Three wounded men believed to have been shot during the attack on a marine base in Bacho district of Narathiwat province have been arrested during the subsequent manhunt, an army source said Thursday.
The source said the three suspects were seized during the government forces sweep of nearby areas.
The three were now held in custody for further interrogation by the authorities.
Col Winthai Suwari, the deputy army spokesman, said normal procedure requires photos and videotaping of the questioning and treatment of suspects to prevent them from later accusing the authorities of mistreatment.
He said following the attack misinformed news reports had claimed those involved the attack were innocent people, despite the fact that most of them were wanted under warrants issued by the authorities.
The militants could no longer deceive the people by wearing military uniforms, he said. The killed in the latest clashes were found to be wearing military uniforms.
Col Winthai said there had also been threatening leaflets circulated and deceptive comments published on some online media, even before the Feb 13 attack on the marine base. They accused the authorities of killing innocent people and mistreatment of suspects.
This kind of deception was no longer effective, he said.