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Published on October 9, 2007

The gunfight broke when an Army unit conducting a routine inspection in a village in Tam-bon Chanae was ambushed by a group of militants.

Five insurgents were killed when the unit returned fire, and 30 people were detained, including 10 women.

Security forces confiscated M16 and AK-47 assault rifles, as well as a .38mm handgun and bombs.

The incident occurred as the new Army commander-in-chief, General Anupong Paochinda, was conducting his first visit to the restive region.

In Narathiwat province, a force of about 400 soldiers and policemen carried out pre-dawn raids on 11 locations in Sungai Padi district, detaining 17 suspected militants and confiscating some contraband items.

The raid was carried out on 200 homes in Ban Thonmai Soong. Security forces confiscated a .38mm handgun containing 14 rounds of ammunition and a pair of binoculars belonging to Mahyuha Mahyusoh, 36, a member of Tambon Paluru Municipality.

Authorities also detained Hamah Che-ngor, 57, former mayor of Tambon Paluru, who is suspected of being part of the insurgency.

In Rusoh district, police found the body of Mahamah Samah, 37, in a rice paddy in Tambon Sawor. He was shot four times and was found next to his motorcycle. His seven-year-old son was shot in the leg but survived the attack.

In the same area, authorities found an M16 rifle with two magazines full of rounds in the home of Soree Mahming, 24, who they said had been acting suspiciously.

Meanwhile, the Army's so-called job-training project in various bases in the South has been slammed by a rights advocate.

Angkana Neelaphaijit, chairperson for the Justice for Peace Committee, said statements from people who went through the training said they joined against their will because they were afraid of what the authorities might do if they refused.

"There are cases where people are coerced to sign up for training because the authorities told them that this was the only way to clear their name of being suspects," she said.

A number of young people, both male and female, have fled to Malaysia to escape further "harassment" from the authorities.

Angkana said the image of the state in the eyes of the villagers is at one of its lowest points and the insurgents are feeding on this perception.

The Nation

Pattani