TANYONG LIMO, Thailand : Two Thai soldiers who had been held
hostage in a mosque in southern Thailand were beaten to death on
Wednesday, 18 hours after they were seized, an army officer
said.
"I can confirm that our two officers are dead. We are going to get
their bodies from the villagers," Colonel Apithai Sawangpob told
AFP.
The blood-soaked bodies of the two navy officers were carried out
from Tanyong Limo village and taken to Narathiwat provincial
hospital, an AFP reporter saw.
Military officials identified them as Sub-Lieutenant Vinai Nabut
and Petty Officer Khamthon Thongeiat.
The two had been stabbed in their stomachs and badly beaten about
their heads, Apithai said.
They had been taken hostage on Tuesday as they chased suspected
militants who had killed one man and wounded four others in the
village, police said.
Navy Captain Trikwan Krairish, who is their superior officer,
expressed shock at their deaths.
"I regret that they finally were killed. We had surrendered to
their demand by bringing Malaysian reporters but our two soldiers
were killed anyway," he told reporters at the scene. - AFP/de
