Four shot dead at construction site

Police rushed to the site in Tambon Bannang Sata in Bannang Sata district and found the four bodies with bullet wounds under the bridge. They retrieved spent .357 and 9mm bullets as evidence.

One of the victims was the project contractor, Jatupol Rattanasit, who had come with a foreman and driver to inspect the progress.

Police investigation found that a group of four young men on two motorcycles had approached the victims at the site, where some 10 people were working. The suspected militants shot four men dead at close range before fleeing the scene with three guns belonging to the victims.

A worker told police that they had not paid any attention to the youngsters until they heard gunshots, which prompted them to run and hide until they heard the motorcycles speeding away.

Police suspect the killing was carried out by the insurgents to cause chaos.

Earlier on Friday three people were killed in Yala in separate incidents believed to be connected to the insurgency.

A 46-year-old man was shot dead outside a mosque after Friday prayers. Police believe he was targeted because the southern militants suspected he was a police informer.

Also on Friday, a 65-year-old woman was shot dead outside her house and a 30-year-old man was killed in a drive-by shooting as he went to feed fish at a local pond.