The army chief has ordered security forces to track down militants who early Friday attacked a civilian defence checkpoint and injured 18 defence volunteers in Yala's Yaha district.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has told authorities to provide medical care and assistance to the victims, all of them civilians.
Col Banpot Poonpian, spokesman of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), said army chief Gen Udomdej Sitabutr has told security forces to hunt down the assailants and retrieve the stolen firearms.
Authorities are verifying the exact number of stolen weapons. Initially six or seven weapons were reported missing including shotguns, an assault rifle, and pistols. The violence erupted about 1.15am yesterday when heavily-armed assailants opened fire on a defence volunteer outpost in tambon Baroh. The attackers also threw Molotov cocktails into the outpost, setting it ablaze.
Several volunteers were injured and ran from the fire-gutted outpost. A little while later, attackers entered the outpost and walked off with the weapons, including four shotguns, one assault rifle and two pistols.
After being alerted, police, soldiers and rescue workers rushed to the outpost, but found a toppled power pole blocking their way and spikes scattered across the road about a kilometre from the clash site. The outpost was damaged by fire, and its walls riddled with bullet holes. About 200-300 spent rifle cartridges were scattered across the area, according to police. The clash went on for more than half an hour before the militants retreated.
Six of the volunteers were severely injured and treated at Yala Regional Hospital where they were later declared out of danger.
The others were sent to Yupparaj Yaha Hospital and seven of them have since been discharged. He said authorities are close to identifying the suspected assailants and warned the attack was a deliberate act of violence and those involved would be brought to justice.
Col Banpot said the army commander is full of praise for the defence volunteers and has asked security forces to review a situation response plan with defence volunteers in violence-prone areas.
Col Promote Prom-in, spokesman for Isoc Region 4, said yesterday the defence volunteers who engaged the militants are known as a tambon protection unit set up as part of efforts to help civilians secure their areas. The unit is usually headed by a tambon or district chief.
He said security forces are examining damage and collecting evidence to determine which insurgent group was involved in the attack.
Deputy government spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the prime minister was informed of the incident and he told the authorities to take good care of the injured.