Thai policemen slain in ambushes

Thu, 14 Mar 2002 | Source: REUTERS

THAILAND: Gunmen shot dead five policemen in a fresh outbreak of violence in southern Thailand, but authorities on Wednesday were quick to distance themselves from speculation separatists were to blame.

Regional Police Commander Tawatchai Julsukon said police did not know who was behind the Tuesday night shootings in Muslim- dominated Yala and Pattani provinces bordering Malaysia.

Separatist groups, and former separatists who have turned to banditry, have been blamed for sporadic explosions, kidnappings and extortion in the five southernmost provinces.

Separatist groups operating in Thailand and calling themselves Bersatu (United), consisting of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) and the Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO). --Reuters

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