Authorities know the identity of the insurgent network responsible for a series of coordinated bombings in Yala yesterday that killed two officers and injured 27 others, police said yesterday.
Ronnasilp Phusara, commander of the Provincial Police Region 9 overseeing the southern provinces, said an initial probe indicated which assailant group was behind the attack.
However, the name and details of the insurgent group are being withheld for the time being, he said.
The police have yet to identify individuals tied to the incident, which involved two bombs and a shoot-out. Pol Lt Gen Ronnasilp said their identities will be established soon.
He said security measures will also be stepped up in the deep South and especially in four violence-prone districts in Songkhla despite tight measures already being in place there.
More equipment including bomb detectors must be procured to help security officers check suspicious objects, he added.
Pol Lt Gen Ronnasilp was speaking after Yala was rocked by a series of coordinated bombings yesterday that killed one ranger and one explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) officer.
The attack injured 27 other rangers, bomb squad members and civilians.
The dead were identified as Pvt 1st Class Thanate Phuttho, a 29-year-old attached to the 47th Ranger Task Force; and Pol Snr Sgt Maj Anirut Chanthawong, an EOD specialist.
Yutthanam Phetmuang, deputy spokesman of the Internal Security Operations Command's Region 4, said 4th Army commander Gen Piyawat Nakwanich instructed the Yala special task force to launch an inspection of areas suspected of serving as hideouts for perpetrators.
Forensic evidence is being compiled from crime scenes in a quest to track down the suspects as soon as possible while intelligence-gathering operations must be tightened to prevent future threats, he said.
Col Yutthanam, however, said the army believes the attack has nothing to do with upcoming peace talks between the Thai government and southern separatist groups.
The bodies of the two slain soldiers were sent home yesterday so funeral rites can be conducted.
In Nakhon Sawan, a funeral ceremony was held for Pvt 1st Class Thanate at Wat Tha Chan in Banphot Phisai district.
The soldier's mother, 48-year-old Sriumporn Boonphet, said she returned to her hometown shortly after hearing the bad news.
She runs a restaurant in Bangkok but said the family were living hand to mouth. Her son was the breadwinner as her husband could not work because of diabetes, she said.
Part of the soldier's monthly salary was spent on medical treatment for his father as well as on his younger sister's education.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha delivered his condolences to families of all the victims affected by the violence in this region.
They will be awarded compensation and given all the necessary assistance, he said.
Meanwhile, the prime minister ordered agencies linked to security affairs to expedite efforts to gather intelligence and evidence.
He also instructed them to interview witnesses so justice is served against the perpetrators.
Over 6,800 people have died in the long-burning conflict, mostly civilians.
