Ambush kills an Imam in southern Thailand

Two unidentified gunmen killed an imam and wounded at least one villager in an ambush in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on Thursday morning, Thai News Agency reported.

The attackers hidden along the road sprayed bullets at a crowd walking to a mosque in Narathiwat's Chor Ai Rong district. The Muslim religious leader died at the scene. One villager was wounded and was sent to hospital. Metal spikes were scattered on the road to prevent police from reaching the crime scene to gather evidence and from pursuing the assailants, the report said.

According to police, villagers destroyed evidence and didn't cooperate because they believed that government officials carried out the attack.

The violence continues in the deep south although the government is trying to restore peace by re-establishing the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC), which is aimed at implementing peaceful measures to resolve problems of injustice in the region, creating unity and promoting development.

The unrest in the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani has claimed more than 1,700 lives since January 2004.

Source: Xinhua