Armed men storm volunteer base

He said he put his hands up because he knew that fighting back would only cost him his life. 

“Then they gagged me as I was trying to alert my subordinates,” he said.

Five volunteers were at the base but they were easily outnumbered when another 10 men broke in. Several other armed men were seen surrounding the base outside. The volunteers were bound and gagged but not harmed. 

The intruders made off with four assault rifles, one M16 machine gun, five bulletproof vests, one radio-communications device, five mobile phones and more than 100 rounds of ammunition. 

The base is on the Kapho-Sai Buri Road in front of Ban Karubi School. 

“Things happened so quickly. They staged the robbery in 15 minutes and left,” Mahama said. 

After the intruders left, the territorial-defence volunteers managed to untie themselves and alerted police. 

Pattani police chief Maj-General Ekkapop Prasitwattanachai then brought over a team of officers to inspect the scene. 

“We have launched a manhunt for the robbers,” Ekkapop said, adding that he believed the intruders were linked to the RKK (Runda Kumpulan Kecil). “They must be working under the command of Madari Tayeh. His group is active in the area.” 

In a related development, the authorities issued a resolution to introduce more security measures for teachers in Narathiwat. These additional measures were announced in the wake of last week’s shooting that saw one teacher killed and another seriously injured. One of the additional measures is providing a security escort for teachers at all times, not just during their trip to school and back. 

Also, the number of security personnel in the escort team will be increased and relevant authorities will determine the risk faced by each teacher and make special arrangements for those deemed at higher risk. 

This southern border province is predominantly Muslim and there are concerns that insurgents are targeting Buddhists.