Five suspected separatist militants have been sentenced to death in Thailand for killing four soldiers in a roadside shooting in July 2012.
28 November 2014 Last updated at 02:25
Five suspected separatist militants have been sentenced to death in Thailand for killing four soldiers in a roadside shooting in July 2012.
Pattani Provincial Court found the men guilty on Wednesday of opening fire on the soldiers while they were on patrol.
Several rebel groups are fighting for more autonomy for the ethnically-Malay region in southern Thailand.
Since the conflict began in 2004 about 6,000 people have died in three southern provinces.
Separatists carry out regular attacks, usually roadside bombings or drive-by shootings.
Peace talks with rebel groups came to a standstill when the country was plunged into a political crisis earlier this year.
The government, which took power in a coup, has pledged peace in the region.
Rights groups have criticised Thursday’s death sentences, saying Thai security forces may also be guilty of rights violations.
“Violence does not come from the separatists alone. The security forces have their own share of responsibility,” Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch told Reuters.
