December 28, 2004

Border patrol police killed, one wounded

 Village official shot, in critical condition

POST REPORTERS

Three border patrol policemen were killed and one seriously injured

yesterday in an attack by insurgents in Songkhla's Chana district as

violence continued in the deep South.

The four policemen were attached to the Satun-based Border Police

Patrol Unit 436 assigned to Chana district to provide security for

trains between Chana district and the border with Pattani province.

They were attacked while returning from a motorcycle patrol. At Ban

Salut intersection in tambon Pa Ching, two men on a motorcycle sped at

them from the opposite direction and the pillion rider, wearing shorts

and a crash helmet, opened fire at them with an AK-47 rifle.

Pol Lt-Cpl Ekapol Saengkaew, 24, Pol Lt-Cpl Chutinai Chumchit, 25 and

Pol Lt-Cpl Chalee Khemsanit, 27, were killed. Pol Lt-Cpl Chanraem

Nasathit was seriously wounded.

In Narathiwat, Pradit Khaochai, 49, assistant village headman of Moo 5

village in Rangae district, sustained four 11mm gunshot wounds to his

chin, chest and abdomen after being shot by two unidentified attackers

on a motorcycle on a bridge on Ban Hulupareh-Tanyongmat at 12.30pm

yesterday.

He was admitted to Rangae hospital and later transferred to Narathiwat

Ratchanakarin hospital in Muang district in critical condition. Two

spent 11mm shells were found at the scene of shooting.

Police said Mr Pradit was on his way to pick up his six-year-old son

Danai at Wat Ron school when he was chased and shot by the assailants

who subsequently managed to escape.

Police believed the shooting was related to the southern insurgency

because the injured man was a local official.

In Pattani, an unidentified number of attackers armed with AK47 assault

rifles opened fire on a police pick-up truck carrying five officers

attached to Thung Yang Daeng district police station on Yarang-Waeng

road in Ban Pong Kuwae, Yarang district, yesterday morning that was on

its way to the provincial court. But all the bullets missed as the

police vehicle was travelling at high speed.

After the attack, Yarang police chief Pol Col Chaiyan Supachaiyakij

deployed police and military teams to comb the area in search of the

gunmen, but found nothing except for 10 spent AK shells at the scene of

shooting.

Police believed the ambush was also related to southern separatists.