Insurgent suspect dies in custody

Authorities have vowed to conduct an autopsy on a suspected insurgent who died while in military custody in Pattani yesterday morning.

The post-mortem examination is to help clear any public doubts over the cause of the suspect’s death, they said.

Abdullahyib Dolor, 42, was found dead in a cell at the Ingkayutborihan military camp in Nong Chik district at 8am.

The suspect was arrested during a military raid in tambon Kolortanyong of Nong Chik district on Nov 11 for allegedly playing a leading role in the insurgency movement, according to a statement issued yesterday by Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4.

During police questioning, Abdullahyib confessed to having stirred unrest in the South, the statement said.

The suspect was then handed to the military for further interrogation by a military intelligence unit before being found dead while in detention at the unit’s base.

Relatives of the dead man, representatives from the Pattani Provincial Islam Committee and doctors were invited to examine the body. However, the cause of death has not been established, the Isoc statement said.

Authorities have asked Abdullahyib’s widow for permission to conduct an autopsy on her husband’s body at Songklanagarind Hospital in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district to discover the exact cause of his death.

The move, according to the statement, is aimed at dispelling doubts over the suspect’s death since ill-intentioned people may try to mislead the public into thinking the authorities were responsible.

Isoc also asked community leaders, residents, religious leaders and the dead man’s relatives not to believe rumours about the death and that they should be wary of attempts to discredit the government.

Results of the autopsy will be announced when they come in, Isoc said.

Also in Pattani, bombs exploded in two locations in Nong Chik district late on Thursday night, damaging four electricity poles and causing power blackouts.

The blasts took place on Route 43 between Nong Chik-Hat Yai in tambon Tha Kamsa. There were no casualties.