NARATHIWAT, March 9 – Police on Friday are hunting two suspects believed to be linked to the attacks on two military outposts in Narathiwat’s Bacho district on Thursday night in which twelve soldiers were wounded.
Last night’s attacks are thought to have been carried out by Wae-alee Copter Waji, a leading suspected insurgent with a Bt1 million bounty and Maroso Chantharavadee, who has an outstanding arrest warrant in a security-related case as well as their supporters in Bacho and Saiburi districts, according to Capt Somkiat Phonprayoon, commander of Chulabhorn Naval Camp’s Royal Thai Marine Task Force. The group is active in Bacho district.
Security personnel have been assigned to track the attackers.
In a related development, Pol Lt-Col Krachang Raknarong, chief of the provincial forensic science police unit, and his team inspected the scenes of the attacks and have collected evidence.
A megaphone, pliers and spent bullet cases collected at the scenes are being sent for DNA testing and fingerprint identification, aiming to compare with others on the police record, Col Krachang said.
The assaults on two military outposts took place in Narathiwat’s Bacho district on Thursday night and left 12 soldiers wounded, some critically.
Assailants used M 79 grenade launchers and gunfire against the two outposts, setting fire to a building and damaging three motorcycles at the first outpost, while the other was only slightly damaged.
According to preliminary investigation, about 50 well-armed men divided into three groups attacked the two posts. The third group felled trees to block the roads and felled three electric poles to cut power at the targeted locations.
The soldiers exchanged gunfire with the suspected insurgents for about 20 minutes before the attackers retreated.
The 12 wounded military personnel are being treated in Naradhiwasrajanagarindra Hospital in Narathiwat.
Four of them, including Petty Officer 2nd Class Phumpitak Kiew-ngern, Pvt Pramuan Boonsri, Pvt Narathorn Nittayasith and Pvt Sitthichai Dadsada, are in critical condition while eight others are in stable condition.
More than 5,000 local residents, security personnel, monks, teachers and insurgents have been killed since the renewed insurgency in Thailand’s mainly ethnic Malay Muslim far South erupted eight years ago.
