Narathiwat: Police are actively searching for six individuals suspected of setting fire to 24 CCTV cameras across three districts in Narathiwat province. The suspects are believed to be affiliated with the "White Face Group," a new insurgent organization. In response, the Narathiwat police chief has instructed all police stations to bolster security measures and establish checkpoints to apprehend the suspects.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident was captured on video, showing six individuals arriving on three motorcycles at a three-way intersection. While four kept watch, two used long wooden sticks to ignite fuel-soaked cloths on the CCTV camera cabinets. After ensuring the fires were ablaze, the group fled in separate directions. Pol. Col. Weerasak Persalae, Superintendent of Chanae Police Station, has since called for damage assessments and reviewed additional CCTV footage to track the suspects' escape routes. In Moo 2, Chanae Subdistrict alone, 10 cameras were reported damaged.
The attack targeted multiple locations, including a school fence in Ban Cha Nae where five cameras were damaged, an intersection at Ban Tuek Ko village with two cameras affected, and Ban Bue Tae village where three cameras were damaged. Meanwhile, in Sri Sakhon district, perpetrators attacked 14 locations between 8:00 PM and 1:40 AM, affecting 28 cameras in Sri Sakhon and Sri Banphot sub-districts by cutting power lines and setting fires.
Police Major General Prayong Kotrasakha, Commander of the Narathiwat Provincial Police, has ordered heightened security, including intensified checkpoints and thorough inspections of vehicles and travelers in sensitive areas. This aims to thwart further attacks and ensure swift responses to insurgent activities.
Mr. Rakchart Suwan, president of the Association for Peace and Development, attributes the unrest to a new generation of BRN members or other groups like the Mujahideen and PULO, striving for government recognition. Despite the Muslim fasting month, Mr. Rakchart warns that violence may persist, partly due to the absence of a Ramadan peace agreement and potential retaliation against security forces' pressure on insurgent groups.