BANGKOK, June 10 (UPI) -- Thailand's army chief rejected suggestions the military orchestrated Monday's deadly mosque attack, saying insurgents are spreading lies.
Gunmen opened fire on worshipers in a mosque in the village of Ibaye in Narathiwat province in Thailand's violence-hit southern region, killing at least 10 people and wounding more.
Authorities suspect Islamic separatists were responsible but some local Muslims say the militants would not have attacked fellow Muslims.
Gen. Anupong Paochinda, calling the incident a "barbaric act," said the insurgents are indulging in such attacks to create fear among the people, the Thai News Agency reported.
"They want to raise the issue to a level of international concern, but the public can be assured any measures taken by the authorities would be based on a legal and human rights approach," he said.
The attack has prompted the government to take a new look at the problems in the south, the Bangkok Post reported.
"The (recent) acts of violence are different from the previous ones," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was quoted as saying. "We may have to change our approach. The mosque shooting is not normal. It does not follow the pattern of violence of the insurgents we have seen before."
Abhisit also said economic development will help end the violence.
Most of those in Thailand's southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani are Muslims, while the rest of Thailand is predominantly Buddhist.
Separatist violence in the south has claimed more than 3,000 lives in the past five years, the BBC reported. Violence has escalated in recent weeks.
