Five injured in series of attacks in Narathiwat
MILITANTS CARRIED out sequenced attacks on Army officials in Narathiwat province yesterday, injuring two sergeants, two paramilitary soldiers and a civilian, as well as damaging vehicles.
An initial investigation showed that the injured officers were riding in a pickup on their way to buy supplies at a market in Sisakorn district when a group of heavily-armed militants hiding at the roadside opened fire at them.
Police were alerted about the attack at 9.40am and found spent bullet casings and traces of blood at the scene as well as a bullet-riddled pickup that they towed to a secure location.
The shooting injured four soldiers – Sergeant Thanakorn Tannisai, 40, Sergeant Wissanu Muesanthat, 31, Kamjorn Tanma, 35 and Wissanu Chamnanna, 29 – as well as a villager identified as Tuwae-ahsoh Talipoh.
None of the soldiers was seriously hurt but they were all sent to Naradhiwasrajanagarindra Hospital in Muang district for treatment.
Following another incident at 10.12am, a ranger unit deployed an armoured personnel carrier about two kilometres from the first attack site to provide protection for officials gathering evidence.
The rangers left the vehicle and were talking to paramilitary officers when a bomb planted at the roadside went off. The rangers reported suffering slight ear concussions and chest pain.
Militants had earlier triggered three attacks in separate incidents on Monday night, none of which resulted in injuries.
Bombs exploded against three utility poles at the Kilometre 26 marker in Betong district in Yala at 7.40pm, damaging a car as well as the poles and causing a blackout that was still ongoing at press time.
Then in Narathiwat’s Sungai Padi district at 9.50pm, insurgents fired M-79 grenades at a ranger unit, but missed. Militants also set fire to tyres, deployed spikes and cut down trees to block highway traffic at a nearby area.
Police deputy spokesman Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen said national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda had responded to the attacks by ordering a tightening of security in the region as militants appeared to be seeking to cause turbulence during the holiday period.
Chakthip will visit the area soon to be briefed about the situation and to give moral support to officers.