An informed source said Somchai Thongchan, his wife Rustika, his sister-in-law Som and his eight-year-old son Thanakit, might have been slaughtered in retaliation for the extra-judicial killing of leading RKK member Ahama Maeroh.

“The prime suspect behind Thursday’s fatal shooting is the group led by Ahama’s younger brother, Hamdan Maeroh,” the source said. The group has been active in both Rusoh and Si Sakhon districts of Narathiwat.

A taskforce has now been set up to hunt down the killers of defenceless victims. The attackers are believed to have used M-16 rifles and pistols.

The family were taking their children to school when unknown gunmen opened fire on their vehicle. Two other children who were in the pickup van were injured.

“We believe the culprits must have opted for a mountainous path [to escape] and moved towards the Si Sakhon district,” Colonel Pramote Prom-in said in his capacity as the spokesman for the Forward Command of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4. “We will track them down.”

While Pramote condemned the shooting, he emphasised that the military would not use violence against the culprits.

Many years of unrest

“We will bring them to justice. They will have to face legal actions,” he said.

Narathiwat has been faced with raging unrest for about 13 years.

Bloody attacks have taken place almost on a daily basis and thousands of lives have been lost.

Thai authorities have pursued peace talks in the hope of restoring peace.

Mara Patani, an umbrella group representing some rebel factions at the peace talks, has lately agreed to create a limited “safety zone” in the southernmost region of Thailand.

However, the brutal attack on the family has raised questions about whether the safety zone will materialise.

Pramote has expressed confidence that the recent killings would not affect the intention of creating a safety zone, as Mara Patani has also issued a statement to condemn the attack.

According to Superintendent Pol Colonel Ruangsak Buadaeng of Rusoh Police Station, evidence from the site of the shooting showed that the three guns used in the attack had been used in other attacks in the deep South previously.

In a separate incident, Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan – who is also the deputy prime minister overseeing security affairs – said the fatal shooting of three soldiers in Pattani on Thursday might have been related to a personal conflict.

“These soldiers had taken a day off to go to the market where they were shot dead. We are in the process of investigating further,” Prawit added.