A wounded man believed to be one of the insurgents who attacked a marine base in Narathiwat's Bacho district on Wednesday has been arrested while receiving treatment for a bullet wound at Narathiwat Hospital and is now in police custody.
Col Pramote Prom-in, spokesman for the Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command, said the man claimed he was shot in an incident someplace else, and did not take part in the attack.
He did not disclose the identity of the suspect.
Pol Col Tawee Sodsong, secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC), said Thursday the families of the 16 militants killed in the abortive attack would be given humanitarian assistance.
They would not be eligible for compensation like those killed in the Krue Se or Tak Bai incidents, when a large number of young men died as a result of action taken by government forces.
The SBPAC chief said authorities must now act to prevent retaliation against defenceless targets in the far South such as Buddhist Thais and government officials.