Child blinded

 Dr Pracha Chayapham, director of Yala Hospital where Gifnan Pohtae is receiving treatment, said yesterday that the patient's left eye was beyond medical salvation and the infection was spreading. The only reason that doctors had not removed both eyes, added Pracha, was because Gifnan's parents and relatives asked them not to.

 "The possibility of him becoming blind is 99.99 per cent," he added.

 He said ophthalmologists were in close contact with Gifnan's relatives, who would soon have to make up their minds about treatment.

 Pracha said the boy was conscious but extremely upset.

 On Sunday, attackers ambushed a sedan travelling in Yaha district, killing a 49-year-old occupant and injuring the boy. The bullet grazed his right temple near the eye, and his left eye was damaged in the accident when the vehicle skidded off the road.