Narathiwat: Surgery results have brought new insights into the southern Thailand shooting incident involving a young man, revealing that the bullet trajectory was "fired at an upward angle" of 30 degrees.
According to Thai News Agency, the director of Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Hospital unveiled the autopsy results of the young man from Chanaeng, who fell victim to the southern insurgency shootings. The findings confirmed that the bullet was "fired at an upward angle from below" at a 30-degree angle, contradicting the victim's assertion that he was shot from a helicopter in the middle of the night.
The violent incidents, which occurred on the night of August 22nd, affected 13 districts across Narathiwat province, impacting 40 locations and causing multiple injuries. One case that has drawn significant public attention involves Mr. Sawlae Dueleh, 21, from Chanae district. He sustained serious injuries and claimed he was shot by a helicopter while raising his hands above his head to demonstrate his innocence.
Dr. Pornprasit Chantra, the hospital director, provided updates on the conditions of the three injured victims treated through the Fast Track Emergency system. Among them were two women, aged 45 and 46, who were wounded in an explosion in Bang Po Subdistrict. Following successful shrapnel removal and treatment, they are now out of danger.
However, Mr. Saleh Dueleh (or Doleh) suffered the most severe injury with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Surgeons conducted emergency surgery to reconstruct the intestines affected by the bullet, cleaned the peritoneal cavity, and sutured the wound. He is currently out of danger and undergoing rehabilitation while being monitored for infection.
Dr. Pornprasit shared academic insights from a medical and forensic perspective regarding Mr. Saw's injuries to address public queries. The bullet's trajectory was found to have an entrance wound near the navel, approximately 1 centimeter in size, and an exit wound above the waist, measuring around 2-3 centimeters. The bullet's path was "angled upwards" at approximately 20-30 degrees, missing the pelvis, indicating an upward direction from bottom to top.
Based on the surgeon's experience, the wound suggests the weapon used had limited destructive power, unlike highly destructive weapons of war that crush internal organs. However, Dr. Pornprasit mentioned that a detailed forensic examination is still necessary to establish the official trajectory and bullet size for legal proceedings and to ascertain the facts.