Sergeant Supit Nakplong was killed late on Saturday in Narathiwat, when the group of soldiers he was travelling with was ambushed by heavily armed militants as they were returning from a polling station for advance voting in the April 2 general election.

Supit was shot twice in the back during the attack, which also injured four of his comrades.

Lt-General Manop Khaikhuntod, commander of Battalion 802, said Supit's family would be financially assisted.

The four injured soldiers included Lt Chosak Yossophon who was shot in the face, Command Sgt-Major Narong Poomyoad, who was shot in the body, Private Sutthichai Sri-Utha, who was shot in the face, and Private Preecha Srikaew, who was slightly injured. All except Preecha remained in critical condition.

Police yesterday went back into the crime scene and collected 12 M-16 bullet casings. A combined force of 300 soldiers and police also raided three villages for four hours in search of suspected militants, but found only a black shirt bearing the insignia of the Bersatu militant group.

Meanwhile, violence continued elsewhere in the three southernmost provinces.

School security guard Ya Buesa, 45, was shot dead while guarding a school in Yala's Bannang Sata district on Saturday night. Ya, who was also an employee of the Southern Border Provinces Peace-building Command, died of a single gunshot wound to the head. 

Separately, in Pattani's Thung Yang Daeng district, two villagers were attacked while they were returning home on Saturday night. Two gunmen riding a motorbike approached Prayong Sathikul, 31, and his relative Benjamas Kaewvisit, 45, from behind and opened fire on them with a .38 pistol. Prayong was struck in the stomach and Benjamas in the leg.

Police said either the insurgency or personal conflicts could have been the motive in both attacks.

The Nation

Narathiwat