THAILAND: Thai Muslim villagers mourn victims of mosque attack

Record ID: 353136

  • Title: THAILAND: Thai Muslim villagers mourn victims of mosque attack
  • Date: 10th June 2009
  • Summary: RELATIVES TAKING BODIES OUT OF MOSQUE RELATIVES PUTTING BODIES ON STRETCHER
  • Embargoed: 25th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA90TD09CGW3L34BQE9EOAR4F4T
  • Story Text: Hundreds of villagers gathered at a mosque in Thailand's deep south on Tuesday (June 9), to honour the ten people who were killed there in an attack on Monday (June 8).
    The attack occurred in the town of Narathiwat, in the Cho Airong district.
    Relatives wrapped the bodies of their loved ones in white sheets in preparation for the funeral, as dozens of armed soldiers and police guarded the mosque.
    Police said at least five gunmen sprayed bullets into the mosque during evening prayers, killing 10 people and wounding 12 others on Monday (June 8).
    Police later found M-16 bullets scattered through the mosque.
    The gunmen entered through the back door of the mosque during prayers, and opened fire with their automatic weapons.
    No credible group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
    The Thai government has assigned its army chief to visit the region to assess the situation.
    More than 3,000 people have died in the near daily bomb and gun attacks in the three provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani, which border Malaysia, where a shadowy insurgency has rumbled since 2004.
    No credible group has stated its goals or claimed responsibility for any of the attacks in the region, which was an independent Muslim sultanate until annexed by predominantly Buddhist Thailand a century ago.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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