One territorial defence volunteer was killed and two were injured in an ambush by southern insurgents in a village in the Si Sakhon district of Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat province this morning (Wednesday).

The ambush took place as the eight volunteers, riding four motorcycles, were returning to their base at about 8am, after having completed their routine mission to provide security for teachers at a school in Ban Aiyaeng.

An unknown number of insurgents, hidden in the woods beside the road, detonated an explosive device and opened fire on the volunteers with automatic weapons, killing one and injuring two. One motorcycle was damaged.

The insurgents seized the gun from the dead volunteer before fleeing into the woods. The rest of the volunteers escaped and alerted security forces.