Southern rail service cut as militants sabotage tracks

At least 65 nuts and bolts from sleepers on the track between Yala and Narathiwat provinces had been removed overnight, forcing trains services to a standstill, police said.

Railways in the restive region have come under repeated attacks in spite of stepping up in security. At least ten acts of sabotage on the tracks have been carried since early June.

 Meanwhile, violence continue elsewhere in the Malayspeaking south.

A 32-year-old Muslim rubber taper was shot dead in early Thursday in Narathiwat while a gun fight between soldiers and insurgents broke out in Pattani, leaving three troops wounded.

 More than 2,300 people have been killed, mostly ethnic Malays, in the south since the insurgency broke out in January 2004. The violence has continued despite reconciliatory efforts by the Bangkok government.

The Nation