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Published on October 10, 2007

Police found Bt30 million in cash stuffed inside PVC pipes along with a pistol and a shotgun buried in the backyard of an abandoned house in Tambon Munoh of this border town.

Seven sealed pipes, four inches in diameter and ranging in length between one to three metres, were found buried in the house's compound.

Colonel Manat Kongpan, chief of staff for the Civilian-Police-Military Unit, said he believed the money belonged to drug dealers.

Sungai Kolok, popular among Malaysian nationals coming across the border, is notorious for its nightlife, prostitution, smuggling and other vices.

Separately, Sakariya Lermoh, 36, a relief volunteer for the Raman district, was shot dead by suspected insurgents while riding his motorbike.

Stray bullets from the incident hit two young boys - Asawa Along, 8, who died at the scene, and Afan Tohchong, 9, who suffered wounds. Police said the attackers made off with Sakariya's handgun.

In a separate incident in the same district, a gunman fired three shots hitting Wanchai Siriratchan, 43, a resident of Tambon Panare of Pattani - killing him on the spot.

His three-year-old daughter, who was with him on the motorbike, was injured and admitted to hospital. A stray bullet hit a nine year-old boy, Mahamah-piradao Salahreh, who was sitting inside a nearby home.

In Yala's Muang district, Wae-useng Bukeh, 19, a resident of Pattani's Yarang district, was shot in his side and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

In nearby Yaha district, a military vehicle returning from a crime scene was fired on by a group of gunmen hiding by the side of the road. The attack took place in Ban Sise in Tambon Baroh. No injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, Maj-General Chamlong Khunsong, commander of the 15 Infantry Division and deputy director of the Civilian-Police-Military Unit, said information leading to the whereabouts of the militants in Songkhla's Saba Yoi district had come from the local residents.

 Five insurgents were killed and three got away after Monday's firefight in the district.

 The fighting puts the local leaders in an uneasy position, unable to explain how a group of militants were able to get a foothold in the community.

None of the dead militants were local residents of Saba Yoi district, said Muhamed Kadir, a member of local tambon administrative organisation.

"People here are indifferent to their death. That's because the militants are not from here," Muhamed said.

Only one of the militants had been positively identified, police said.

Meanwhile, in Narathiwat's Rusoh district, police found a bomb placed on the roof of a rest area for traffic police.

The Nation

Sungai Kolok, Narathiwat