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Police said Saturday's arrests had also netted bomb-making materials. Some 200 police and soldiers spent six hours searching Baan Ba-ngo Sato in Rangae district.

Elsewhere attacks continued.

In Yala, members of a group of defence volunteers were injured in Baan Hae in Than To district after coming under fire from an unknown number of suspected rebels. The skirmish lasted about five minutes before the insurgents withdrew.

Several ambushes without injury were reported. Suspected militants have damaged electricity transformers too.

In Pattani, a police informant was severely injured after being shot several times.

Officials remain confident villagers are cooperating in identifying insurgents and sympathisers. They deny recent arrests have been random.

"We're confident the masses are now with us; we are getting tip-offs. Most of these are done secretly so we can ensure their safety," Than To district chief Surachai Wongsuphaluck said.

"Most of these tip-offs have led to successful arrests, unlike in the past, when wrong arrests led to protests by villagers."

The military has launched an operation it calls "fish out of water". It aims to "dislocate rebels from communities that harbour them".

Colonel Peeraphol Viriyarkul, commander of the third special force in Narathiwat, claimed a success rate near 100 per cent to date.

The Nation