web DeskPattani, Three insurgents in Pattani have been killed after a 5-day siege. Weapons of war were found and supplies were stockpiled to prepare for another attack. One government official was killed and two others were injured.
Progress on the case On July 27, officers from the joint task force enforced the law and closed in and searched the rubber plantation in Village 4, Na Ket Subdistrict, Khok Pho District, Pattani Province after a group of insurgents moved and hid to prepare to commit acts of violence in the area. While officers were investigating, an unknown number of insurgents used weapons of war to shoot and throw grenades, injuring three officers, one of whom, Sergeant Major Thanasak Buakhao, died. Throughout the past several days, officers continued to close in and search the surrounding forest, and there were occasional clashes.
Until last night (July 31), the authorities launched the ‘Operation Ban Klong Chang’ plan to surround and tighten the area in hopes of pressuring the perpetrators to surren
der. It turned out that 2-3 perpetrators were seen running away, so they shouted for them to stop and surrender. However, the perpetrators used firearms to shoot at the authorities and threw grenades at them, resulting in a fierce exchange of gunfire that lasted for several hours until the gunfire stopped. The authorities were still unable to clear the area because they were afraid that the perpetrators were still hiding and might shoot at the authorities.
The latest, this morning, an inspection of the clash site found three suspects wearing black, similar to rangers, dead: Mr. Rabi, with two arrest warrants for security-related offences; Mr. Ismaae, with three arrest warrants for security-related offences; and Mr. Tuan Adel. Officers quickly sent the bodies of the three to Khok Pho Hospital for autopsies. In addition, four firearms were seized, two M-16s, two handguns, and a field bag with a number of equipment.
In addition, from the inspection of the forest area where the clash occurred within a radius of
500 meters, 2 shelters with belongings were found. The bomb disposal and inspection team and the Anothai Special Task Force’s military dog ??unit went to inspect the area. The first location was a small guard post with food and personal items, including a small well for drinking. The second location was a temporary shelter that was old and had not been used for a long time. The officers found a plastic bag with English letters that looked like the logo of USAID, or the United States Agency for International Development, an independent agency of the United States federal government responsible for providing international support to civilians and development assistance. The forensic officers went to collect evidence and other evidence in detail to investigate the links between the groups that caused the violence.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Piyawat Chalermsri, Commander of Provincial Police Region 9, revealed that during the operation and law enforcement for the past 5 days, officers have tried to use negotiations as the ma
in method, but the opposing side has tried to use weapons to attack officers. Currently, they are urgently investigating who the three individuals are, including the suspects who are still at large. In particular, they are urgently investigating the 4 firearms seized from the three bodies to see what other incidents they have committed and if they can be linked to any other cases.
Source: Thai News Agency
