A special Thai police team in Songkla detained a former Thai army soldier for allegedly shooting dead a Malaysian businessman and injuring his wife in Hatyai on Dec 4 last year.

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) chief Colonel Sompong Suwannawong said the former army soldier, identified as Nop Insrikaew, 47, or simply known as 'Nop', was detained in Surat Thani's Phunphin province yesterday.

"During investigations, Nop admitted to killing, abetting and in possession of a weapon and bullets without authorisation," Sompong told reporters in Songkhla, Thailand, today.

In the Dec 4 incident, Malaysian businessman Lee Ah Han, 54, was shot dead while driving a Mercedes Benz car near Kampung Pruk, Hatyai and heading to the Hatyai International Airport.

Lee, who is also known as 'Ali Baba', was shot dead with a M-16 while his wife, Mayuree Thipmani, suffered serious injuries.

The victim was a well-known businessman in the Malaysia-Thailand border area, especially in Danok, Sadao, since he was a land broker in Danok.

Thunglung police chief Colonel Vichapan Chantraporn said initial police investigations had shown that the shooting was a result of a dispute in a property deal for about six months.

Following the incident, Thai police have issued a warrant of arrest for seven suspects, including two who had allegedly paid the assailants and another Malaysian businessman.

- Bernama