The United Nations condemned insurgents in Thailand's deep south on Wednesday for seizing a hospital during a recent attack on security forces in Narathiwat province.

    In Sunday's attack, a group of rebel fighters took over the Cho Ai Rong Hospital in Narathiwat and used the building to fire on a nearby Thai army post. The gunfight lasted around 30 minutes and, while nobody was killed, patients and medical staff were inside the building during the fighting. 

    Security footage aired by local media showed black-clad militants swarm the hospital grounds toting assault rifles. "Hospitals, medical units and medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law, and they should not be targeted or used for military purposes at any time," the UN Human Rights Office for South-East Asia (OHCHR) said in a statement. 

    The UN added that while attacks on medical staff in Thailand's south have taken place, some of them fatal, Sunday's assault was believed to be the first time insurgents had seized a hospital. "This new tactic is deeply concerning," said Laurent Meillan, OHCHR's acting regional head. 

    Violence dipped to a record low last year, something the Thai military says is the result of better intelligence-led operations since it took power in 2014. But there has been an increase in attacks in the past few weeks.

Source : QNA