In a late night attack, suspected to be conducted by Muslim insurgents on southern Thailand's military outpost, four people were killed.
The attack comes as anger snowballs over the case of a Muslim rebel suspect who was left in a critical condition after spending several hours in a notorious army interrogation unit.
The conflict that has spanned for 15 years in south of Thailand with majority Malay-Muslim population, has killed 7,000 people so far. The attackers stole five machine guns, burnt tyres and scattered spikes on the road to hamper any chase, as they fled.
The rebels who have been seeking autonomy for the south, and have been fighting the Buddhist-majority north for the same.
The police officer at Pattani who confirmed the death toll said two others were in a critical condition, in one of the deadliest single incidents to hit the region in months.
The army has vowed to punish anyone found guilty of the act.
Insurgents operating in small, secretive village-level cells carry out near-daily bomb attacks and shootings in the south. Attacks are often a swift and targeted kickback against arrests or deaths of suspected rebels or Muslim civilians.
Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch speculated Tuesday's attack “was in retaliation” for the treatment of Abdulloh, a Muslim rebel suspect.
