Murders and "dark influences
About 20 days after the March elections, a canvasser for Palang Dharma had been killed; two weeks later a Chart Thai canvasser was shot dead; and on 17 May another Palang Dharma supporter was shot down. In mid July, a remote- controlled car bomb killed a mayor and his two travelling companions in Surin Province. On 28 July, a former Democrat Party supporter who was due to commence canvassing for Palang Dharma was shot in his Nakhon Si Thammarat home, This was followed on the last day of July by the gunning down of the mayor of a town in Chon Buri as he sat in his car. He was a strong supporter of the Chart Pattana Party. His death brought the total number of murdered government officials for the year to 40. A little later, a Chart Pattana Party canvasser was murdered in Prachin Buri, the home province of a number of "influential" persons, and a former Chart Thai canvasser who had switched to work for Palang Dharma was shot dead in Samut Prakan. On 9 August a Chart Thai canvasser met his death at his egg stall in the Prachin Buri mar- On 13 August, the most spectacular event of all occurred, when a bomb kets.
exploded at the crowded Hat Yai railway station, killing three and injuring more than 70. The explosion took place only a few hours before Chamlong was scheduled to speak nearby." Although initially believed to be the work of a Muslim separatist group, this was later thought to be doubtful, and no ar rests were made. precinct chiefs and village In all, between 13 July and 4 September, 18 gunmen were arrested and heads were gunned down. In that period 42 hired took action against eight others shot dead by the police. The Interior Ministry to crack down 28 government officials for blocking the authority's attempts on influential figures." And the violence continued. On 11 September, gun- men fired into the house of a former Democrat MP in Udon Thani, leading