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| Southeast Asia |
| 14 suspects detained in Thai hospital seizure |
| 2016-03-26 |
| [BenarNews] Thai military officials said they had detained and questioned suspects in connection with the armed takeover of a hospital by militants on March 13. Since insurgents briefly seized the hospital in Narathiwat province while staging an attack on a nearby military installation, security forces have searched for suspects throughout Narathiwat and neighboring Yala province, said a spokesman for regional office of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC). Col. Yuthanam Petchmuang said the searches led to the detentions of up to 14 people. He said, "We have adequate reasons to question three suspected individuals for having supporting roles in the seizure of Cho-irong hospital." Without naming them, he added that 11 more suspects were detained for playing supporting roles in the incident at the hospital on March 13. The hospital seizure occurred amid a series of attacks launched by militants on the 56th anniversary of the founding of Barisan Revolusi Nasional, the largest and strongest of the various insurgent groups and factions waging a separatist war in Thailand's far South. During the takeover of the hospital by between 10 to 50 militants, the insurgents shot at a nearby military outpost with patients and medical staff inside the building. The seizure drew an outcry from the U.N. Human Rights Office for Southeast Asia and U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. Both issued statements condemning insurgents' actions. |
| Posted by:ryuge |