Five senior police officers at Narathiwat’s Sungai Padi station have been transferred to inactive posts for their alleged failure to effectively handle bomb and arson attacks in the town last week.
The transfer was effective on Sunday. It was ordered by Pol Lt Gen Yongyuth Charoenwanit, head of the police operation centre for the southern border provinces and sent to Narathiwat police chief Maj-Gen Pattanawut Angkanawin, who supervises the officers.
Pol Lt-Gen Yongyuth said he ordered the transfer because they failed to fully perform their duties in handling the situation, leading to serious damage to the district town. Their failures had caused the public to lose confidence in the state’s security officers, he said.
The order relates to Sungai Padi police station chief Pol Col Jongjairak Kongphao, his deputies Pol Lt-Cols Montri Eamrahong and Sutut Nusikong, chief inspector Pol Lt-Col Sophon Chanchot, and chief investigative officer Pol Capt Saroj Chantae.
All are required to occupy inactive posts for the next year.
The transfer comes a week after southern insurgents launched bomb and arson attacks in Sungai Padi district on May 11. The attacks damaged five houses and two schools.
A separate order from Pol Lt-Gen Yongyuth also instructed Narathiwat-based Special Operations Unit 32 to transfer another police officer for alleged negligence of duty during the May 11 attack.
Pol Lt-Gen Yongyuth did not identify the officer concerned.
Meanwhile, a village security guard was shot and wounded while driving a motorcycle on his way home early yesterday in Yala’s Muang district.
The guard, who was identified as Mayako Paji, 37, was attacked by assailants believed to be hiding on the roadside.
A friend came to Mr Mayako’s assistance and took him to a Yala Hospital.
In Thanto district, two suspected militants set a power transformer on fire it tambon Ban Rae yesterday, causing a power blackout in the community.
Police said the suspects arrived at the scene by motorcycle and set fire to the transformer using petrol and pieces of cloth.
Security officers said at least 10 suspects had been arrested for allegedly carrying out arson attacks on April 6-7 in Yala municipality.
They were being questioned at the headquarters of Rangers Unit 41, in Yala’s Raman district.