Border officer killed in Pattani attacks

PATTANI – A group of suspected insurgents attacked two security outposts in two districts of this southern border province late on Wednesday night, resulting in the death of a border patrol police officer.
In the first attack, an unknown number of armed men opened fire on a defence volunteer outpost in tambon Bang Pu of Yaring district at around 11.45pm. No injuries were reported, said Pol Col Theerapot Yindee, superintendent of Yaring police station.
Fifteen minutes later, a border patrol police outpost in front of Wat Ban Dee in tambon Barahom of Muang district was also attacked. The outpost was about 300 metres from the previous site.
Pol Col Jefferi Saimankul, chief of Muang police station, said one officer, identified as Pol Snr Sgt Maj Bancherd Phutthacharoen, 43, sustained serious gunshot wounds to the head and was rushed to Pattani Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to a police investigation, the assailants, armed with military-grade weapons, were split into two groups for the attacks. During the clash, Pol Snr Sgt Maj Bancherd was shot and later died from his injuries. The armed men carried out the attacks for about 20 minutes before fleeing to a nearby forest.
On Thursday at around 5.30am, a bomb went off while defence volunteers were clearing the area at their outpost in Bang Pu. The explosion left a large hole in the wall of the outpost, but no one was injured.
Authorities believed the assailants planted a homemade bomb near the wall on Tuesday night, targeting officers inspecting the site.
Pol Col Somchai Srisorayut, deputy commander of the border patrol police region 4; Pol Col Prayong Khotsakha, deputy Pattani police chief; and deputy provincial governor Chaiyaphorn Niyomkaew inspected the two outposts on Thursday morning.