Phatthalung, Two assailants riding a motorcycle wearing helmets shot and injured a rubber buyer, while his subordinates tried to block the bullets and died on the way to the hospital.At approximately 8:00 a.m., Pak Phanun Police Station officers in Phatthalung Province were notified by a concerned citizen that two criminals had ridden a motorcycle and shot a rubber buyer and his subordinate, causing injuries. They therefore quickly inspected the scene of the incident at the fresh rubber buying point in Ban Tha Khi Lek, in Village 6, Don Sai Subdistrict, Pak Phanun District. At the scene, only traces of blood and a magazine containing the criminals' 11 mm. bullets were found, which were collected as evidence. In addition, the injured person's .38 caliber firearm was found at the rubber buying table, which was also collected as evidence.The injured were Mr. Pongthana S.T. Tan, a member of the Don Sai Municipality Council, and Mr. Kan, aged 52, a subordinate of S.T. Tan. Villagers who witnessed the incident said that while the two were buying rubber in front of their house, two assailants rode a motorcycle and parked, wearing helmets to cover their faces, and pulled out guns to shoot. The subordinates moved to block the way until they were shot and fell, then shot S.T. Tan. During that time, S.T. Tan shot back and injured the assailants before getting into a car and fleeing towards Pa Bon District. Rescue workers from Phatthalung Hospital rushed both of them to the hospital, but Mr. Kan died on the way.Initially, the police are urgently tracking down the perpetrators who rode their motorcycles to escape in Pa Bon District. They have not been able to identify the motive yet because the villagers respected S.T. Tan and he had no history of quarrelling with anyone. One of the suspected motives is that the perpetrators may have intended to steal money to buy rubber.Source: Thai News Agency