450 died in southern Thai: Police

450 died in southern Thai: Police

THAILAND: Muslim separatists in southern Thailand have adopted the same tactics as insurgents in Iraq and Indonesia, and their violence has caused 450 deaths so far this year, police said on Wednesday.

The casualties from the insurgency this year up to Oct. 24 in Thailand's southernmost, Muslim-majority provinces include 38 police officers, 19 soldiers and 393 civil servants or civilians killed, and more than 1,000 people injured, police Lt. Gen. Achirawit Suphanaphesat, spokesman for National Police Bureau, said at a news conference.

"The insurgents have been using the same tactics of attack that the terrorists do in Iraq and Indonesia, which results in a large loss of life among innocent people," he said.

He did not elaborate.

A largely dormant Muslim separatist movement in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces exploded into violence in January last year, and has been responsible for almost daily killings since then.

Last year, 668 people were killed in sectarian violence in the south, and police said they expect the total to be higher this year. A total of 1,118 lives have been lost since the violence flared last year. -- AP