Two policemen having tea together had a lucky escape when a militant's rifle malfunctioned as he opened fire on them in Narathiwat's Rueso district, police said.
Pol Sgt Atthakorn Boonchu and Pol Cpl Prarop Pengnu, both from Rueso police station, were sitting in a tea shop in Moo 2 village of tambon Rueso when a gunman appeared at the entrance to a soi opposite the shop and opened fire with an M16 rifle.
But the rifle jammed after the first shot, which hit the roof of the tea shop.
The militant quickly ran to a waiting motorcycle and fled.
Witnesses said the two policemen were the apparent targets of the failed attack, which was probably intended to avenge the killing of Sukarueno Yakumo, a key RKK separatist group member, in Rueso district on Sunday.