தாய்லாந்தில் முஸ்லீம் தீவிரவாதிகள் தாக்குதலில் ஆறு பேர் பலி

தாய்லாந்தில் முஸ்லீம் தீவிரவாதிகள் தாக்குதலில் ஆறு பேர் கொல்லப்பட்டார்கள். 20 பேர் படுகாயமடைந்தனர்.

இதில் 16 வயது பௌத்த சிறுமியும் அடக்கம்.


Six killed by rebels in Thai Muslim south Fri Jun 22, 2:22 PM ET


NARATHIWAT, Thailand (AFP) - Six people were killed and 20 injured in a string of attacks in Thailand's Muslim-majority south, including a man who was shot and then partially beheaded, police said Friday.


The attacks came as Thailand's junta leader, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, wrapped up a two-day visit to the troubled region along the southern border with Malaysia.

Four teenagers were killed late Friday, including three Muslim boys who were at a teashop following evening prayers in Yala province, police said.

The boys, aged 13 and 14, were killed when militants opened fire on the teashop, injuring 10 other people.

A 16-year-old Buddhist girl was also killed Friday in Yala when militants shot her, police added.

Ten people, including five soldiers, were hurt in two separate bombings Friday, while a 54-year-old Buddhist was gunned down in a drive-by shooting late Thursday, police said.

In the most gruesome slaying, militants shot a 29-year-old Muslim man and then partially severed his head, police said.

The man, a 29-year-old local government official, was returning from evening prayers late Thursday when he was ambushed in Narathiwat province, police said.

The string of attacks came as the junta chief toured the region, where more than 2,300 people have been killed in three years of separatist unrest.

Sonthi, who is the first Muslim army head in this mainly Buddhist nation, met Thursday and Friday with local religious leaders and military commanders.

Sonthi seized power from prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup last September. The government he installed has made a series of peace initiatives that so far have failed to quell the unrest.

Defense Minister Boonrawd Somtas told reporters in Malaysia on Thursday that the insurgents were on their "last legs" and trying to escalate the conflict in a last-ditch bid for international attention.

Thai authorities have yet to clearly identify who is behind the violence. No one has claimed responsibility for any of the attacks or made any specific demands of the government.

The region was once an autonomous Malay sultanate until Thailand annexed it more than a century ago. Separatist violence has simmered ever since.