Army Rangers Kill Suspected Insurgent and Seize Assault Rifles

An army ranger patrol has killed a suspected insurgent and arrested after the insurgents ambushed a police vehicle in southern Thailand, Tuesday. Four assault rifles were seized after a brief firefight.

An Army Ranger spokesperson in Narathiwat said the two gunmen in hiding opened fire on a police vehicle near Yulapae, or Moo 3 village, in tambon Suwari, in Narathiwat. The police suffered no casualties.

As the attackers withdrew into the forest but were met by a patrol from the 46th Ranger Regiment.

During a brief firefight, one suspected insurgent was killed and the other arrested.

The army rangers seized four assault rifles, two M16s, and two AK-47s found in fertilizer bags abandoned at the scene of the firefight.

Meanwhile, Thai police arrested a fugitive businessman charged with money laundering. Military officials alleged he was funding separatist insurgents in Thailand’s deep south. Police identified the suspect as Mr. Sahachai Jiensermsin, 53, from Bangkok.

Mr. Sahachai denied all the charges, but the police are continuing to investigate.

A police spokesman said Mr. Sahachai’s arrest was delayed because he had managed to travel in and out of Thailand with a different passport. When he was arrested, he was holding a Cambodian passport.

Officials were trying to verify if it was genuine, the police spokesman said.

Mr. Sahachai has been charged in 14 cases since 2003, including illegal smuggling of goods, bribery, and unlicensed fishing in the Deep South. Most of the cases have either expired or have ended in acquittal.

Read: Army Rangers Killed by Bomb Blast and Gunfire in Thailand’s Deep South