Banners attack authorities in far South

Banners with messages attacking security authorities were found at four locations in three districts of southern Narathiwat province on Tuesday morning.

A soldier removes a cloth banner, while two others examine the area for possible explosives, in Bacho district of Narathiwat on Tuesday. (Photo by Waedao Harai)

The cloth banners, with messages written in Thai, were found at four locations in Muang, Yi-ngo and Bacho districts. They were reported to authorities about 7.30am.

Police, soldiers and bomb disposal teams were rushed to each site.

In Muang district, one banner was hung on a main road leading to the Narathiwat provincial airport and another was found on a road heading to a national housing authority office.

In Yi-ngo district, one banner was hung at Ban Sala bridge in tambon Laharn. In Bacho, a banner was found under an advertising signboard near the entrance of Bacho tambon administration organisation, with a suspicious item left nearby. A bomb squad examined the item. No explosives were found.

The banners had messages written in black, blue and red attacking the authorities’ policy to deal with southern unrest.

The messages said: ‘’As long as the ‘Returning Happiness to People’ policy means pointing guns at Islamic religious leaders, community leaders and innocent Malay-Muslim brothers, you - government officials, teachers and Buddhists - do not think you will be the last corpse.’’

The banners were believed to have been hung up late Monday night.