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Thai Military Official Says Libyan-Trained Insurgents Operating in
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Southern Thailand
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(http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=F5D5C9:3919ACA

General Pallop Pinmanee says Libyan-trained insurgents are now
operating in provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat





A top Thai general says some militants in the country's restive south
have received military training in Libya.

General Pallop Pinmanee, an official with Thailand's Internal Security
Operations Command, says a group of militants spent four years in
Libyan camps and returned to Thailand to train anti-government
fighters. He says the Libyan-trained insurgents are now operating in
the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

It's not clear how many fighters Thai officials believe were trained
in Libya.

Anti-government fighting in Thailand's Muslim-majority southern
provinces has killed about 1,000 people since the beginning of 2004.
The rest of Thailand is mainly Buddhist.

Thai authorities blame the violence on Islamic separatists, local
corruption and organized crime.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.


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