Soldiers engaged in gunfight in Narathiwat
A villager was shot and critically wounded and a roadside bomb exploded here as the Interior Ministry seeks Bt1 billion for surveillance cameras in strategic deep South locations.
Former border defence volunteer Abdulroheng Jamae, 34, was critically injured in a drive-by shooting yesterday in Rangae district. Abdulroheng, the brother of police officer Sgt-Major Muhammadhasan Jamae, was returning home from a rubber plantation when he was shot. Police said Abdulroheng, a trained ranger, was shot at point-blank range by two gunmen riding a motorcycle. Police suspect Muslim militants were responsible. Separately, in Joh I Rong, suspected Muslim insurgents planted a decoy bomb on a roadside and detonated a genuine device when eight soldiers arrived to clear the area. There were no injuries. The bombers then engaged the soldiers with gunfire for about five minutes before fleeing. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry is seeking Cabinet approval to spend Bt972.5 million on installing closed-circuit cameras in community centres and municipalities in the deep South and two adjacent provinces. The money is needed to fix damaged existing cameras, too. It is believed the cameras will deter militants from acts in these areas. The images can identify perpetrators of attacks. More than 1,900 people have been killed in three years of violence in the region. The Surayud Chulanont government has promised to restore peace but bombings and shootings continue daily.
The Nation NARATHIWAT
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