Three Myanmar migrant workers were shot dead and another man was seriously injured following a confrontation with a village security volunteer in Chachoengsao province late on 27 June. Police said the shooting happened at around 11.30pm in Ban Nong Nam Dam, Koh Khanun subdistrict, Phanom Sarakham district.
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Officers who responded to the scene found the bodies of three Myanmar nationals, each with multiple gunshot wounds. Their identities had not yet been confirmed. A Thai man, identified as Pichai Daphantha, suffered serious stab wounds to his left side and was taken to Phanom Sarakham Hospital before police arrived.
Investigators recovered more than 16 spent shell casings, along with a handgun and a knife believed to have been used during the confrontation. Police forensic officers examined the scene while collecting evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.
The shooter, 24-year-old village security volunteer Theerapat Nopthao, told police that he and a friend had gone to warn several groups of migrant workers who were drinking alcohol and playing loud music near a residential area. He claimed an argument followed, during which his friend was struck with a bottle before falling to the ground and being stabbed.
According to Theerapat, around 10 men armed with knives then ran towards him. He said he opened fire in self-defence. Police have not independently confirmed his account, and investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Authorities have not yet announced whether any charges will be filed. Police said forensic evidence and witness statements would form part of the investigation as they work to establish the sequence of events and determine whether the use of force was legally justified.
Khaosod reported that the case has drawn attention because it involves multiple fatalities and competing accounts of what happened before the shooting. The identities of the three deceased Myanmar nationals remain unconfirmed as police continue their inquiries.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Khaosod 29 June 2026