Thai security forces killed three suspected Islamist insurgents during a shootout inside a mosque in the latest flare-up of hostilities in Thailand’s restive southernmost region.
Acting on a tip-off on Feb. 3, Thai soldiers surrounded a Quran-learning center at a mosque in the Muslim-majority province of Songkhla with the aim of arresting three suspected insurgents with warrants out for them who had been hiding inside the building, according to official sources.
Despite pleas for them to surrender, the three men opened fire with two rifles and a handgun on security forces, who returned fire, killing the three men on the spot.
The three men had been wanted on various charges, local officials said.
The shootout came only a few days after police killed two suspected insurgents at a house in Narathiwat, another Muslim-majority province that has been plagued by violence between Islamist separatists and state security forces.
In that incident on Jan. 28, Thai forces surrounded a house where the two suspected insurgents had been hiding and after calls on the fugitives to surrender failed, the soldiers stormed the residence, killing the two men. A security volunteer was injured in the shootout.
In all, more than 7,300 people, both Buddhists and Muslims, have been killed in the restive region since a violent separatist movement was launched in 2004
On the same day, a person was injured when at least 13 small bombs were set off by suspected separatists in the predominantly Muslim town of Yala in the eponymous province.
The bombs were placed at roadsides outside convenience stores and shops, a market, an animal hospital and a car repair shop, according to police.
Several unexploded pipe bombs were found by police on Jan. 29.
These latest incidents of violence have dampened hopes for a political resolution to a long-running conflict that has pitted ethnic Malay Muslim separatists against predominantly Buddhist security forces.
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The separatists, who operate in loosely connected cells, seek independence for four predominantly Muslim provinces in Thailand’s southernmost region, which borders Malaysia.
In all, more than 7,300 people, both Buddhists and Muslims, have been killed in the restive region since a violent separatist movement was launched in 2004.
Both sides in the interminable conflict have been accused by rights advocates of committing routine rights violations.
The insurgents have been called out for targeting unarmed civilians in violent attacks, while Thai security forces have been credibly accused of engaging in extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and torture.
Last month a dialogue was launched in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia between representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional separatist group and Thai officials with the aim of pacifying the region and finding a political solution to the conflict.
Similar attempts previously failed to achieve meaningful progress and it remains in doubt whether the newly resumed negotiations will be more successful.
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