Bomb leaves six dead in Thailand's restive south | BBC News

Bomb leaves six dead in Thailand's restive south | BBC News
BBC News, 21 September 2012

At least six people have been killed and 40 others injured by a bomb explosion near a market in Thailand's restive south, police say.

The bomb went off after gunmen opened fire at a shop in Sai Buri district, Pattani province, drawing in onlookers, officials say.

The incident happened after Friday prayers in the mainly Muslim region.

A separatist insurgency in Thailand's south has killed more than 5,000 people since it flared up again in 2004.

Successive Thai governments have launched initiatives to try to end this conflict, some using military force, some offering negotiations.

But none has made any progress with an entrenched, village-based insurgent movement which has no public face and makes no claims or demands, reports the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

The Thai security forces have demonstrated little capability to fight such a movement, which remains attractive to young Malay Muslim men, and has been able to prosper from the corruption and lawlessness that is characteristic of Thailand's border regions, adds our correspondent.
 

102 separatist incidents in the deep South Thailand | Bangkok Post

102 separatist incidents in the deep South Thailand | Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post, August 31, 2012

A total of 102 incidents of unrest struck the four southern border provinces on Friday morning, Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) deputy spokesman Pramote Prom-in said.

Col Pramote said bombs and suspicious objects were planted in many areas, and insurgents were thought to be to blame. Thai flags were also burned and Malaysian flags hoisted to mark the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Bersatu separatist movement, an umbrella group active in the far South, and Malaysia's National Day, Aug 31.

There were 44 incidents in eight districts of Narathiwat, 34 in Yala's Muang, Yaha and Bannang Sata districts, 12 in Pattani's Muang and Yarang districts, and another 12 in southern Songkhla.

Security officers were able to dismantle most of the bombs, but six soldiers were injured by explosions in different areas of Narathiwat this morning, he said.

"We believe the culprits wanted the incidents to make headlines and they chose to act on Aug 31, which coincides with the national day of Malaysia and the anniversary of the Bersatu's establishment," Col Pramote said. "They [the insurgents] wanted to arouse their followers in the region."

He said the insurgents were trying to generate hatred and distrust between the people of the two neighbouring countries by burning Thai flags and raising Malaysian flags.
However, Thailand and Malaysia will continue to have a good relationship and these incidents will not cause  conflict, he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa, who is in charge of security affairs, said officials in the deep South were checking footages from closed circuit television cameras and tracking down the perpetrators.

"I don't think these incidents will hurt Thai-Malaysian ties and we're telling Malaysia that the Bersatu is trying to get the Malaysian people involved [in the southern insurgency]," Gen Yutthasak said.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she had ordered National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Wichean Potphosri to visit the South on Saturday to oversee the situation there.

Boonsom Thongsriprai, chairman of the Federation of the Three Southern Border Provinces Teachers, said he believed the insurgents wanted to show off their strength.

Even though no teacher was killed or injured in the incidents this morning, local people had been both directly and indirectly affected, particularly teachers, he added.

Many teachers in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat were terrified by the latest incidents and admitted that they had lost courage and had no confidence in their safety, he said.

Mr Boonsom said he had been in contact with all school directors in the three southernmost provinces to consider temporarily closing their schools for safety reasons, if necessary.

More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 9,000 hurt in more than 11,000 incidents, or about 3.5 a day, in the three southernmost provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch.

Thailand Deep South: Business districts get security boost | Bangkok Post

Thailand Deep South: Business districts get security boost | Bangkok Post
Wassana Nanuam, Bangkok Post, August 2, 2012

The army has stepped up security to the maximum level in seven business districts in the far South following the bomb attack at a luxury hotel in Pattani on Tuesday.

Army deputy spokesman Col Sirijan Ngathong said commanders met yesterday to discuss reports that insurgent attacks would become more savage in the far South and senior government officials would be the targets.

Officials are advised to boost security measures especially when they attend public events.
Soldiers must also take precautions for their own safety.

Col Sirijan said army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha was not considering imposing a curfew in the deep South, which would only inconvenience locals.

He quoted Gen Prayuth as telling yesterday's meeting that solutions to the southern violence would take time and the military would solve the problem through legal means rather than force.

According to sources in the far South, security authorities do not know the actual scope of insurgency in the region. But they estimate there are 8,000-10,000 militants.

More car bombs are expected because many cars and pickup trucks have been stolen in the region.

A series of recent bombings and ambushes have prompted security authorities to boost safety measures.

Col Pramote Prom-in, deputy spokesman for the southern outpost of the Internal Security Operations Command, said officials were imposing maximum security in seven business districts in the far South, namely Muang and Betong districts in Yala province; Muang district in Pattani; Muang, Tak Bai and Sungai Kolok districts in Narathiwat; and Hat Yai district in Songkhla.

More security officials have been deployed. They are operating more checkpoints, installing more security equipment including surveillance cameras, and adjusting safety zones.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said strategies for the far South would not change but officials would have to cooperate more closely, and operations and intelligence had to be swift.

Fourth Army commander Lt Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat said more security officers had been deployed to prevent attacks and conduct searches on vehicles in the far South.
Security officials are also looking for stolen vehicles that might be used as car bombs, he said.

Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat plans to have the air force deploy armed aircraft to protect patrols and escort army soldiers on roads.

Soldiers in the deep South had been taking on work which was not their responsibility.
He said soldiers have been busy suppressing the smuggling of goods and drugs, and police should step in to help relieve the troops' workload.

ACM Sukumpol said security authorities had not discussed the possibility of a curfew in the far South.

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said neither politicians nor policymakers had given clear instructions to officials in the southern border provinces.

Meanwhile, police inspected the site behind CS Pattani Hotel yesterday where the blast went off on Tuesday night.

Police found the remains of the pickup truck that was carrying the bomb, along with those of a 15kg gas cylinder that is believed to have contained the 50-60kg explosive device. They also found parts of a communications radio and steel bars which had been cut up to serve as shrapnel.

The rear of the hotel sustained large cracks. Its transformer and generator were damaged, as were nearby homes.

The hotel was storing about 500 litres of oil for the generators.

The explosion ignited the fuel, setting the hotel ablaze.

The bombing slightly injured five residents and three hotel staff suffered chest pain.

The blue Isuzu pickup that carried the improvised bomb had been stolen in tambon Plong Hoi of Kapo district in Pattani on June 25. It belonged to the Betagro Group.

Armed attackers stole the truck after killing three Betagro employees who were transporting chickens, according to police.

Suspected RKK member arrested

Suspected RKK member arrested
Bangkok Post, April 20, 2012

A joint paramilitary ranger and police force on Friday arrested a suspected key member of the separatist Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) in Narathiwat’s Rangae district, reports said.

The security force raided three houses in Ban Kaemae in tambon Tanyongmas of Rangae about 11am, after receiving a tip off that the RKK member was hiding there.

They found and arrested Muhammadyuso Duereh, 25, wanted on two arrest warrants for murdering two teachers at Tanyongmas market on September 2010 and for shooting and seriously injuring a man in Tanyongmas on September 2010.

Pol Col Wara Vejchapinand, chief of Rangae police station, said Muhammadyusoh is a teacher at an Islamic school.

Chalerm denies Thaksin talking with separatists - Bangkok Post

Chalerm denies Thaksin talking with separatists - Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post, April 5, 2012

Suggestions that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra held unsuccessful talks with an exiled separatist group before the series of bombings in the far South last Saturday are without foundation, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung told the House of Representatives on Thursday.

The deputy premier in charge of security affairs was replying to a question in the House from Prasert Pongsuwansiri, a Democrat MP from Yala.

Mr Prasert said some websites reported that the March 31 car bombings in Yala and Songkhla followed  unsuccessful talks between Thaksin and leaders of a separatist movement.

"What matters did Thaksin discuss with the movement," Mr Prasert asked.

Mr Chalerm categorically denied the report.

Mr Prasert said the website of the Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo), a separatist group known to have been long inactive, showed a picture of Thaksin and a Pulo leader with their arms around each other. The MP said Mr Chalerm should check the website himself.

The opposition MP also asked if it was true that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra learned of Thaksin's talks with Pulo at a cabinet meeting after the car bombings.

Mr Chalerm said the report and picture posted on the Pulo website were unreliable and he paid no attention to it.

He said it was not true that Ms Yingluck learned of any Thaksin-Pulo talks at the cabinet meeting because on that day she abruptly left to fly to Songkhla, leaving Mr Chalerm to chair the meeting.

Mr Chalerm also said he planned to set up a rear-line headquarters of the operating command for solving southern problems and would invite MPs in the area and the Democrat Party and opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to give advice.

Mr Abhisit said he would be glad to cooperate but needed assurance that doing so was not against Sections 265 and 266 of the charter which prohibit MPs from interfering in the work of government officials.

The former prime minister said he would like Ms Yingluck to attend the House meeting because the report on her elder brother's meeting with the Pulo leadership did not appear only on websites but was also confirmed by many other sources.

Privy Council president and statesman Prem Tinsulanonda said he was perplexed by the bombing on Saturday in Yala and Hat Yai.

"I was baffled and confused after hearing about these violent incidents in the South. They should not happen," Gen Prem said.

When reporters asked him about Chartthaipattana Party chief adviser Sanan Kachornprasart's idea for a reconciliation meeting between Gen Prem and Thaksin, he declined to answer.

"You should ask Maj Gen Sanan, but I'm fine even if I'm being frequently referred to by other people," Gen Prem said.

Thai PM visits bomb victims in Hat Yai - Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post, April 2, 2012

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra made her first trip to Hat Yai on Monday, begining with a visit to the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel, where a car bomb exploded on Saturday night, and then went to speak with a few of the surviviors.

Ms Yingluck was greeted on her arrival by Songkhla governor Krisda Boonraj, and Pol Lt-Gen Chakthip Chaichinda, the Region 9 Police commander, who led her to see the scene of Saturday's car bomb at the hotel.

There was high securityat all levels for her visit. Mobile telephone signals were blocked in the area during her visit.

She instructed officials to quickly provide assistance to families of those who were killed and wounded in the attack.

The prime minister then went to Hat Yai Hospital and visited 12 bomb victims being treated there. She expressed regret for what happened and wished them a quick recovery.

At the hospital, Ms Yingluck visited Kannaphat, a two-month old baby boy, who was also wounded along with his father, Paisit, at the hotel's carpark.

The prime minister said she will give the boy, who is now out of danger, a scholarship from her own pocket for his education until he finishes a bachelor's degree education.

National police chief Priewpan Damapong said he believed the car bombings in Yala and Songkhla's Hat Yai district on Saturday were a coordinated attack.

He was convinced of this after thoroughly inspecting the scenes of the bombings  - the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel in Hat Yai and in municipal Yala.

Judging from the way the bombs were assembled, the timing of the blasts and other circumstances, it was clear the series of explosions were linked.

Pol Gen Priewpan said investigators at the Police Operational Centre for the Southern Border Provinces knew which groups of insurgents were responsible for the attacks, but he did not give details.

Sources in the police explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) unit that scoured the basement carpark floors of the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel said the bomb was concealed in a black Honda Civic car registered to Thanasorn Kuasuk, secretary of the Choeng Khiri tambon administration organisation in Si Sa Khon district of Narathiwat province.

Mr Thanasorn was attacked and robbed of his car and an M16 rifle on Oct 23 last year.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung has defended the intelligence agencies against criticism they are inept following their failure to prevent the deadly bombings in Yala and Songkhla.

Mr Chalerm said the intelligence units were not incompetent.

The attackers planned ahead and it was difficult to prevent them from implmenting their plans. Even so, the intelligence units will be working in a more integrated manner from now on, he said.

Police had the pictures of the attackers from surveillance cameras and warrants for their arrest would be issued soon, he said.

The former police captain said he could not tell whether southern unrest will escalate further, to the level of violence during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.

"There will be no insurgent attacks in Bangkok, and there's nothing to worry about," Mr Chalerm said.

Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said intelligence reports warn that more bombings can be expected in the deep South and authorities might consider imposing the emergency decree in new areas in areas where the violence has worsened.

"The army has beefed up security in Songkhla's Hat Yai district and other areas because we have received reports that there might be more attacks," Gen Yutthasak said,.

Authorities had earlier warned people about possible attacks following a series of bomb blasts last weekend.

He said police and soldiers on Saturday conducted a counter-insurgency exercise at the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel in Hat Yai, but security measures had not been tightened.

"There has been more violence at the end of March and the beginning of April because the Krue Se and Tak Bai incidents happened around this time of year," the deputy prime minister said.

The Internal Security Operations Command, Region 4, had last week carried out an aggressive military offence, drawing strong resistance from the insurgents.

The proposal to extend the executive decree on public administration in emergency situations will be considered over the next two months because it could affect the people's state of mind, he said.

"There is still a problem of unity of command in the area, and it needs to be addressed.
"From now on, the army has to help push and support the political sector and must have more strategies," the retired general said.

In Yala, the bombs exploded at two spots. The first was at the intersection of Chong Rak and Ruam Mit roads, where the militants planted a 15kg bomb concealed in a gas cylinder in a blue Isuzu pickup truck.  The other site was in front of a convenience store where a similar bomb was planted in a Toyota Tiger pickup truck.

The bombs were detonated remotely by mobile phone.

The other explosion was from an LPG-powered van parked near the intersection.
Three people were killed in the explosion and blaze in the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel's basement carpark. They were identified as Mrs Yupin Puthima, 38, Low Tsian Hock, a Malaysian man, and an unidentified Thai man.

More than 300 people were wounded, but only 133 were still being treated at different hospitals, a source said.

Ten people, five men and five women, were killed in the Yala bomb blasts and 112 wounded.  Of the injured, 32 were still in hospital this morning.

Blasts kill 10 in Southern Thailand

Yala blasts kill 10 - Bangkok Post
March 31, 2012

Three bomb attacks minutes apart killed 10 people and wounded more than 100 on Saturday in the heart of Yala in the insurgency-hit far south.

The blasts took place within a 10-minute span near the Ruam Mitr intersection in the main business centre of Yala municipality around noon as families were out shopping, in the most deadly attack in five years in the Muslim-majority South.

A nurse in the emergency unit of Yala provincial hospital told AFP that there were nine dead and 112 wounded people had been admitted, but police later said the death toll had risen to 10.

The Public Health Ministry said 10 people were in critical condition with severe burns.

The first bomb was hidden in a motorcycle parked outside a karaoke shop, according to local media reports. Insurgents detonated the second and third bombs, which had been hidden in a motorcycle and a car, when the authorities rushed to check the first explosion.

Several shophouses near the blast sites caught fire and many parked cars and motorcycles were damaged by the powerful explosions. Bomb squad officers were seen inspecting the mangled car wreckage at the site of the car bomb as firefighters doused blazes nearby.

Yala Governor Dethrat Simsiri said that many of the injured were hit by the third bomb, hidden in a car, as they gathered at the scene.

Rescue workers helped bloodied victims and searched for other wounded people as smoke filled the street.

The Yala bombing was the worst attack in the Deep South since January last year, when nine people were killed by a bomb in a village in the same province.

The complex insurgency, without clearly stated aims, has plagued the far south near the border with Malaysia since 2004, claiming thousands of lives, both Buddhist and Muslim, with near-daily bomb or gun attacks.

Authorities have imposed emergency rule in the Muslim-majority region, which rights campaigners say effectively gives the army legal immunity.

The military last week admitted that troops had shot dead four Muslim villagers on their way to a funeral due to a "misunderstanding" in late January after apparently fearing they were under attack from militants.

One of the region's deadliest incidents occurred on Oct 25, 2004, when seven people were shot dead as security forces broke up a protest in the town of Tak Bai, and 78 more suffocated or were crushed to death in trucks while being transported to a detention centre.

Rights groups have said the failure of Bangkok-based authorities to hold security forces to account over the deaths has fuelled further violence and alienation in the region.

Elsewhere in the troubled provinces on Saturday, a policeman was injured by a bomb explosion at a food shop near Mae Lan police station in Pattani province, officers said.

The victim was admitted to Pattani hospital but his identity and details of his condition were not available. Police blamed separatist militants.

As well,a villager was killed in an ambush while walking home on a local road in Ban Khok Pan Ton in Pattani’s Mae Lan district late Friday night, reports said.
          
The victim was identified as Ama Wani, 34, a resident of Ban Khok Pan Ton. He was walking home with his four-year-old son on the local road in the village when gunmen hiding in a roadside forest sprayed bullets at him.

Ama was shot in the head and died on the spot. His son was unhurt.

Thai army accepts blame for killing 4 civilians - Jakarta Post

Thai army accepts blame for killing 4 civilians - Jakarta Post

Associated Press, Pattani, Thailand | Wed, 03/21/2012 6:48 PM

 

The Thai army has accepted responsibility for killing four innocent civilians in the insurgency-plagued south two months ago.

Regional army commander Lt. Gen. Udomchai Thammasarorat made the admission Wednesday in accepting the findings of an independent investigative panel.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in Thailand's three southernmost provinces since an Islamist insurgency erupted there in 2004.

The investigation found that soldiers mistakenly shot dead four men and wounded another four on Jan. 29 in Pattani province. The happened at a checkpoint set up to search for attackers who had shot a grenade into an army base earlier that day.

The army compensated the families of each slain victim with 500,000 baht ($16,250).

Student killed, 4 hurt, In bomb blast in southern Thailand

Student killed, 4 hurt, In bomb blast in southern Thailand
Bangkok Post, March 18, 2012

A senior female Muslim student was killed and four others, including her sister, were wounded in a bomb explosion in Pattani's Yarang district yesterday.

The bomb, thought to be aimed at soldiers, exploded at about 11.30am. A group of army rangers in a patrol vehicle overtook three motorcycles carrying five students on Basa-ae-Nanet Road in tambon Pitumudee.

Just after the patrol vehicle overtook the motorcycles, a roadside bomb went off. The students bore the full brunt of the explosion, while the soldiers were unhurt.

The blast killed Hamsor Sadae, 19, a Matthayom 6 student and seriously wounded one of the other four.

The students were from Prasan Witthaya Foundation Islamic religious school.

The injured were Hamsor's younger sister Mareeyae Sadae, 17, who was seriously wounded, Ar-eisor Salaema, 16, her younger sister Maseetor Salaema, 13, and Mareeyae Dueramae, 17.
The victims were on their way home in tambon Parai of Mae Lan district after taking final examinations at their school.

A security source said the blast occurred only a few hours before a ceremony was held to bring royally bestowed soil for the burial of ranger Da-or Bahor, who was killed in a bomb attack in Panare district on March 7.

Emergency decree in Southern Thailand extended - Bangkok Post

Emergency decree in Southern Thailand extended - Bangkok Post
March 13, 2012

The cabinet on Tuesday approved the National Security Council's proposal to extend the imposition of the executive decree for administration in emergency situations in three southern border provinces for another three months, acting government spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said.

Mr Anusorn said the extension of the emergency decree is from March 20 to June 19 and covers Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani provinces, except Pattani's Mae Lan district.

The spokesman said an opinion survey reported that 70 per cent of the people in the three provinces wanted the  emergency decree to continue to be enforced.  This is the 27 extension of the decree.

The cabinet assigned the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) to continue to conduct the assessment of the decree's enforcement, he said.

Roadside bomb kills 4 soldiers in Thailand’s south

Roadside bomb kills 4 soldiers in Thailand’s south - Asian Correspondent
AP News Mar 08, 2012 12:30PM UTC

PATTANI, Thailand (AP) — Suspected militants have detonated a roadside bomb in Thailand’s restive south, killing four soldiers.

Police Col. Satanfah Wamasing says the attack occurred Wednesday night in Narathiwat province’s Rue So district as a patrol unit of five soldiers were traveling on a pickup truck down a rural road. He says four of the soldiers were killed and the other severely wounded.

Satanfah said Thursday that the suspects detonated the bomb from a nearby spot. He says they took away a soldier’s rifle.

Nearly 5,000 people have been killed in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces since an Islamist insurgency erupted in 2004.

The militants have targeted civilians and businesses, as well as symbols of the state, including soldiers and government officials.

Thailand deep south: 2 volunteers killed in Yala

 2 volunteers killed in Yala
Bangkok Post, February 5, 2012

Two defence volunteers were killed in an ambush by southern militants while leaving their base to escort monks on an alms-taking round in Muang district of Yala province early Sunday morning.

Police said the incident took place at about 6am at the mouth of Soi Berseng 7 in tambon Sateng.

While the two volunteers - Supat Inthanok, 30, and Ronnachit Praiduang, 26 - were leaving their base near Soi Berseng 7 on a motorcycle a number of armed men waiting on a pick-up truck opened fire at them with AK47 and M16 rifles.

The two volunteers were shot in the head while trying to fight back.  When they fell onto the ground, seriously injured, the militants took away two AK47 rifles and a .38 pistol from them before fleeing on the pick-up truck.

While fleeing, the militants strewed metal spikes on the road to prevent them being followed.
Supat and Ronnachit died later at hospital.

Thai ranger killed, policeman wounded in far South

Thai ranger killed, policeman wounded in far South
Bangkok Post, 1 February 2012

The policeman was attacked by two gunmen in Cho Airong district of Narathiwat province this afternoon.

Pol Lt Kittikhun Pattamanusorn of Cho Airong police station said Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Veerachai Yudam, 40, was attacked while returning home on his motorcycle on the Yaning-Cho Airong road in tambon Chuap by two men on another motorcycle about 1.40pm.

The two men, each armed with a pistol, opened fire at him. One of the shots hit him in the left ribcage and another in the thigh, wounding him seriously.

Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Veerachai returned fire with his 11mm pistol and his attackers fled. He was admitted to Cho Airong hospital.

In Pattani's Khok Pho district, a paramilitary ranger was killed in a drive-by shooting this morning.

Khok Pho police chief Rapeepong Sukpaiboon said the victim was identified as ranger Thanong Sinthu, 40, attached to Ingkayuth Borihan military camp in Pattani's Nong Chok district.

Thanong was driving his motorcycle to his office on Naket-Pattani road at Ban Chamao in tambon Naket of Khok Pho when a gunman on another motorcycle fired at him three times and then fled, according to police.

The ranger took three bullets in his back and died on the spot, said Pol Col Rapeepong.

Police blamed separatist militants.

More than 4,500 people have been killed and about 9,000 hurt in the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004.

Angkhana: Military must admit mistake

Angkhana: Military must admit mistake
Bangkok Post, 31 January 2012

Angkhana Neelapaijit, chairwoman of the Justice for Peace Foundation, on Tuesday called on Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa to show responsibility for giving incorrect information on Sunday's shooting incident in Pattani in which four people were killed and five others injured.

Ms Angkhana said Gen Yutthasak said in an interview on Monday that those killed and wounded in the shooting were believed to have caused unrest despite the fact that they were villagers who were on the way to prayers at a funeral.

She said the shooting took place on the route they were taking. A survivor said when their pick-up truck arrived at the checkpoint (at Ban Kayi) no security officials showed up to conduct a search but the vehicle suddenly came under fire, causing deaths and injuries.

What happened had caused local people to become angry and accentuated their distrust of government authorities, Mrs Angkhana said.

"The shooting will make it more difficult for the government to win the trust of the people. Gen Yutthasak and the Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command must come out and admit a mistake was made, and declare publicly that the culprits will be punished wkithin the justice system. They should not talk only about reparations," she said.

Mrs Angkhana said the fact that the Nong Chik district chief found it hard to reach the scene of the shooting to find out what had happened indicated that there was an intention on the part of the authorities to cover up the mistake.

She called for the government to set up a committee comprising representatives of the state, the people's sector, respected religious leaders and representatives of those affected, to investigate and establish the facts surrounding the incident.

The committee should be empowered to invite the authorities to testify and explain the shooting with scientific and forensic evidence to back them up.

A DNA test should be conducted on weapons claimed to have been found in the pick-up truck, to make it clear whether those killed and the wounded had used them, Mrs Angkhana said.

Meanwhile, an unconfirmed report citing sources in the area said that the nearly 200 paramilitary rangers at the operational base at Ban Nam Dam in tambon Pulo Puyo had been ordered to move within 24 hours to Ingkhayuthaboriharn military camp in Pattani's Nong Chik district.

They were being replaced by 200 soldiers of Company 2206 of the 15th Signal Battalion from Phaya Intira military camp in tambon Huay Nam Yen of Nong Chik district, the report said.

Thailand deep south: 4 killed, 4 wounded in Pattani

Thailand deep south: 4 killed, 4 wounded in Pattani

Four villagers were killed and four others injured when gunmen attacked a pickup truck in Pattani's Nong Chik district on Sunday night.

(Photos by Abdulloh Benjakat)

Pol Col Chonvee Chamarerk, the Nong Chik police chief, said the attack on the pickup happened about 10pm after an M79 grenade was fired at the operational base of a ranger unit at Ban Nam Kham in tambon Pulo Puyo in Nong Chik.

The M79 grenade explosion slightly injured a ranger.

The rangers at the base contacted patrol units to set up checkpoints on Highway 418 (Yala-Pattani) to check vehicles passing along the road.

At Ban Kayi, about 2km from the base, an Isuzu pickup which was spotted travelling against the traffic flow was attacked by an unidentified group of armed men and an exchange of fire followed.

Four people in the pick-up truck were killed and four others wounded. The dead were identified as Ropa Buraheng, 18, Isman Dueramae, 55, Saha Samae, 65, and Ahama Saning, all from Ban Tanyong Pule in tambon Pule Puyo. The wounded, from the same village, were admitted to Nong Chik hospital.

Nong Chik district chief Luechai Charoensap and Pol Col Chonvee led a team of police and defence volunteers to examine the scene. They found 26 spent AK47 shells and 30 spent M16 shells on the road.

An AK47 rifle was found in the pickup.

Ya Dueramae, the driver of the pickup, told police he was taking nine passengers from Ban Tanyong Pule to the funeral of a former village chief, who died of old age, at Ban Thungpho in tambon Lipa Sango.

At Ban Kayi, they saw a number of defence volunteers. At that moment the pickup came under attack from many directions, killing and wounding the villagers. The vehicle was riddled with bullet holes.

Mr Luechai, the district chief, said he had ordered district officials to arrange a funeral for the victims and promised relatives that the police would investigate the incident and ensure them justice.

Former defence minister Yutthasak rejected the involvement of military rangers in the shooting.

He said initial investigations did not support the claim they were innocent villagers.

He said that according to a report he received a pickup truck and a motorcycle were involved in the attack on the ranger base.

The motorcycle from which the grenade was fired managed to escape, but the pickup skidded off the road as it fled and came under fire.

A number of weapons were found in the pickup, he said.

It was not yet known which group the people in the pickup belonged to, Gen Yutthasak said.

He said the pickup driver's account to police that the people in the vehicle were on their way to a funeral might not be true. People going to prayers did not need to carry weapons.

It appeared they were fleeing after the M79 attack, he added.

"Authorities are sceptical that those in the pickup truck were ordinary villagers," Gen Yutthasak said.

Maj-Gen Acra Thiproj, deputy director of Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command, said no conclusions had yet been reached about the group or whether they were involved in the attack on the ranger base. A forensic examination would help determine the facts, he said.

Lt-Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat, the Region 4 Army commander, promised justice for the families of those killed, Maj-Gen Acra said.

He said officials had been sent to meet the relatives of the victims to prevent any misunderstanding.

Thailand deep south: 3 slain in Yala, 6 wounded in Pattani

Thailand deep south: 3 slain in Yala, 6 wounded in Pattani

Bangkok Post, 23 January 2012

Three people were killed in two separate attacks on Sunday night in Yala province.

About 11pm, Aree Topho, 21, a villager, was shot three times in the chest while travelling on a motorcycle on a road near Ban Prama in tambon Sateng Nok of Muang district by the pillion rider of another motorcycle.

He died later at the hospital.  Police were investigating.

About the same time, Maso Wateh, 55, an assistant village chief, and Awae Juyo, a village defence volunteer, were killed when the pillion riders of two motorcycles opened fire at their car with an AK47 and M16 rifles.

The attack happened on Thathong-Raman road in Raman district of Yala.

Police blamed southern militants.

Also on Sunday night, in nearby Pattani province, insurgents opened fire at the outpost of a unit of Task Force 26 at Ban Chalako in tambon Manang Dalam of Sai Buri district with small arms, but inflicted no casualties.

A team of six soldiers were rished from a nearby outpost at Wat Sakkhi in tambon Lahan to Ban Chalako on receiving a request for reinforcements.

While their pick-up truck was passing a village on Sai Buri-Kapho road in tambon Manang Dalam, the vehicle ran over a bomb which detonated.

All six soldiers, led by Capt Suchart Rodpol, in the vehicle were wounded in the explosion.
The other wounded soldiers are M/Sgt Therdthai Thongwan, M/Sgt Sithisak Sangkham, 37, M/Sgt Ekachat Sawiphan, 45, M/Sgt Wattana Wilanokrum, 43, and Pvt Ekapong Chanchula, 22.

Thailand deep south: Three killed in Narathiwat attacks

Thailand deep south: Three killed in Narathiwat attacks
Bangkok Post, January 6, 2012

Three people were killed in two separate attacks in the southern border province of Narathiwat on Friday morning.

Sungai Kolok police chief Chakkraporn Thaengthong said a man was killed and his wife wounded in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok district this morning.

The victims were identified as Rohaya Cheteh, 32, a teacher of Ban Lalae school in tambon Puyoh of the district, and her husband Abdul Arwae Cheteh, 51.

They were travelling in a pickup truck to Sungai Kolok municipality about 5am when a man riding pillion on a motorcycle fired at them with an 11mm handgun. The assailants fled.

Rohaya was shot in her right hand while Abdul Arwae took several bullets in his torso.

The victims were taken to Sungai Kolok hospital, where Abdul was later pronounced dead.

In another incident, two defence volunteers were killed and three others seriously injured in an attack by gunmen in Narathiwat’s Rueso district, reports said.

The volunteers were guarding a garment factory in Ban Yalae Boh in Rueso when the gunmen opened fire at them, the reports said.

Joint military and police force were inspecting the spot, according to the reports.

More than 4,500 people have been killed and about 9,000 hurt in the three southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004.

Thailand deep south: Two soldiers killed in Pattani

Thailand deep south: Two soldiers killed in Pattani
Bangkok Post, January 3, 2012

Two soldiers were killed by a powerful bomb explosion while delivering New Year presents to villagers in Pattani's Mayo district on Tuesday.

The slain troops were part of an eight-member team from the Pattani 25th Special Task Force travelling in a convoy of four motorcycles and a pickup truck to distribute New Year gifts to villagers at Moo 2 village in tambon Kra Sor. They were about one kilometre from their base when attacked around 10.30 am.

The bomb, buried under the road surface, exploded directly under a truck in which Lt Direksan Rattanasin, 26, a commander of the Task Force's 15312 Company, and Sgt Yutthaya Jampa, 25, were travelling. The truck was driven by Sgt Yutthaya.

The two men succumbed to their wounds while being taken to a hospital. Their colleagues were unhurt.

The intensity of the blast propelled the vehicle into the roadside ditch and totally wrecked it.

Mayo police said there were about 15kg of explosive in the improvised device. The explosion left a hole about one metre deep and two metres wide in the road. and was detonated by an electric wire.

Police blamed Islamic militants.

Southern Thailand unrest continues as year nears end

Southern unrest continues as year nears end
Bangkok Post, December 30, 2011

Three separate attacks in the southern border provinces of Yala and Pattani on Friday morning caused one death and three injuries - with a military patrol having a lucky escape.

A defence volunteer was shot in front of his house in Raman district of Yala province early Friday morning and later died, police said.

About 12.15am Kasaman Sadeemae, 23, a village defence volunteer of Ban Kuemeng in Raman, was waiting for his colleague to pick him up to go on duty when a gunman riding pillion on a motorcycle fired at him with an M16 assault rifle. The assailants then fled.

Kasaman was seriously injured and taken to Raman hospital by his relatives. The victim was later forwarded to Yala hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Also in Yala, a bomb was detonated too early on a road in Raman district, slightly injuring one soldier.

Police said the remote controlled bomb was triggered just before two motorcycles and a six-wheel truck carrying a team of eight soldiers passed over it.

One soldier's right finger was slightly injured by the blast, which also left a one-metre-wide, 80-centimetre-deep hole in the road.

Bomb squad officers later found a metal box believed to have contained five kilogrammes of explosive.

In Pattani's Yarang district this morning, two soldiers providing security for teachers were seriously injured by a roadside explosion in front of Thai Rath Witthaya 52 school.

Four soldiers of Pattani No 21special force were patrolling on Pattani-Yala road in front of the school in Ban Ton Phai of tambon Moh Wawee when a five kilogramme home-made bomb placed near a roadside tree exploded.

Staff Sgt Kittisak Sakulthai, 33, and Staff Sgt Somsak Boonkaew, also 33, were seriously wounded and taken to Pattani hospital.

Police blamed southern insurgents for all three attacks.

About 4,800 people have been killed and around 9,000 hurt in the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala since the separatist violence erupted afresh in January 2004.

Thailand's deep south: Weapons recovered in Narathiwat

Thailand's deep south: Weapons recovered in Narathiwat
Bangkok Post, December 20, 2011

Police on Tuesday recovered a number of weapons and ammunition from a shack in a rubber plantation in Ruso district of Narathiwat on a tip-off from an RKK member who surrendered to the authorities on Dec 19.

Abdulromae Hare, who surrendered after a clash with a combined police and military unit on Monday, led the police to the rubber plantation near Kuyi village in tambon Lalo this morning.

Police recovered from the shack four M16 rifles, one HK33 rifle, one carbine, more than 200 rounds of assorted ammunition, two bullet-proof vests, and 94 firecrackers.

Pol Col Sathanfa Wamasing, the Ruso police chief, said some of the weapons recovered were stolen from four soldiers who were killed in a clash on Sept 28 while escorting teachers of Lamo School in Ruso district.