Thai police put down prison riot in Pattani

Bangkok (VNA) – Thai police on July 16 put down a riot erupting at the central jail in southern Pattani province in previous day that left three prisoners dead and five people injured, including a prison staff.

According to Thai police, the riot started at 17:00 on July 15 at the largest prison in the province where about 2,000 are being imprisoned, including extremely dangerous criminals.

Hundreds of prisoners destroyed their room, set fire to the jail's cooking quarters and attacked police forces to protest the “draconian policies” of the prison.

Hundreds of police officers were sent to the site at 21:00 to quell the riot by using tear gas and rubber bullets. The storm lasted for one hour, while fire rescue force were stamping out the fire that burnt a building.

As many as 100 inmates initiating the riot have been sent to another prison in the neighbouring Songkhla province.

Three southernmost localities of Thailand - Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani, have been sunk in instability over the past decade. So far, nearly 7,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed during attacks by extremists. About 32 people were also killed during the recent Ramadan festival in these localities.-VNA