NARATHIWAT: A Malaysian man visiting relatives was hit by a bullet and killed when separatist insurgents attacked a security checkpoint in Tak Bai district overnight.
The 30-year-old victim was shot when gunmen opened fire at Ban Taba checkpoint, police said. His body was sent to Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Hospital for post mortem examination and formal identification.
He was later named as Wan Rusairil Bin Wan Mohd Zain of Kelantan State.
A senior policeman was fortunate to escape unharmed when a bomb detonated as he led a team to the scene of the attack.
The bomb was planted near a gas station. The explosion slightly damaged the police vehicle carrying Pol Col Patcharapol na Nakhon, superintendent of Tak Bai police station.
The blast brought down power lines and caused a local blackout. The inspection of the scene was postponed until later Monday morning for fear of a further ambush. Bomb technicians believed the improvised device weighed 22-25kgs.
The daylight inspection revealed a food stall and an electricity pole riddled with bullet holes. Police collected spent bullet casings from M16 assault rifles.
Pol Col Patcharapol said the attacks were believed to be the work of Famee Mudo, who leads a militant group active in the district. He is a suspect in similar attacks on Oct 21, 2012.
Authorities believed the attacks were linked to the approaching 13th anniversary of the "Tak Bai incident" on Oct 25, when 85 Muslim men died after being arrested and stacked on top of each other in the back of army trucks after soldiers violently broke up an anti-government protest.
