Last night southern police reported that at 7pm a paramilitary ranger was shot dead and another injured in a roadside ambush in Sai Buri district in the Pattani province. There has been an unofficial ceasefire between the insurgent factions and government soldiers and rangers, during April and the height of the Covid-19 crisis, but that now seems to be over.

An initial investigation revealed that 2 men from the 44th Ranger Regiment – 31 year old Sitthichai Pakdiphan and 28 year old Pongchai Pongthong – were travelling on a motorcycle after going through a health screening checkpoint to buy food at a nearby village.

As they neared a bridge, a group of men on the roadside opened fire at them. Sitthichai was hit in the head and the back. He died on the spot. Pongchai was shot in the right arm.

Due to the lack of information about the incident authorities have set a 500 metre premier around the crime scene for further investigation

SOURCE: Bangkok Post / Thai Rath

Last month was the first in 16 years in which there were no insurgent attacks on Thai forces or civilians, either in Thailand’s restive Deep South or elsewhere. The country’s three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat, all around Malaysia’s northern border, have been embroiled in a bloody separatist insurgency for the best part of two decades.

More than 7,000 people have been killed by violence and many more injured in fighting, which has often seen civilians targetted.

But the coronavirusoutbreak has prompted an ad-hoc ceasefire between the Thai government forces and the mainly ethnic Malay separatists. The main militant group operating in the area, Barisan Revolusi Nasional, released a statement Friday saying that the “cessation of all activities” is “to provide humanitarian access to all parties to respond to the Covid-19 epidemic.”

The group says that the ceasefire was to remain as long as the BRN was not attacked by the Thai government, according to documents shared by Human Rights Watch. (NOTE: 3 suspected insurgents were killed in a firefight with Thai forces on Thursday after a raid on their house in Pattani. All three were wanted criminals.)

The BRN also criticised the Thai government for continuing house searches, arbitrary arrests and DNA collection.

“We call upon the Royal Thai Government to reciprocate and prioritise Covid-19 prevention over war at this time.”

Peace talks between the BRN and the Thai Government have made slow progress in recent months but have been derailed by the coronavirus outbreak. In March, the two sides met in Kuala Lumpur for face-to-face meetings, 6 years after the BRN’s last dialogue with the Thai government. The talks were described as “constructive” and focused on reducing levels of violence.

Unfortunately, the outbreak of Covid-19 in Thailand has meant the government placing its priorities elsewhere, as lockdown measures were enacted to curtail the virus’ spread.

Sources within the Thai army tell the Thai Enquirer that right now the army and the Ministry of Public Health are focused on containing the virus in the South, which is the site of the largest outbreak outside of Bangkok.

“The insurgency and peace talks can wait until after we have this under control.”

SOURCE: Thai Enquirer

A bomb attack in the southern province of Narathiwat has injured two army rangers. Narathiwat along with neighbouring provinces Pattani and Yala, and also known as the three Southern Border Provinces, are home to Thailand’s Southern Insurgency. The attack occured on Friday night.

Eight rangers were returning to their base when the roadside bomb went off. They had been helping with a cleaning activity at local mosque to stem the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. The homemade bomb was planted near a roadside power pole and detonated when their pickup truck passed by. The blast wounded two soldiers who were travelling in the back of the pickup truck. They were rushed to hospital.

Police, soldiers and a bomb squad who went to the scene found a heavily damaged power pole and shrapnel scattered around the area. The pickup was partly damaged, according to the Bangkok Post.
Authorities believed the bomb contained about 25 kilograms of explosive and was the work of Muslim insurgents targeting security forces.

Last week, 25 people were injured when two bombs were set off outside a Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre in Yala. Authorities there were meeting on Covid-19 prevention at the time of the explosion.

A Facebook page linked to supporters of the BRN (Barisan Revolusi Nasional), the largest insurgent group in the region, appeared to warn of an imminent attacks, and photos of the attack scene were later posted with the words “as promised.”

Police say attackers drew people to the spot by tossing a handheld explosive into the yard of the building, then remotely detonated a car bomb in front of the compound.

“While officials were meeting on Covid-19, two men on a motorcycle tossed a bomb over the fence. Later the car bomb was set off. At least 25 were injured, including the deputy director of the SBPAC. On a surveillance camera, we found a pickup truck carrying wood was parked at the site before the explosion.”

The driver left the scene with a man on a motorcycle, according to officials.

SOURCES: Chiang Rai Times | Bangkok Post