Three arrested over Chinese New year attacks
The Commander of the Fourth Army Area, Lt General Viroj Buacharoon Tuesday said three suspects behind the string of attacks during the Chinese New Year have been arrested.
Viroj said the suspects were between 20 and 30 years of age and had admitted to their crime.
The suspects were paraded in front of the media while Viroj spoke to the press. He said the attackers had undergone guerrilla combat training - known as RKK (Rundi Kumpulan Kecil) - prior to taking up arms against the state. He added that the attackers were deployed during the weekend to locations outside their residential area - a similar pattern to other co-ordinated attacks. Separately, a Border Patrol Police outpost came under attack by suspected militants in Narathiwat's Sri Sakorn district. The gunfight lasted for about ten minutes. No injuries were reported. In Narathiwat's Yi-ngor district, a bomb was detonated in front of a public school as a security detail was passing by. No injuries were reported. In Chanae district of the same province, a bomb exploded at a bus stop in a remote village. In Yala, authorities defused a bomb planted in front of a 7-11 convenient store, while in Banang Sta district, a soldier was injured in a brief gunfight after his unit was ambushed by suspected militants hiding in the forest. The Chamber of Commerce in Yala, meanwhile, called on the government to put up more closed-circuit cameras in public areas and to provide local residents in rural and the municipality areas with weapons to defend themselves. In spite of tightened security during the weekend when thousands of local residents were celebrating the Chinese New Year, militants were able to carry out at least 38 bombing attacks, 26 cases of arson and mount seven ambushes from Sunday evening to Monday afternoon. The Nation
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