It has emerged that the massacre of a Narathiwat family may have been an act of revenge.
An informed source said Somchai Thongchan, his wife Rustika, his sister-in-law Som and his eight-year-old son Thanakit, might have been slaughtered in retaliation for the extra-judicial killing of leading Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) member Ahama Maeroh.
“The prime suspect behind Thursday’s fatal shooting is the group led by Ahama’s younger brother, Hamdan Maeroh,” the source said. The group has been active in both Rusoh and Si Sakhon districts of Narathiwat.
A task force has now been set up to hunt down the killers of the defenceless victims. The attackers are believed to have used M-16 rifles and pistols.
“We believe the culprits must have opted for a mountainous path [to escape] and moved towards the Si Sakhon district,” according to a spokesman for the Forward Command of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4. “We will track them down.”
Although he condemned the shooting, he emphasised that the military would not use violence against the culprits.
“We will bring them to justice. They will have to face legal actions,” he said.
Narathiwat has been faced with raging unrest for about 13 years.
Mara Patani, an umbrella group representing some rebel factions at the peace talks, has lately agreed to create a limited “safety zone” in the southernmost region of Thailand.
However, the brutal attack on the family has raised questions about whether the safety zone will materialise.
Still the government has expressed confidence that the recent killings would not affect the intention of creating a safety zone, as Mara Patani has also issued a statement to condemn the attack.
According to Rusoh police, evidence from the site of the shooting showed that the three guns used in the attack had been used in other attacks in the deep South previously.
In a separate incident, Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan – who is also the deputy prime minister overseeing security affairs – said the fatal shooting of three soldiers in Pattani on Thursday might have been related to a personal conflict.
“These soldiers had taken a day off to go to the market where they were shot dead. We are in the process of investigating further,” Prawit added.
(Source:The Nation Thailand)