Thai security forces raided a village in the rebellious Muslim south on Sunday and detained 50 men with bomb-making material, an army spokesman said. The detainees were taken for questioning to an army camp in Narathiwat, one of three provinces where more than 2,300 people have been killed in a three-year separatist insurgency in the Malay-speaking region.
The dawn raid, which involved 100 troops and police, followed tipoffs from villagers that a group of militants were hiding in the village, Colonel Atthadej Mathanom told Reuters by telephone. The detainees can be held without charge for 28 days under an emergency law.
Last month, the army detained 160 Muslims after rebels intensified attacks on government schools, civil servants and security forces. |