Construction foreman slain in Yala insurgent attack

A wave of insurgent violence in Thailand's southern border provinces continued today when suspected militants shot dead a construction foreman as he supervised road repair work in Bannang Sata district of Yala province, police said.

According to police and witness accounts, two hooded assailants riding a motorcycle approached the 48-year-old victim, identified only as Narong, as he stood with his workers behind a backhoe at a construction site in Village 6, Khern Bang Lang sub-district, on Thursday morning.

The pillion rider fired several shots at Narong with a handgun before the pair fled towards Than To District. The victim died at the scene. None of the workers was injured.

The motive for the murder is not yet known, but investigators believe the killing of a civilian was part of a coordinated effort by insurgent groups to stir up unrest in the region and challenge state authority.

The shooting came amid a sharp escalation in violence across the restive provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, where gun and bomb attacks targeting security personnel and civilians have become increasingly frequent.

In one of the deadliest recent attacks, five paramilitary rangers guarding a roadside checkpoint in Ra-ngae district of Narathiwat were killed when a group of insurgents travelling in the back of a pickup truck opened fire in broad daylight. Six villagers were also wounded.