Two insurgents wanted for a string of violent attacks in the restive southern provinces were killed in clashes with security officers in Nong Chik district of Pattani on Wednesday.
More than 50 paramilitary rangers were deployed to Koh Moh Kaeng village in tambon Tha Kamcham at around 4am on Wednesday following a tip-off from local residents that suspected insurgents were hiding inside a house.
While officers were surrounding the house, some men jumped from a window to flee to a nearby rubber plantation. They opened fire to cover their escape, prompting the soldiers to return fire.
After the exchange of gunfire, one armed man was shot dead. Seized from his body was an M16 rifle.
He was later identified as Wae-useng Dueraheng, 33, of Nong Chik district. A criminal record showed he was wanted on four arrest warrants in security cases.
Authorities said Wae-useng was implicated in the killing of two paramilitary rangers in Nong Chik district on Sept 11, 2018; a gold shop robbery in Na Thawee district of Songkhla on Aug 24, 2019; the fatal shooting of Supawadee Rithphet in tambon Bang Khao of Nong Chik on April 23, 2019; and a shooting attack on Sananwit Wongsakon in tambon Lipasa-ngo of Nong Chik on April 2, 2014.
At around 5am, security officers asked local leaders to help persuade other people inside the house to surrender. Kosem Muneemusee, 53, and three family members subsequently ran out.
During questioning, Mr Kosem told officers that he and his family members lived in the house. Two days ago, he came back from work and found two men inside. The strangers asked to stay and he did not question them much until soldiers surrounded the house on Wednesday.
At around 6am, the officers were still trying to persuade the other man who was hiding inside to surrender. However, there was no response.
Lt Gen Santi Sakuntanak, the Fourth Army commander, instructed soldiers to try to negotiate with the suspect to surrender to prevent losses on both sides.
At around 10am, soldiers decided to conduct a raid and asked the owner about the layout inside the house. They searched all the rooms but did not find the suspect.
They later spotted a modified section at the back of the house. When they pulled back the linoleum they found a makeshift wooden door that led to a secret room. The suspect, who was hiding in the room, immediately opened fire. The officers returned fire and kept asking him to surrender. However, the man fired more shots.
After a clash that took about one hour, the man was shot dead.
Authorities identified the suspect as Roki Sidae, 32, of Nong Chik. Seized from his body was a 9mm handgun with a box of ammunition.
He was wanted on three arrest warrants in security cases: an arson attack on a convenience store at a PTT station in Nong Chik on Nov 2, 2016; a bomb attack on the Nong Chik police station on Jan 18, 2019; and a bomb attack on a Bangchak petrol station in Nong Chik on Aug 17, 2022.
Pol Maj Gen Piyawat Chalermsri, deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 9, and Pattani police chief Pol Maj Gen Arsan Chansiri, inspected the scene of the clash on Wednesday.
Pol Maj Gen Piyawat asked officers to search areas in tambon Tha Kamcham for other suspected insurgents who might be in hiding in houses in the area.
Since January 2004, the southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have been the scene of sectarian armed conflict that has claimed over 7,000 lives, about 90% of them civilians.