Security agency implicated in assassination attempt against Thai lawmaker – JURIST

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called for an urgent, thorough and impartial investigation into the March 20 assassination attempt against Thai lawmaker Kamonsak Leewamoh. Thailand’s Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) has been named as involved in the attack, raising concerns about how impartial the investigation will be.

Early on the morning of Friday, March 20th, four gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying Kamonsak. Two in the vehicle were seriously injured, while Kamonsak escaped harm by lying down in the back seat to avoid gunfire.

The police later impounded a white Toyota pickup truck which was recorded at the scene of the crime by a dash camera in Kamonsak’s vehicle. The truck is registered with the ISOC, and Captain Montri Toprasert, head of ISOC’s Administration Division in Narathiwat province, allegedly provided the vehicle for use in the attack. He has been transferred to ISOC headquarters for an investigation.

A police investigation has identified three alleged gunmen involved in the assassination attempt. All three have former military experience, One of the alleged gunmen, a former marine, has been arrested while the remaining two—former marine and paramilitary—still remain at large.

HRW Asia Director, Elaine Pearson, stated that “The attack on Kamonsak is a crucial test of the Thai government’s pledges to promote and protect human rights. Thai authorities should take concrete measures to protect the rights of those in the southern border provinces who denounce security force abuses and demand justice.”

Kamonsak is a Muslim MP and human rights lawyer with the Prachachat Party. He represents the province of Narathiwat, a province on the border with Malaysia which has experienced violence for many decades, originating due to an ethnic and religious separatist movement. Because of this history of violence, the ISOC often operates in the province. Kamonsak is also a lawyer at the Muslim Attorney Center Foundation, an organization which works with victims in the Tak Bai massacre trials and other cases related to counterinsurgency in southern Thailand.

In April 2025, leaked documents revealed that the ISOC, operating under a joint police and military command, identified international human rights groups, like Amnesty International, and pro-democracy figures including lawyers from the the groups Thai Lawyers for Human Rights and iLaw as “high-value targets.” The human rights activists were identified and then targeted as part of a smear campaign and cyberattack against civil society groups.