BANGKOK, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Students screamed in fear and a militant was killed as gunfire between insurgents and security forces erupted near a school in southern Thailand on Friday.
The shooting happened about two kilometers from a school in Narathiwat Province in the country's restive deep south on Friday morning.
Police raided a rubber plantation and found five armed men. The two sides exchanged gunfire for about half an hour. Security forces had to call in a helicopter to pressure the suspects and monitor the situation from above, reports said.
Frightened students huddled in a classroom amid the sound of a hovering helicopter and gun firing.
One suspect were killed but the other four managed to escape. Trails of blood were left behind. The attack is now under investigation.
The southern province of Narathiwat has seen two bomb attacks within 24 hours. The first bomb was detonated on Friday morning when security forces were patrolling. The second bomb exploded about 15 meters from the first, wounding five of the attackers.
Narathiwat is one of Thailand's three southernmost provinces that have been haunted by gunfire and bomb attacks for more than a decade.
