Khao Panom Police Chief Col Chalit Kaewyarat yesterday presented Somsak Songrit, 43, from Songkhla; Suraphol Wichaidit, 53, from Krabi; Chatchai Yoydam, 31, from Krabi and Dolwalad Rakrit, 41, from Pattalung who are believed responsible for the shootings.
Police seized from the four one shotgun, two 9mm pistols, one 11mm pistol and bullet.
“The four suspects were interrogated by Deputy Commander of Police Region 8 and they admitted to shooting the men. However, they said they done so in self defence because the group had come to the area a number of times previously threatening to shoot them.
“Today they came so they said they had to react,” said Col Chalit.
Khao Panom Police Lt Col Khajit Kongprab was notified of the shooting at a palm oil plantation in Moo 4 Prutaew subdistrict in Khao Panom at 3pm on Tuesday.
Police arrived at the plantation with rescue workers and a medical unit from Krabi Hospital to find three bodies lying on the ground.
The deceased were identified as Pol Lt Payaprasit Suwannamal, a deputy inspector of Thungsong Police in Nakorn Sri Thammarat; 57-year-old Weerasak Kuerkaew who was still holding an 11mm pistol and was the former village headman of Moo 6 Papayom sub district in Pattalung, and Preecha Kuerdam, 44, also from Pattalung.
The men had all been shot several times in the head and body.
One injured man, named as Pongmit Kalong, had been shot once in the leg and was taken to Krabi hospital.
Forensic police collected more than 30 bullet tips from .38 and 11mm weapons, and two pickup trucks parked at the site were covered in bullet holes.
Two men survived the shooting, Chaiyuth Rodkaew, 51, a director of Uang Sau Oilpalm Agricultural Co Ltd and Somsak Chanasongkram, 29. They were both at the scene when police arrived.
Mr Chaiyuth told police that he, the shot men and plantation workers went to the area where the shooting took place in two separate trucks to deliver an eviction notice to the land owner, Sompong Singchoo.
The notice ordered the owner to leave the site because he lost a recent lawsuit over ownership of the land.
“Lt Payaprasit, Weerasak and Preecha walked towards the company office when 5-6 men started shooting at them.
“We were still in the truck but they shot at our truck too so we drove away from the scene and called police,” said Mr Chaiyuth.
The palm oil plantation covers and area of 9,000 rai and Uang Sau Oilpalm Agricultural Co Ltd leased the land from the Forestry Department. However, the lease expired on September 18.
In 2011, Uang Sau Oilpalm Agricultural Co Ltd had a new shareholder, Chaiyuth Rodkaew. Since becoming a shareholder, people had tried to occupy the plantation and over 100 lawsuits have been filed in court over ownership of the land.
There have been several incidents during the time the dispute has been going on, the most recent being a week ago when the group allegedly set fire to a number of homes in the area.
The four men are now being held at Khao Panom Police Station while police continue to investigate the case. No charges have yet been filed.