nick’s cheek bones causing her face to…..that her two eyes were almost completely closed. It was however fortunate that the gunshot missed the eyes and the brain otherwise she would have been killed.
Her father, Mr Somnoek, told Isra news agency that when he was notified that his daughter was shot he thought she would have been killed and that he would pick up her body at the hospital. His wife broke into tears uncontrollably because Nong Nick was their only daughter.
Somnoek said he felt relieved that his daughter was still alive but had to be transferred to the provincial hospital for a surgery.
The victim is now safe but still has to be hospitalized for another period.
Somnoek said he was told by police that several shooting incidents took place at the same spot where his daughter was shot but the perpetrators had never been arrested. He said he didn’t understand why no security forces were deployed at the spot on regular basis.
He disclosed that relations between him and Muslim neighbours which used to be cordial and friendly had broken as a result of the unrest problem. "With the neighbours who are still regarded as friends, there is still mutual trust but with the others I cannot guarantee," said Somnoek.
The school director, Mr Chumpol Thongmai, said that usually students take a ride in school buses but on that particular day which was Sunday there was no bus service and the two victimized students had to travel with their own transport.
To avoid a repeat of the same incident, he has ordered all ex-curriculum activities to be hed on weekdays.
As for the two victims, he said the school management had arranged for some financial support for their families to cover their medical treatment.
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Caption : Nong Nick and her father
Note : Camouflage image to protect the right of the injured.