Article 129

Dynamite cache found, village shotguns seized

POST REPORTERS

Police confiscated a large quantity of explosives from a house in Yala's Bannang Sata district yesterday.

Twenty-two sticks of dynamite were found in the house belonging to Jehma Nayi, 60, who had allegedly put the explosives inside tyres and hidden them under the eaves of the roof.

Police said the suspect was handed over to the Fourth Army for questioning.

In Pattani, police and soldiers searched four villages in tambons Talo Duraman and Karubi in Kapho district and seized 15 shotguns from villagers for examination.

The searches followed the Oct 12 attack on Kapho district police station.

Yesterday morning, an unidentified man telephoned the Kapho district office. The call was answered by Makata Samu, 38, a defence volunteer, who said the man spoke in Yawi dialect and warned more government offices would be targeted.

Boonthai Kansiri, Kapho district chief, said following the attack district authorities had recalled 6! 0 shotguns that had earlier been distributed to village defence volunteers for examination. None were found to have been used in the attack.

Intelligence reports said the Oct 12 militant attacks in Pattani's Kapho district and Narathiwat's Tak Bai district were the work of a group led by Abdulhaleng Jakwa, alias Ustaz Haleng. The group includes four key members identified as Kari E-nor, 30, Soh Toh-luenoh, 32, Ibrahim Kuno, 33, and Toleh Jehnae, 35.

Authorities believe they were also involved in bombings in Yala's Raman district and Narathiwat's Rueso district.

The Provincial Administration Department (PAD) yesterday sent out urgent letters to governors of the three southernmost provinces asking them to step up precautions against weapons theft after defence volunteers had their guns stolen in the Oct 12 attack.

District chiefs and local leaders were ordered to check that firearms were still in place at two-week intervals.

Meanwhile, house! s are to be built for needy villagers in the three provinces in a bid to improve relations between police and locals. Pol Lt-Gen Pongsaphat Pongcharoen said about 1,000 border patrol and community relations police would help with the construction.