NARATHIWAT, Thailand – Two defence volunteers were killed and 16 others were injured in an ambush by insurgents in Sukhirin district of Narathiwat province yesterday afternoon.

Suspected Muslim Insurgent Attacks Kill Defence Volunteer, Injure Family in Thai Deep South

The volunteers were travelling in a six-wheel truck on Highway 4115 in Rom Sai sub-district to participate in a boat race when insurgents hiding in the bushes on both sides of the road first detonated a roadside improvised explosive device and opened fire with assault rifles, resulting in the deaths and injuries.

The two killed have been identified as Irin Kaewrawang and Natthanan Kaewsupho. The attack marks another escalation in the long-running insurgency in Thailand’s deep south, where security personnel and local defence volunteers remain frequent targets of roadside bombings and ambushes.

Roadside Bomb Explodes Opposite PTT Gas Station In Pattani’s Panare District

Authorities have launched a manhunt for those responsible and are investigating whether the attackers had prior knowledge of the volunteers’ travel route, while security forces in the region have been placed on heightened alert.

-Thailand News (TN)