Ambush kills eight Thai soldiers
Monday, 14 Jan 2008 10:31
Eight soldiers killed in southern Thailand after separatists open fire
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Eight Thai soldiers have died after being attacked by suspected Islamic separatists in the country's volatile south.
The country's army said militants opened fire on soldiers escorting a group of teachers in Narathiwat province at 09:40 local time (02:40 GMT).
"The eight soldiers were killed after they escorted a group of teachers to school," an army spokesman told the AFP news agency.
Reports of a simultaneous roadside bombing were being investigated, the representative added.
Almost 3,000 people have been killed in increasingly bloody attacks since the Muslim-led insurgency began in Thailand's south four years ago.
The army has been providing teachers with protection since separatists began viewing them as sign of government rule.
Despite today's attack being the deadliest for more than six months, Thai prime minister Surayud Chulanont said the ambush did not represent a "serious escalation".
"This kind of clash can happen any time," he told reporters.
"Authorities will have to investigate and not allow it to happen again."