Asia-Pacific News

Three more killed in Thailand's violence-torn deep South

Jun 11, 2009, 11:05 GMT

Bangkok, Thailand - Three more people were gunned down in Thailand's violence-torn deep South Thursday while the region is still reeling from a massacre earlier this week that left 11 dead. Thursday afternoon a Buddhist husband and wife, who was four months pregnant, were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Narathiwat province, about 750 kilometres south of Bangkok, Major General Saksin Kansanoh said. A Muslim man was also shot dead by unidentified gunmen in a different part of Narathiwat province the same day, Saksin said. Saksin added the militants are becoming more active because they want international attention. Thursday's killings come after 11 people were killed and 13 wounded Monday at a mosque in Narathiwat. Six unidentified assailants wearing ski masks opened fire Monday on both entrances of a mosque while about 100 Thai Muslims were attending evening prayers in the province's Cho Ai-rong district, killing 10 people on the spot. Another person died in hospital. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Thursday the government is working on finding those guilty of the attack, which was one of the deadliest in five years of escalating violence in a region made up of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala provinces, which border Malaysia. About 66,600 army and paramilitary troops are based in the deep South, which has a population of less than 2 million, more than 80 per cent of whom are Muslim in predominately Buddhist Thailand.

Asia-Pacific News

Three more killed in Thailand's violence-torn deep South

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