THAILAND: Attack on military base kills five

Record ID: 353664

  • Title: THAILAND: Attack on military base kills five
  • Date: 18th July 2012
  • Summary: NARATHIWAT, THAILAND (JULY 17, 2012) (REUTERS) OFFICIAL CARS ON ROAD OBJECT BURNING IN STREET OFFICIALS STANDING AT SCENE POLICE AND SOLDIERS TALKING OFFICIALS SITTING IN AMPHIBIAN VEHICLE OFFICIALS TALKING VARIOUS OF MILITARY BASE BULLET CASINGS ON STREET MORE AMMUNITION IN STREET POLICE POINTING TOWARDS DAMAGED HOUSES TWO SUSPECTED INSURGENTS SITTING ON ROAD POLICE HOLD
  • Embargoed: 2nd August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: Crime
  • Reuters ID: LVA3T8QT45BR583AVU48P3F6DGKA
  • Story Text: An attack by suspected insurgents on a Thai military base on Tuesday night (July 17) left five people dead and five others injured in the southern province of Narathiwat, said local police.
    A soldier, two villagers and two suspected insurgents died in the attack on a military camp in Narathiwat 1,148 kilometres (714 miles) away from the capital Bangkok, said police.
    At least 5,000 people have been killed in southern Thailand since 2004 in violence attributed to Muslim separatists.
    Narathiwat is one of three Muslim-dominated southernmost provinces, along with Pattani and Yala, that were part of an independent Malay Muslim sultanate until annexed by predominantly Buddhist Thailand in 1909.
    At least 20 people were involved in Tuesday's attack in which buildings inside the camp were riddled with bullets and two cars badly damaged during an exchange of gunfire between soldiers and suspected insurgents, said police, adding that local separatist groups had warned of an attack in mid-July.
    Attempts by emergency teams to reach the scene were initially thwarted by burning tyres and a tree trunk obstructing a road leading to the military camp.
    Explosions at four ATM machines in Yala on Friday (July 20) wounded two people in what police say was a deliberate attempt by local insurgents to target the region's economy.
    In the worst incident in the region in years, powerful co-ordinated explosions killed 13 people on March 31, and wounded 300 more.
    Yutthasak Sasiprapa, a deputy prime minister, told a news conference last week that security had been stepped up in the southernmost provinces ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to help prevent attacks during the fasting period.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register