Three men sentenced for southern violence, propaganda

On December 28 and 29, the court issued rulings on three separate national security cases linked to various violent attacks in Pattani. 
In the first case, the court sentenced Ruslan Tuyong to four years in prison after a DNA sample left on evidence implicated him in a case involving separatist signs hung in various places in Pattani’s Yarang district on March 26, 2013. 
In the second case, Akaradech Sani was also sentenced to four years for a criminal association charge after his DNA was found on documents relating to terrorism and separatism. He had been arrested at a school in Pattani’s Panare district on March 10, 2017, Pramote said.
In the third case, the court gave a life sentence to Sufiyan Sani in relation to a shooting attack on March 2, 2017, when a group of seven to eight armed men opened fire at soldiers and civilians in Pattani’s Ma Yor district, resulting in three soldiers’ deaths and one civilian injury. 
Sufiyan was arrested on March 31 in possession of two guns, one of which was linked to the shooting, and a SIM card that belonged to a slain soldier, he said.
Pramote said the three men were wanted on a total of six arrest warrants linked to various attacks but they had been acquitted in other such cases due to insufficient evidence.
Public prosecutors were appealing the other cases.