Four separatists killed as bombs injure 9 in southern Thailand

Four separatists killed as bombs injure 9 in southern Thailand

2011-05-20 21:45:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

YALA, THAILAND (BNO NEWS) -- Four separatist militants were killed on Friday in a gunfight with Thai security forces in the southern province of Yala, police said.

The Bangkok Post reported that a joint military ranger and border patrol police force surrounded the suspects' house in Yala's Tharn To district after receiving a tip-off. Pol Col Peera Boonliang, deputy Yala police chief, said that authorities used a loud-speaker to urge the militants to surrender, but they opened fire on the troops. The gun battle lasted about 10 minutes and left four militants dead.

Three of the dead were identified as suspected militants, but police were checking identity of the fourth. Col Peera said one of the suspects was wanted for involvement in several shootings and bomb attacks in Yala.



Meanwhile, a car bomb exploded in Narathiwat province late Friday morning as police were sealing off the scene of an earlier nearby blast in Sungai Padi district. One policeman and eight civilians were injured.



Police said a motorcycle parked in a crowded area exploded first. When police were called in, a bomb concealed in a pick-up truck parked only 40 meters away went off.

 Police later arrested two suspects for questioning.

Since 2004, around 4,000 people have been killed in Thailand's southern regions of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat, as local insurgent groups renewed their fighting efforts against the government. More than 7,000 people have been injured in violent incidents launched by separatist militants.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-05-20