A suspected leader of the southern insurgency wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Department of Special Investigation has died in a hospital in Malaysia, a security source says. Romlee Uttarasin, 67, an older brother of Matubhum Party MP for Narathiwat Areepen Uttarasin, died of heart failure on Wednesday at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur. Romlee fled to Malaysia after the DSI issued the warrant for his arrest for his alleged involvement in the southern unrest. The department offered 2 million baht for information leading to his arrest.
Family members brought his body back to Sungai Kolok Hospital in Narathiwat yesterday for an autopsy. It was then taken to his home town in tambon Paluru in Sungai Padi district for burial in keeping with Muslim tradition. Fourth Army commander Pichet Wisaijorn, Narathiwat governor Thanon Wejchakornkanon and other senior local officials yesterday attended the funeral ceremony.
?!
Just making sure he was well and truly dead, I presume.
Mr Areepen said yesterday his brother was innocent of the insurgency charges against him. He said he had tried over the years to persuade Romlee to turn himself in to the DSI to fight the charges, but his brother refused. Mr Areepen said he was not convinced the security authorities would protect his brother if he returned to Thailand to stand trial.
Meanwhile, two army privates were injured in a bomb attack in Yala's Raman district yesterday. A bomb went off at about 7.50am as the unit was passing through Ban Talorsada. The home-made bomb, weighing 1-2kg, was buried beneath the road.
In Pattani, provincial authorities yesterday attended the funeral rites for an assistant village head who was killed in a drive-by shooting on Wednesday. The provincial office gave the parents of Charan Haoboon, 32, the assistant village head in Nong Chik district, 500,000 baht in initial assistance.
Which is about $15,000 in US $.