Associated Press | 2009-12-15
Malaysian police arrested three Thais who allegedly produced homemade explosives and are investigating whether they have links to a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand, an official and a news report said Tuesday.
Authorities detained the three suspects and seized devices believed to be homemade explosives from a house in northern Kelantan state, which borders Thailand's southernmost provinces, a police official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.
He declined to elaborate, saying the matter was under investigation. It was not immediately clear how authorities found the men.
The Star newspaper, quoting unidentified security officials, said the devices and material, including chemical fertilizer, may have been meant for use in a Muslim insurgency that has been raging in southern Thailand since 2004.
More than 3,700 people have been killed in the conflict. The insurgents have made no public pronouncements but are thought to be fighting for an independent Muslim state in Buddhist-dominated Thailand. A massive security force of 60,000 has failed to stop the violence.
