Narathiwat provincial police believe that the six assailants, who are alleged to have murdered two police officers and injured four other officers in a failed drug raid, were also involved in the deadly attack on the Bukeh Sami Road checkpoint in Ra-ngae district on July 22, which left five paramilitary rangers dead and six civilians injured.
Police have only managed to identify three of them, as ‘Hal Habib’, who has four arrest warrants issued against him, ‘Bakri’, who has two outstanding arrest warrants, and ‘Abdul Harem’, who has three warrants outstanding.
Pol. Lt-Gen. Piyawat Chalermsri, commissioner of Region 9 Provincial Police Bureau, held a meeting with senior police officers and commander of the Marine Task Force, Cpt. Banyat Wongchampa last night at the office of the Praiwan Tambon (sub-district) Administrative Organisation (TAO), to be updated on the latest developments in the hunt for the assailants involved in the killings of the two police officers and injuring of four others in Tak Bai district on Sunday.
Police believe that one of the assailants was involved in the car bomb explosion in front of Tan Yong police station on the night of July 21 in Narathiwat’s Muang district and the roadside bomb attack in Tak Bai district on June 29, which injured two Malaysian tourists and damaged their car.
The three suspects arrested so far are being held in military custody for questioning in connection with the Tak Bai shootings.
