A Muslim military informant was shot and crucified, while two Buddhist men were beheaded on Wednesday by suspected Islamic separatists in Thailand's restive south, police said.
| Shouldn't that be "Thailand's barbaric south"? |
The Muslim man, a 58-year-old who acted as an informant to Thailand's military, was shot and then stabbed so badly that he was nearly decapitated, police Lieutenant Khanchitthol Kreunor told AFP. Suspected rebels then drove six-inch nails through his head, arms and legs to attach him to two pieces of wood, which were laid out like a cross in the middle of a road in Rueso district of Narathiwat province, near the southern border with Malaysia, he said. Khanchitthol said police found a note written in Thai and left near the cross, reading:| "This is what the infidels deserve. The soldier dogs must meet this end." |
"This is what the infidels deserve. The soldier dogs must meet this end."
"The victim was attacked and killed in such a grisly way because they knew he was a military informant. This is to terrify the people," Khanchitthol said.
About two hours later, two Buddhist fishmongers aged 20 and 61 were shot and then beheaded in another district of Narathiwat, police said. The killings came after a month of spiralling violence in the region, which has seen more than 2 700 killed since separatist unrest erupted four years ago.
Thailand's southernmost provinces were an ethnic Malay sultanate until the Buddhist kingdom annexed it a century ago, provoking decades of tension. Monitoring group Intellectual Deep South Watch said last week that November has been one of the most violent months this year. |