Kiah Chemah, a 46-year-old Thai Muslim villager, wasat home with her 14-year-old daughter on Monday evening when four masked men with pistols forced their way in and ordered Ms Kiah to hand over four shotguns stored in the house.

The weapons the intruders sought had been issued by the Thai army several weeks before to a new squad of village guards. Thirty local men, including Ms Kiah's son and son-in-law, were assigned to man acheckpoint and patrol their village, Piak, at night.