Officials have identified the group that set fire to a house in the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, robbed guns and planted bombs in Narathiwat Province. They estimate that there were around 20 people, but some fled by boat to neighboring countries. Officials are in the process of tracking them down.
In the case of a group of gunmen who stormed in to capture officers of the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary in Waeng District, Narathiwat Province, tied their hands and feet, and blew up a safe to steal a shotgun, burned down 4 houses, and planted 2 bombs to disturb officers while they were investigating the incident. The latest update from security forces is that officers have cleared the entrance and exit routes to the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, but are still blocking off the area to prevent outsiders from entering for safety reasons.
As for clues about the perpetrators, the investigation found that it was a collaboration between local allies and allies who were waiting in a neighboring country. It is estimate
d that there were about 20 people involved in this incident, and some of them have already fled by boat to a neighboring country.
While the target of the incident, despite finding many suspicious points, it is believed that the real goal of the perpetrators was to steal firearms and lure the officers to stop the incident in order to explode again, similar to the robbery of 4 security guards’ guns in Yala Province on July 10th, in which the perpetrators stole 7 guns. However, the real purpose of the robbery is still under investigation, because in the past incidents in the area, it has not been found that the perpetrators used the stolen guns to commit crimes.
Most recently, Maj. Gen. Chalermporn Khamkhieo, commander of the Narathiwat Task Force, held a meeting to summarize the progress of the incident at the 11th Ranger Force Task Force and inspected the scene of the incident, emphasizing that one of the perpetrators had previously committed crimes in the area and nearby areas many times before.
Source: T
hai News Agency