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An army captain was killed and 14 soldiers wounded in an ambush that triggered a gunfight late yesterday afternoon in Narathiwat's Rueso district, police say.
The ambush was one of several attacks that took place yesterday. They came one day after a government team, led by National Security Council (NSC) chief Paradorn Pattanatabut, met insurgent representatives in Kuala Lumpur for an initial round of peace talks.
An unknown number of attackers detonated a 25-kg roadside bomb when an army patrol in a pickup truck passed by in Moo 7 of tambon Sawor. The militants then opened fire on the truck, triggering a gunfight.
The attackers fled when a back-up unit arrived at the scene.
The ambush left Capt Siwat Sripujyo, the commander of the patrol, dead and 14 other members of his unit injured. They were sent to Rueso Hospital.
One of the injured soldiers managed to radio for assistance as the attackers emerged from a nearby wood and started firing at them. The gunfight lasted about 10 minutes before the militants fled.
Security officials suspect the ambush was the work of insurgent groups seeking to undermine peace talk efforts.
Meanwhile, Lt Gen Paradorn said yesterday insurgent leaders have one month to prove to the government they can control militants by ordering them to stop shooting civilians.
He reported the outcome of the first round of peace talks to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday.
The government hopes the six representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) and Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo) can demonstrate that they can control their operatives in the southernmost provinces.
The next round of talks has been set for April 29 in the Malaysian capital.
The period from now until the day when both sides meet again will be a test to see if the BRN can end violent attacks against innocent civilians, Lt Gen Paradorn said.
The separatists were represented by BRN liaison office chief Hassan Taib. They submitted a demand for an amnesty for southern insurgents which included the lifting of arrest warrants against suspected insurgents, the release of prisoners convicted in southern violence cases, clearance of pending cases against suspected insurgents, and the lifting of a rebel suspects blacklist.
Lt Gen Paradorn said in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday night that he rejected the demand to release prisoners, while the other points would be discussed with the Justice Ministry and other agencies.
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday said the demand to release prisoners was impossible to meet.
In other southern violence, Abdulloh Paokoh, 42, was shot in the head and stomach as he was driving his motorcycle to a local mosque in Panare district, Pattani yesterday. A pillion rider on another motorcycle fired shots at him.
Another volunteer, Anant Kamol, was injured by a roadside bomb while accompanying police and district officials to join marines to hunt suspected militants in Sungai Padi district of Narathiwat.
He was among 11 policemen and defence security officers, including a Sungai Padi police station inspector and assistant district chief, who were travelling in two pickup trucks to support operations by soldiers to search for suspected militants hiding in Ban Do Hae in the same district.
Also in Narathiwat, a roadside bomb went off in the morning on the Narathiwat-Pattani road in tambon Lubo Buesa of Yi-ngo district while eight police officers were travelling in a patrol vehicle. No one was hurt.
Rangae district office was hit by two grenades from an M79 launcher on Thursday night. No one was injured
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