Three more shot dead in deep South

The 23-year-old ranger was shot dead at her home in Narathiwat when two suspected militants pretended to ask for directions, police said.

A 37-year-old Muslim man was gunned down in the same province by men on a motorcycle as he was returning home from the market.

In nearby Yala, a member of a village volunteer defence force was shot dead in an ambush as he headed to a school to stand guard during the night.

In the province's Yaha district, two security units came under fire in separate attacks in the same vicinity. Both were ambushed by men on the side of the road on their way to a school to escort teachers home.

In Betong district, police arrested Mohammed Ther-meesee Thayeh, 21, the son of a prominent separatist leader, Masoe, accusing him of extorting protection money from local villagers. Police said they had evidence from a bank transfer made on Tuesday from the victim to Mohammed's account.

Masoe had a Bt2-million bounty on his head until the government cancelled giving rewards for suspected subversives in the deep South.

In Narathiwat, police said one of the seven suspects detained by police during a raid on Islamburapha traditional boarding school was Manasae Che-loh, an alleged bomb expert who also functions as a recruiter for the rebels.

In Bangkok, Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin reversed his stance and maintained that the government was on the right track with its policy and strategy in the restive region.

He did not elaborate, but in the middle of last month he admitted to students at the National Defence College that the situation in the South had reached the point of crisis.

The general was harsh on bureaucrats and members of the security forces, deploring their inefficiency and lack of professionalism, which has made the insurgency worse.

The latest violence comes amid a government crackdown. About 250 local residents have been detained over the past two weeks without charge for further questioning.

The Nation

YALA