Thailand's deep south sees sabotage activities

Sabotages including arsons and shooting were done in different 6 districts in the southern province of Narathiwat on Sunday night.

In Chanae district, around 10 militants armed with M16s and AKs opened fire at a Tambon Administration Office before escaping. There is no report of injuries but nails the militants threw on the road before escaping caused damage to the police's and civilians'vehicles.

Many arson took place in Yi-ngor, Bacho, Rangae and Muang districts where the arsonists set ablaze a roadside shelter, a telephone transmission pillar and several public telephone booths.

A lot of cars and motorbikes were reportedly damaged by nails spreading on the road by the insurgents in Sungaipadi district.

Almost 8,000 attacks by suspected insurgents took place in the deep south area, which includes Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces, during the past six years of separatist turmoil, leaving more than 4,000 died and 7,000 injured, according to an official report by the Southern Border Province Police Bureau (SPB) on Aug. 26.

Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces were part of an independent sultanate known as Patani until annexed in 1909 by Thailand.

Source: Xinhua