Islamic insurgents kill three in Thailand

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Location of Pattani province in southern Thailand. A police officer was killed in a drive-by shooting in the province.
Image: NordNordWest.

Islamic insurgents have shot three people in the Yala region of Thailand Saturday. This is the first fatal attack in Thailand since the start of the holy Islamic festival, Ramadan.

The first victim, a police officer, was killed after a drive-by shooting as he drove his motorcycle in Pattani. The police report he died in the hospital. The second and third victims were a Buddhist couple, killed on their way to work.

Krissada Boonrach, governor of Yala, asked the provincial security agencies to prepare for increased violence within the country as a result of Ramadan this month.

More than 4,000 people have been killed in Yala in the last six years. The insurgents, goals unclear, have killed both Buddhist and Muslims, with ties to Thailand, such as police, soldiers, government officials, and school teachers.


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