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2008-08-10 Patani Post Launches 10 August 2008 !
OIC RESOLUTION ABOUTH THAILAND
24 May 2010
RESOLUTIONS ON MUSLIM COMMUNITIES AND MINORITIES IN NON-OIC MEMBER STATES ADOPTED BY THETHIRTY-SEVENTH SESSION OF THE COUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS
(SESSION OF SHARED VISIONOF A MORE SECURE AND PROSPEROUS ISLAMIC WORLD)
DUSHANBE — REPUBLIC OF TAJIKISTAN
patanipost.
090418
Ihsanoglu urges OIC Member States to accord greater attention to Muslim minority issues
The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, opened on Saturday 18th April 2009, the 12th Meeting of the Governmental Group of Experts on the Situation of Muslim Minorities in non-OIC Member States held at the headquarters of the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah.
Ihsanoglu pointed up the myriad initiatives he undertook to resolve the issues besetting Muslim minorities in the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Western Thrace in Greece, and the Caucasus region as well as other regions of the world.
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081204 OIC Resolution regarding Patani
2008-12-22 "82 KEJADIAN BERLAKU DI PATANI BULAN JANUARY 2008"
Will Dato' Seri Najib’s visit to Thailand bring any change?
6 DECEMBER 2009 03:00
During the ASEAN conference in Hua Hin on October 26, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak, expressed that the Thai Government should give autonomy to Southern Thailand (Patani). This declaration was received well by his Thai collegue Abhisit Vejjajiva and was supported by opposition leader General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh- making it a hot discussion topic among politicians, media and the general Thai public.
On 7-9 December Dato 'Seri Najib will be in Patani. Can he convince Abhisit to give autonomy to the people of Southern Thailand?
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Today
Bomb kills 4 soldiers, wounds 6
22 Apr 2013 at 16.46
Four soldiers were killed and six others seriously wounded in the explosion of a bomb inside the operations base of Narathiwat Task Force 32 in Bacho district of Narathiwat province on Monday afternoon, reports said.
The bomb, which weighed about 25kg, was inside a gas cylinder taken into the task force base for disposal by an explosive ordnance disposal unit.
It was found earlier today by the ordnance unit near a bridge at Ban Champako in tambon Kayomati in Bacho district where a cloth banner with a message opposing the peace talks was found hung on a tree.
The bomb exploded inside the task force base while being examined.
Four soldiers were killed in the powerful blast. Two of them died instantly at the base while two others died later at Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Hospital. Six others were seriously wounded.
Two of those killed were identified as Lt Chaisit Techasawangwong and Warrant Officer Rewat Kongnak. The names of the other two were not immediately released.
The wounded were identified as Somphet Yanpanya, Thirawat Sukrod, Sayant Chinbut, Thongchai Suiwong, Ong-art Sakda and Saravuth Tapananont. All hold the rank of warrant officer.
The bomb, which later exploded at the Narathiwat Task Force 32 base, was planted at the foot of a tree where a cloth banner bearing a message opposing the peace talks between the government and separatist groups was hung.
The banner was hung on a big tree on one side of Phetchakasem road between Pattani and Narathiwat near a bridge at Ban Champako in tambon Kayomati of Bacho district.
It was believed the bomb was intended to kill police or soldiers sent to the spot to examine the cloth banner.
Pol Col Krisda Kaewchandee, deputy chief of Narathiwat police, said similar cloth banners were found at more than 60 spots in 11 districts, but not in Tak Bai or Sungai Kolok, of Narathiwat province.
Two bombs were found with the banners, one in tambon Todeng of Sungai Padi district and the other at Ban Champako in Bacho district.
The one found in Sungai Padi district exploded, wounding one soldier.
bangkokpost.
Anti-peace talks banners put up in deep South, casualties followed
Published: 22 Apr 2013 at 17.45
Four soldiers were killed and many wounded in separate bomb incidents on Monday after fabric banners opposing the peace talks with separatist groups were put up in many spots in nearly all districts of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces as well as in Thepha and Sabayoi districts of Songkhla.
Each banner bore a message in Malay written in standard Bahasa Malaysia script: "Kedamaian Tak Akin Lahir Selamahak Pert Uanan Tidak di Akui", which translates as "Peace will not occur as long as the host does not endorse it".
The banners were mostly found hung on trees along roadsides, prompting security forces to be despatched to those spots to examine and collect them.
Fake bombs were also found at more than 20 spots in Yaring and Yarang districts of Pattani.
In Sungai Padi district of Narathiwat, an army ranger was injured by an explosion while he was waiting for the bomb disposal unit to examine a site where an anti-peace sign had been erected. The ranger was hit in the right leg by shrapnel.
In Bacho district of Narathiwat, four soldiers were killed and six others seriously wounded when a bomb exploded inside the operations base of Narathiwat Task Force 32 on Monday afternoon, reports said.
The bomb, which weighed about 25kg, was inside a gas cylinder taken into the task force base for disposal by an explosives ordnance disposal unit.
It was found earlier today by the ordnance unit near a bridge at Ban Champako in tambon Kayomati in Bacho district where a cloth banner with a message opposing the peace talks was found hung on a tree.
The bomb exploded inside the task force base while being examined.
National Security Council (NSC) chief Paradorn Pattanathabut, when asked to comment on the banners, said he believed other southern insurgent groups want to take part in the peace talks between the government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) separatist movement.
The banners were actually a signal sent by those groups that they were keen to participate, he said.
Lt-Gen Paradorn was replying to reporters' questions whether the banners - declaring there could be no peace in the South unless the people living there endorse it - were an indication that the situation would become more violent.
He said those who put up the banners only wanted to express a different opinion.
The NSC chief confirmed the next round of talks would still be held on April 29 in Malaysia.
Violent incidents continued to occur in the far South.
In Pattani's Khok Pho district, two sisters were shot and wounded while travelling home from a market.
The attack occurred about 10.30am at a village in tambon Thung Phala in Khok Pho district while Naparat Sani, 45, and her sister Wanpen Inthongkaew, 43, of Ban Lutong in Mae Lan district, were riding home from a market on a motorcycle when they were followed by two men on another motorcycle.
The two men opened fire at them with 9mm pistols, hitting Ms Naparat in the back and the hip and Ms Wanpen in the right leg, before fleeing.
In Narathiwat, a man and two children were wounded by the explosion of a bomb targeted at an army ranger patrol in Rangae district.
The attack occurred about 12.50pm at a bridge near Ban Bokayo in tambon Chalerm of Rangae district.
As a truck carrying 12 rangers from the 11th Rangers Regiment was crossing the bridge, militants hiding nearby used a radio to detonate a bomb hidden in a pile of garbage at one end of the bridge.
The patrol vehicle was obviously the target, but the blast missed it and instead struck a pickup truck following behind it, Pol Col Jiradet said.
Three people in the pick-up truck were wounded -- Adunan Dolo, 42, his seven-year-old son Asuwan and a girl, Suchada Samartpattanakij, 9, a friend of his son. Adunan was hit by shrapnel in the right hand, his son was also hit in the right hand and the girl in the right leg. They were admitted to Rangae Hospital.
The 12 rangers were unharmed.
The bomb, which weighed about 25kg, was inside a gas cylinder.
bangkokpost.
Two dead in 7 Pattani attacks
10 Apr 2013 at 21.46
A trawler was damaged by a bomb and six other locations in Pattani were hit by violence on Wednesday night, killing two military rangers.
Police said the Chok Surasak fishing boat berthed at a pier in Muang district was bombed around 8.20pm but no injuries were reported.
A witness saw people believed to be insurgents approach the fishing vessel in a small boat, and plant what turned out to be a bomb at the rear of the trawler, according to police. The witness could not give an exact number of suspected insurgents were involved.
Militants also stirred trouble in Kapho, Panare, Khok Pho, Yarang and Sai Buri districts, with apparently coordinated attacks around 8pm, police said.
Suspected insurgents attacked a base of defence volunteers at Karubee School in Kapo and a community centre at Moo 4 in Panare. A vocational training centre in Sai Buri municipality and a public telephone booth in front of the Panare post office were burnt. Tyres were also burnt in Khok Pho and Yarang.
Two rangers were killed by insurgents during the attack on the community centre in Panare, one of them a lieutenant.
Violence intensified in the restive region after peace talks began, with officials specifically targetted. Insurgents last week killed Yala deputy governor Issra Thongthawat and Chaovalit Chaireuk, the province's assistant governor. The two were killed by a roadside bomb attack in Bannang Sata district on Friday.
The deaths raised doubt about Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) representatives' ability to direct militants operating in the region to ease their attacks as a gesture for their intention to put an end to the violence.
Despite critics' growing pessimism about peace talks, locals in the southern border provinces are behind the efforts to end violence in negotiations with separatists, an official said on Wednesday.
"They are weary of violence," Piya Kittaworn, deputy secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, told a forum organised by the Thai Journalists Association earlier in the day.
He backed up his statement with a survey by Prince of Songkla University, which showed overwhelming support for the talks with BRN.
The survey showed 67% of residents in the deep South backed the negotiations - and the other third opposed them.
The survey was conducted in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, and four districts of Songkhla from March 18-25. Its 1,870 samples were selected from local leaders, religious leaders and people in all villages in the area, Mr Piya said.
But when asked to score their confidence about the talks on a scale of 1 to 10 - least optimistic to most - most rated them at 5.
The first round of talks led by the National Security Council took place on March 28 in Kuala Lumpur. The next round, scheduled for April 29, likely will be postponed because of the campaign for the May 5 election in Malaysia.
Malaysia facilitates the meeting by bringing Thai negotiators to sit at the table with the BRN, whose officials live in Malaysia.
The official cautioned that peace efforts will make no progress without support from people in the restive region.
bangkokpost.
Yala hit by 4 bomb attacks
7 Apr 2013 at 22.04
Yala municipality was hit by four bomb attacks by suspected militants late Sunday evening, leaving two residents injured.
The attacks took place at about 7pm at four locations including Cola Hotel on Khotchaseni Road, Seven Inn apartment on Phuttha Phoom Road, Grand Palace Hotel on Chareon Chai Road and Thep Viman Hotel on Sri Bamrung Road.
At the first spot, suspected militants parked a motorcycle equipped with an improvised explosive device (IED) in the hotel’s underground motorcycle parking area where visitors and employees park their machines and detonated it remotely with a mobile phone. The bomb injured one person, said Pol Maj Gen Peera Boonliang, the Yala police chief.
Assailants riding a motorcycle threw a grenade at a common area in front of the Seven Inn apartment, but no one was injured.
A bomb later exploded at a public phone booth outside Grand Palace Hotel, injuring another person.
A black bag containing a bomb was left by the road outside Thep Viman Hotel but no one was hurt when the device went off, Pol Maj Gen Peera said.
The attacks took place not long after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited Yala Hospital to give moral support to security officers injured while performing their duty.
bangkokpost.
Bus blast kills soldier, injures 19
5 Apr 2013 at 00.00
A soldier was killed and 19 others injured, one critically, in a roadside bomb blast in Yala's Krong Pinang district on Wednesday night, authorities said.
Pol Col Suchart Khlaichanpong, chief of Krong Pinang police station, said suspected militants detonated the bomb about 8.30pm on No.410 (Yala-Betong) Road at Ban Luemu in Krong Pinang district.
The blast tore through a military bus carrying soldiers returning from conscript selection duties in Bannang Sata district.
The improvised bomb was inside a gas cylinder buried on the edge of a durian plantation next to the highway near the 19th kilometre marker.
The explosion created a two-metre-wide and one-metre-deep crater.
According to authorities, the bomb was detonated using a command wire about 80 metres long. It exploded as the military bus carrying 26 soldiers passed by. The soldiers had just finished overseeing conscription in Bannang Sata district and were heading for Raman district to carry out conscription duties there.
At least 10 attackers sprayed the bus with bullets after the blast, sparking an exchange of gunfire lasting about 15 minutes. Twenty soldiers were injured in the ambush.
One injured soldier, 53-year-old Sgt Maj Boonliang Chaichana, died later in Yala Hospital.
Col Pramote Prom-in, spokesman of the southern outpost of the Internal Security Operations Command, said the attack did not affect conscription efforts in Yala because another unit was deployed to carry out the task in Raman district instead. He said the blast has prompted security forces to take extra precautions when transporting security personnel in the far South.
Security authorities are now hunting for both the insurgents who bombed the bus and those who abducted and killed marine private Ma-ila Tohlu in Narathiwat earlier this week.
At another conscription venue in Tanyongmas municipality of Rangae district in Narathiwat, an improvised bomb in a plastic pipe exploded about 3pm. No one was injured in the blast.
Elsewhere, Capt Somkiat Polprayoon, commander of a marine unit at the Chulabhorn Camp, said authorities had identified eight suspects believed to have abducted and killed Pvt Ma-ila in Rueso district on Monday night and are hunting for them.
According to a military source, all eight suspects came from Bacho district. They were targeting marines from the rifle company in Ban Yuelor village in Bacho to avenge 16 insurgents killed during an attack on the base in February.
Meanwhile, in Thung Yang Daeng district of Pattani, Hamu Salaemae, 59, head of Moo 4 village in tambon Talomaena, was shot dead in front of his house at 9pm on Wednesday. Thung Yang Daeng district chief, Bamnet Binrim, said the murder was the result of a local political conflict.
In Bangkok yesterday, Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda told a gathering of people involved in southern peace restoration efforts that the armed forces and police are working hard to restore peace in the far South.
bangkokpost.
Pattani bomb kills 2 rangers
30 Mar 2013 at 15.11
Two paramilitary rangers were killed and four others injured in a bomb explosion in Pattani on Saturday afternoon.
The attack occurred at 2.21pm on a local road at Ban Hae Phrao in tambon Koh Chan of Mayo district, killing Nithi Chanowon, 22, and Maror Hama, 37.
Rangers Thanandorn Kaewkhao, 27, Kriangsak Srikes, 37, Sompong Plangniang, 32, and Hama Saluvee, 18, were injured in the explosion and taken to Mayo hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
The incident followed an ambush in Pattani on Friday night in which an old man and his son were seriously injured.
They were identified as Dorming Benjah, 75, and his son Mayusoh Benjah, 45.
Pol Col Jirasate Dao-ngerntrakul, chief of Saiburi police station, said the attack occurred about 7pm on a local road at Ban Payor in tambon Kadunong of Saiburi.
Witnesses said the two men were travelling in a sedan when gunmen hiding in a rubber plantation opened fire on them with assault rifles. The assailants then fled.
Doraming and Mayusoh took bullets in their arms and bodies. They were taken to Saiburi hospital and reported to be in critical condition.
bangkokpost.
Captain killed, 14 troops hurt in Narathiwat ambush
30 Mar 2013 at 00.00
An army captain was killed and 14 soldiers wounded in an ambush that triggered a gunfight late yesterday afternoon in Narathiwat's Rueso district, police say.
The ambush was one of several attacks that took place yesterday. They came one day after a government team, led by National Security Council (NSC) chief Paradorn Pattanatabut, met insurgent representatives in Kuala Lumpur for an initial round of peace talks.
An unknown number of attackers detonated a 25-kg roadside bomb when an army patrol in a pickup truck passed by in Moo 7 of tambon Sawor. The militants then opened fire on the truck, triggering a gunfight.
The attackers fled when a back-up unit arrived at the scene.
The ambush left Capt Siwat Sripujyo, the commander of the patrol, dead and 14 other members of his unit injured. They were sent to Rueso Hospital.
One of the injured soldiers managed to radio for assistance as the attackers emerged from a nearby wood and started firing at them. The gunfight lasted about 10 minutes before the militants fled.
Security officials suspect the ambush was the work of insurgent groups seeking to undermine peace talk efforts.
Meanwhile, Lt Gen Paradorn said yesterday insurgent leaders have one month to prove to the government they can control militants by ordering them to stop shooting civilians.
He reported the outcome of the first round of peace talks to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday.
The government hopes the six representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) and Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo) can demonstrate that they can control their operatives in the southernmost provinces.
The next round of talks has been set for April 29 in the Malaysian capital.
The period from now until the day when both sides meet again will be a test to see if the BRN can end violent attacks against innocent civilians, Lt Gen Paradorn said.
The separatists were represented by BRN liaison office chief Hassan Taib. They submitted a demand for an amnesty for southern insurgents which included the lifting of arrest warrants against suspected insurgents, the release of prisoners convicted in southern violence cases, clearance of pending cases against suspected insurgents, and the lifting of a rebel suspects blacklist.
Lt Gen Paradorn said in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday night that he rejected the demand to release prisoners, while the other points would be discussed with the Justice Ministry and other agencies.
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday said the demand to release prisoners was impossible to meet.
In other southern violence, Abdulloh Paokoh, 42, was shot in the head and stomach as he was driving his motorcycle to a local mosque in Panare district, Pattani yesterday. A pillion rider on another motorcycle fired shots at him.
Another volunteer, Anant Kamol, was injured by a roadside bomb while accompanying police and district officials to join marines to hunt suspected militants in Sungai Padi district of Narathiwat.
He was among 11 policemen and defence security officers, including a Sungai Padi police station inspector and assistant district chief, who were travelling in two pickup trucks to support operations by soldiers to search for suspected militants hiding in Ban Do Hae in the same district.
Also in Narathiwat, a roadside bomb went off in the morning on the Narathiwat-Pattani road in tambon Lubo Buesa of Yi-ngo district while eight police officers were travelling in a patrol vehicle. No one was hurt.
Rangae district office was hit by two grenades from an M79 launcher on Thursday night. No one was injured.
bangkokpost.
Soldiers killed in South as peace talks start
28 Mar 2013 at 11.58
Three rangers were killed and five others wounded, two seriously, by a bomb explosion in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district early on Thursday, as peace talks began between the Thai government and representatives of separatist groups in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Lt-Gen Udomchai Thammasaroraj, the 4th Army commander, said he believed the attack was intended to disrupt the peace-making process.
"We suspect this was the work of local militants who want to discredit the peace talks under way in Kuala Lumpur," he said.
The talks began between a 15-member Thai delegation and representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) and several other insurgent groups.
The explosion occurred about 7am, before the talks got under way, on a road along the railway between Cho Airong and Bukit at Ban Cho Kroh in tambon Bukit, about 900m from the Cho Airong district police station.
It devastated a joint team of 12 rangers from Ranger Companies 4810 and 4903, which was patrolling from their base at a temple in Cho Airong district town.
The 25kg bomb, inside a gas cylinder, was planted near a power pole and was detonated remotely.
Two rangers died immediately, Thirachat Sinamngern and Pornchai Pho-ngern, and six others were wounded. One of the injured, Sangkhom Muanghung, died on the way to hospital, police said.
The five other wounded rangers were admitted to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Hospital. They are Anan Srisuk, Kitti Komal, Burapa Noensai, Bung Wongyai and Tawatchai Khamneo, the patrol leader.
The attack took place near Ban Cho Kroh, the home village of Masae Useng, a wanted separatist leader with a bounty of 5 million baht on his head.
National Security Council secretary general Paradorn Pattannathabutr, who heads the Thai delegation, expressed confidence in Kuala Lumpur that the violence would eventually decline as the peace talk process went ahead.
"We want to reduce the violence in the area,” he told reporters before the start of the negotiations in Kuala Lumpur.
“I see the BRN as the largest and most influential group behind the unrest. So, after the talks, the BRN can spread the word to their fighters, and then we will see a concrete result.
"I am confident that they will communicate our message to their militants, but because BRN is a large organisation, we have to give them some time," Lt-Gen Paradorn said.
Ahmad Zamzamin, a former senior aide to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, was facilitating the first round of talks in the Malaysian capital between Thai security officials and BRN representatives.
More than 5,300 people have been killed in the conflict in the majority-Muslim provinces in Thailand, which are under emergency law.
Rebels have carried out shootings and bombings against monks, teachers and village officials as symbols of the majority-Buddhist state.
bangkokpost.
Yala bomb wounds 6 militia
27 Mar 2013 at 19.57
Six defence volunteers were injured by a roadside bomb explosion in Yala's Krong Pinang district on Wednesday evening, reports said.
The men, members of Krong Pinang district's defence volunteers, were patrolling a rural road near Luboh Talo village in tambon Purong in a pickup truck when an improvised explosive device (IED) buried in the road exploded under their vehicle.
The explosion overturned the vehicle and blew it off the road, Two of the six-man team unit were injured critically, while the others suffered lesser injuries. The seriously wounded men are Sabuaree Korlae, 35, the militia commander, and Madao Kortor, 30.
After the blast, a group of suspected militants opened fire at the defence volunteers, who returned fire. The gunfight lasted about10 miniutes before the assailants fled.
Investigators found a crater in the road, 80cm deep and five metres wide. Wires led from the crater into the forest, where militants apparently set off the IED.
bangkokpost.
Nine separatist groups to join Malaysia talks
15-delegate panels on both sides confirmed
27 Mar 2013 at 00.00
Fifteen representatives from nine insurgent groups will join the South peace talks with 15 Thai delegates in Malaysia tomorrow, secretary-general of the National Security Council Paradorn Pattanathabutr said Tuesday.
Lt Gen Paradorn said Kuala Lumpur, which faciliates the talks, had informed him the 15 insurgent representatives would come from the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), New Pulo, Pulo 88, BRN Congress, BRN Coordinate, Barisan Islam Pembangunan Pattani, as well as Gerakan Mujahideen Islam Pattani, Gerakan Mujahidin Pattani and Ulama Pattani.
Lt Gen Paradorn said he could not reveal the list of the 15 insurgent representatives as Malaysian authorities asked him to keep it a secret for the sake of their own safety.
The NSC chief said the Thai government had also finalised its list of 15 delegates who will join the talks.
Lt Gen Paradorn said cabinet backing for the name list is not necessary as the cabinet had given in-principle approval to the setting up of the negotiation team.
As the head of the team, Lt Gen Paradorn said he will periodically report to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as the peace talks progress.
The NSC chief met his team Tuesday to finalise preparations.
A security source said the negotiators include Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre chief Thawee Sodsong; deputy permanent secretary for defence Nipat Thonglek; Special Branch Police commissioner Saritchai Anekwiang; Internal Security Operation Command officer Nakrob Boonbuathong; and director of King Prajadhipok's Office of Peace and Governance Ekkachai Srivilas.
Also joining the delegation are religious leaders, representatives from civic and women's groups, and governors of the southernmost provinces.
Meanwhile, authorities continued to find banners calling for an independent Pattani in several parts of Pattani and Narathiwat Tuesday.
It was the second day that banners, reading "Peace, unity, Pattani state", were found.
The banners were found in at least 20 locations on roads in four districts of Pattani _ Yarang, Yaring, Thung Yang Daeng, and Kapho.
Similar banners were put up in nine spots in Nong Chik district on Monday.
In Narathiwat, two of the banners were hung above roads in Muang district.
Lt Gen Paradorn said he was not worried about the banners as state security units were capable of keeping the situation under control.
Two shootings took place in Pattani and Narathiwat Tuesday, injuring a deputy tambon administration organisation (TAO) chief and a former TAO member.
Muhammadsata Dosama, 35, deputy chief of Batong TAO, was shot three times by attackers while he was riding his motorcycle from his house to a religious school in Narathiwat's Rue So about 5.30am.
The bullets hit his right shoulder, right arm and nose. Residents nearby took him to hospital after hearing the gunshots, while the gunman fled.
In Pattani, a former member of Taloh Kapo TAO was wounded in a drive-by shooting in Yarang district also about 5.30am, police said.
bangkokpost.
OIC Hopes Peace Dialogue Will Include Other Stakeholders In Southern Thai Border Provinces
KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Bernama) -- The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) hopes that the peace dialogue between the Thai government and the National Revolutionary Front (BRN) will make provision for other parties and stakeholders to join the peace process, which is aimed at solving problems of the southern border provinces.
OIC secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has written to the governments of Thailand and Malaysia, expressing his wish to see other stakeholders in the southern border provinces included in the dialogue, which seeks to achieve a lasting peace in the region, an OIC spokesperson said in a statement.
The agreement was signed on Feb 28, under the framework of the Thai constitution and Malaysia's facilitation, ahead of an official visit to Malaysia by Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The OIC believes that for a dialogue to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the people, it should address the root causes of the problem and deal with issues underlining the problems of identity, culture, language, justice, development, political participation and domestic affairs.
Ihsanoglu also reaffirmed the spirit of friendship between the Thai government and the 57-member-state organisation, as reflected in a joint statement issued on May 1, 2007.
bernama.
Blast fails to derail talks
South bomb kills three but govt to press ahead
16 Mar 2013 at 00.00
A bomb attack which killed three police officers in Narathiwat province's Rueso district yesterday will not derail the government's deep South peace talks push, Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat says.
The government is blaming itself for what it says was a security lapse. However, it says the attack - which it believes is the work of insurgents trying to derail its peace talks effort - will not deter it from the plan.
The officers were travelling in a pickup truck in Ban Rueso when the bomb went off.
The 90kg explosive device was buried under the road surface and detonated as the vehicle approached a canal bridge.
A bomb attack kills three police officers in Narathiwat on Friday. (Photo by Wassayos Ngamkham)
The pickup truck was thrown into the canal by the force of the explosion. Body parts were scattered across the road.
The victims were identified as Pol Lt Col Chakkrit Wongprommate, 49, deputy superintendent of Rueso police station, Pol Sgt Piya Phupanwer, 34, and Pol Cpl Suves Chantarangsi, 30.
Abdulloh Suelee, a village head, was about 50m from the police vehicle when the bomb exploded.
He said he and Pol Lt Col Chakkrit's team had just left an activity at a school.
"I stopped to answer a telephone call. The explosion ripped through the pickup and sent it into the canal," he said.
The Internal Security Operations Command's Region 4 spokesman Pramote Prom-in said the attack is believed to be the work of insurgents who were opposed to the peace talks and wanted to demonstrate their capacity for violence. He insisted the attack would not affect the ongoing peace talks plan.
ACM Sukumpol conceded the attack was the result of a security lapse and that violence was likely to continue in the deep South even as the government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) movement worked towards peace.
The BRN and National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn Pattanatabut signed a peace dialogue agreement on Feb 28 in Kuala Lumpur and will hold talks on March 28.
"It is a tragic loss. It's our mistake," ACM Sukumpol said of the Rueso attack. "But don't think the talks are doomed."
ACM Sukumpol said the peace process might not have been accepted by certain groups.
He said there were several groups of militants active in the insurgency and it remained to be seen if they too were agreeable to the peace talks approach.
"I've said before that the talks would not bring an end to violence immediately," he said. "Militant attacks are likely to continue, but may reduce."
ACM Sukumpol brushed aside the Democrat Party's stand that the government's approach was wrong.
He said the opposition never seemed to be satisfied with any of the government's policies and refused to help if it could not get its own way.
"If they don't like it, they won't get involved," he said. "We are asking them to join [the peace effort].
It doesn't matter if they disagree with our approach. But they prefer not to be a part of it and criticise it instead," ACM Sukumpol said
Lt Gen Paradorn said he remained optimistic about the March 28 meeting. He said that the dialogue would benefit all sides.
Meanwhile, a Muslim academic yesterday urged the Thai delegation assigned to the Malaysia meeting to be sure they understood what the locals wanted as the dialogue started.
Abdulrosah Wan-alee, deputy dean of Yala Rajabhat University's faculty of humanities, said it was important for authorities to understand their needs and address them.
"Violence stems from injustice, so the delegation has to understand [what the insurgents want]," he said.
He also voiced concerns about the proposed formation of a special administrative zone in Pattani.
Mr Abdulrosah said the peace talks should not focus on this possibility as it could lead to a wider conflict.
"The locals don't care about the name as long as the state mechanism allows them to have a say in their own livelihoods," he said.
"They only care about the changes to be made after the talks."
The Civil Society Council of Southernmost Thailand yesterday backed the talks.
The group also urged all sectors in society to join hands in drawing up a peace plan, which it described as the "most tangible" measure.
bangkokpost.
Police team killed by Narathiwat bomb
15 Mar 2013 at 12.24
Three policemen were confirmed dead, including a senior officer, and another was missing after an explosion at the approach to a bridge in Ban Rueso of Narathiwat’s Rueso district on Friday Morning, reports said.
Police of Rueso police station were travelling on a local road in a pickup truck, returning from providing security at Ban Rueso school. About 10.30am an explosive device buried under the road surface was detonated as the vehicle approached the entry to the bridge.
The explosion killed deputy chief of Rueso police station Pol Lt-Col Chakkris Wongprommate, Sgt Suves Chanrangsi and Sgt Piya Phupanwer.
Another policeman was thrown out of the pickup truck and into the canal. Divers from Chulaporn military camp were searching for his body.
The pickup truck was left a total wreck by the explosion.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
New southern army chief likely in April
4 Mar 2013 at 17.05
Maj-Gen Kitti Inthasorn is tipped to take over as army chief in the South in a mid-year reshuffle aimed at a smooth transition of power and no disruption to operations in the restive region.
An army source said army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha has decided to promote Maj Gen Kitti, who is the deputy chief of the 4th Army Region, to replace Udomchai Thammasaroratch in the mid-year reshuffle.
The list will be announced this month and the promotion will be effective on April 1.
Lt Gen Udomchai would be moved to the position of army adviser until his retirement at the end of September, the source added.
The mid-year reshuffle was routine and intended to give officers opportunities to move up, the source said.
"The army chief wants officers in the 4th Army Region who are familiar with the problems and the situation in the region to be promoted," the source said.
Maj Gen Kitti was a classmate of National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Paradorn Pattanatabutra in Class 14 of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School.
Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat will have talks with the permanent secretary for defence and all armed forces chiefs on Tuesday to discuss the promotion list, the source added.
Meanwhile, the NSC will seek cabinet approval for the extension of the emergency decree in the three restive southern border provinces for another three months from March 19.
Lt Gen Paradorn said this was decided at today's meeting of the committee on the administration of the emergency situation chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung.
The emergency decree currently imposed in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces will expire on March 19. A proposal for the extension of the decree would be tabled to the cabinet for consideration next week, he added.
Lt Gen Paradorn said the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) had proposed that the emergency decree be lifted in five districts - Kapho district of Pattani, Betong and Kabang districts of Yala, and Waeng and Sukhirin districts of Narathiwat.
The meeting agreed to the proposal. However, the NSC needed to first raise the matter during planned talks with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) separatist group.
If the situation in the five districts was improving, the emergency decree in the areas would be lifted and replaced with the Internal Security Act (ISA), he said.
The NSC chief said the SBPAC proposal was based on the fact that there had been few violent incidents in the five districts, the readiness of Interior Ministry officials and police to replace soldiers, and the opinions of the local people.
"We are confident the ISA can be enforced in the five districts. We just want this matter raised in talks with the BRN.
"Following the signing of the pact, the Thai side wants to gauge the sincerity of the other side," Lt-Gen Paradorn said.
The defence minister said in an interview he believed the situation in the deep South would improve following the signing of the talks agreement with the BRN.
"The signing of the agreement was the first key, which must be constitutional," he said.
ACM Sukumpol said there must be further talks to come to a consensus on what would be raised for negotiation, how and where.
On former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's comment that he had talks with Sapae-ing Basor, a core member of the BRN, who had conveyed the group's proposals to him, ACM Sukumpol said he had not seen them, adding that what had been done was only the beginning of the peace initiative.
ACM Sukumpol did not give a direct reply when asked about suggestions Hassan Taib, the BRN liaison official who signed the agreement with the NSC chief, might be the same person who was taken by Gen Chettha Thanajaro, the former army chief, to announce a ceasefire in the deep South without conditions on TV Channel 5 in 2008.
He said only that the people who said this were people who do not want to see any progress made.
Asked why Thaksin, who once branded southern insurgents "cheap bandits", had changed his stance, ACM Sukumpol said the situation had changed.
"Now we know what is what," he said.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has rejected an invitation from Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm to attend a meeting on Wednesday on solving the problems in the far South.
Mr Abhisit said he had received a letter of invitation from Mr Chalerm, but he would turn it down because the government had already gone far ahead by signing a peace pact with an insurgent group.
The signing of the peace talks agreement with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional did not solve the problem, he said. Parliament should be the forum for an exchange of opinions on solving the problem.
There would be no point in his talking to officials operating in troubled areas because their operations were now tied to the peace plan, Mr Abhisit said.
The meeting, according to Mr Chalerm, was intended to brainstorm opinions for solving problems in the far South.
The Democrat leader said he also received a letter from House deputy speaker Charoen Chankomol inviting party MPs to attend a meeting about amnesty legislation on Tuesday, March 5.
He had replied that before sending its representatives to attend a meeting on such an important matter the party would have to call a meeting of its MPs to make a decision.
bangkokpost.
Peace talks fail to halt bomb attacks
2 die, Democrats query South peace move
3 Mar 2013 at 00.00
Two military rangers were killed and 11 others, including rangers and civilians, were wounded in a motorcycle bomb in Yala Saturday in the second day of violence since a deal to negotiate a peace settlement was signed.
The attack follows further violence on Friday in the far South after National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn Pattanatabutr signed an agreement with Hassan Taib, identified as the chief of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) liaison office in Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Friday's bomb attack was carried out in Narathiwat.
Police and bomb disposal officers Saturday rushed to Lekhakul Road near Srimuang park in Yala's Muang district after the blast at about 2.25 pm.
One ranger was killed on the spot and seven others were wounded, one seriously. Four civilians were also injured.
The seriously-wounded ranger was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
A military vehicle was damaged at the scene. A badly-damaged motorcycle believed to have carried the bomb was found nearby.
The area was littered with metal debris and bits from electronic devices.
Police believed a home-made bomb, weighing at least 10kg, might have been planted in the motorcycle.
According to police, the motorcycle bomb went off when the military vehicle carrying rangers arrived at the scene.
The attack was believed to be the work of Roki Dolae, a leading insurgent who is still active in Yala.
Meanwhile, Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said Saturday there might an ulterior motive behind the peace talks agreement with the BRN.
Mr Chavanond said it was noted that Ustaz Hassan Taib, with whom the peace talks deal was signed, could have been among the people with whom former army chief Chettha Thanajaro was reported to have negotiated a ceasefire with five years ago.
In 2008, Gen Chettha, a former defence minister, was criticised after he announced a joint ceasefire with a group called Thailand United Southern Underground, which claimed to represent 11 separatist groups in the region.
If Mr Taib was there, it could mean the latest peace effort might be a sham as in 2008, Mr Chavanond said.
Yasri Khan, son of Samsudine Khan, deputy chairman of Pulo who lives in Sweden, said any attempt to clinch a ceasefire would not materialise as long as the government did not solve the root problems which allow the insurgency to fester.
The senior militant figures who signed the pact cannot tell the insurgent rank and file to lay down their weapons if the local population continues to be mistreated, he said in an exclusive interview with Post Today.
"How much can we [the citizens of Pattani and the militant fighters] trust the Thai authorities when they have not treated us with dignity?" he said, referring to the government-sponsored insurgent defection programme in the past.
He said the programme had failed because the government was not sincere in solving the basic problems affecting local people.
Locals expected the state to genuinely embrace the differences in culture, language and the rights of people in the far South to determine their own future.
Talk of self-rule and a special administration were only a process, not the ultimate goal.
Mr Yasri said it might take at least 20 years to assess the government's sincerity in forging southern peace.
The militants were afraid that if and when a ceasefire is achieved, the government might not be committed to recognising and tackling the fundamental problems of citizens in the deep South.
Mr Yasri said the government's recent peace efforts with the BRN marked the beginning of an attempt to end the violence.
In Narathiwat, police have pieced together clues about the insurgents involved in a motorcycle bomb attack near a municipal market in Muang district on Friday. The blast injured six people, including rangers and local residents.
Pol Col Sathanfa Wamasing, Narathiwat police chief, has obtained a key piece of evidence from a car bomb in front of a minimart opposite Narathiwat police office on Friday afternoon. He declined to say what the evidence was.
bangkokpost.
Yala bomb kills two rangers
2 Mar 2013 at 16.04
Two military rangers were killed and 11 other people, including rangers and civilians, were wounded when a motorcycle bomb went off in Yala on Saturday.
Police and bomb disposal officers rushed to Lekhakul Road near Srimuang Park in Muang District after being alerted about the blast at 2.25pm.
One ranger was killed on the spot and seven other rangers wounded, one seriously. Five civilians were also injured. The seriously wounded ranger was later pronounced dead at hospital.
A military vehicle was found damaged at the scene. A badly damaged motorcycle believed to have carried the bomb was also found nearby. The area was littered with pieces of metal and electronic devices.
Police believed a home-made bomb, weighing at least 10 kilogrammes, might have been contained in the motorcycle
Witnesses told police that the motorcycle was parked near the roadside at the park. The bomb was detonated as eight paramilitary rangers patrolling on foot passed the spot.
Saturday's incident was the third bomb attack in the far South since the signing of an agreement for peace talks between the government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur.
On Friday, Narathiwat was rocked by two bomb blasts that wounded one soldier and four civilians.
bangkokpost.
Narathiwat rocked by two blasts
The Nation March 2, 2013 1:00 am
Police and security officials examine the wreckage of a pickup truck used in a bomb attack in Narathiwat yesterday.
Vehicle bombs seen as attempt by insurgents to reject peace process launched in Malaysia
Two vehicle bombs in a span of five hours yesterday rocked Narathiwat's Muang district less than 24 hours after the signing of an agreement in Malaysia between Thailand's security authorities and four people purportedly representing insurgent groups in the South of Thailand.
The two attacks - the first at around 6am and the next at around noon - wounded six people and caused heavy property damage.
They were deemed by the media and the public as an act of defiance by insurgents opposed to the peace process.
The attacks were carried out for the first time in recent months within a safety perimeter dubbed the green zones.
The media and the public also questioned whether talks on the same day between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak were merely a public relations stunt for political gains by both sides as Malaysia is heading for general elections while the Yingluck government has been heavily criticised for its failure to contain the situation in the South.
Based on defence and intelligence sources, attacks were recently carried out independently by the local leaders of insurgents without or with minimal supervision or orders from the core insurgency leadership.
The vehicle-bomb attacks in Narathiwat could be seen as an attack by local insurgent cells aimed at showing that the talks and agreements reached in Malaysia mean nothing to the separatist cause.
The first bomb went off at around 5am. About 5kg of explosives were hidden in a motorcycle parked near the main market in Muang municipality. Six people were injured and one vehicle and six motorcycles were damaged. The grey Honda Dream motorcycle that carried the explosives was reportedly stolen on December 1 last year. Military ordnance personnel said later that the bomb was detonated by a digital wristwatch instead of a mobile phone that is regularly used, as this motorcycle was parked behind a military vehicle operating mobile phone signal-jamming.
Footage from security cameras near the scene later showed unclear images of the operation by the insurgents, because it was still dark at the time of the blast. The footage only showed three pedestrians walking past the scene at the time of explosion, police said.
The second bomb went off around noon, when 50kg of explosives packed in a green Isuzu pickup parked in front of the command post of the provincial police force blew up. There were no casualties but nearby shophouses and a car were damaged. The green Isuzu pickup was not on a five-car watch list and was different from two other vehicles about which authorities had issued a warning earlier.
Military ordnance personnel said later that the explosives were fully contained in a cooking-gas cylinder and only half of the material went off. It was detonated jointly by an alarm clock and a mobile phone. Security officials said this bomb attack was likely carried out by a group responsible for a bomb attack on February 23 near a convenience store located across the barracks of the 45th Ranger Paramilitary Regiment in Ra Ngae district.
nationmultimedia.
Chalerm picks advisory group 'tied to rebels'
Yingluck says government not involved in selection
19 Feb 2013 at 17.29
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung has appointed nine members of the Wadah group as his advisers on the deep South.
The move has been criticised as some members of the group have been linked to insurgents in the region.
The advisers, appointed Tuesday by Mr Chalerm, are group leader Den Tomeena, Wan Muhamad Nor Matha Wan, Areepen Uttarasin, Sukarno Matha, Najmuddin Uma, Phetdao Tomeena, Abdulrohman Absulsamad, Suthipan Sririkanont and Sudin Phuyutthanont.
Most are well known in political circles and several have been cabinet ministers and members of parliament.
The Wadah group comprises influential Muslim politicians from several political parties. It once dominated seats in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
Mr Chalerm said he appointed the Wadah members as his advisers because they are Muslims who are well aware of the problems plaguing the predominantly Islamic southernmost provinces and are respected by residents, Mr Chalerm said.
If their opinions prove useful, they will also be asked to attend a meeting of the Centre for Implementation of Policies and Strategies for Solving Problems in Southern Border Provinces.
Mr Chalerm expects to hold a meeting with the centre next week.
The decision has raised some eyebrows as some of the group's members are accused of supporting insurgents in the far South.
Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn warned Mr Chalerm to be careful about security leaks now that he has appointed Wadah members as advisers.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Tuesday distanced her government from the move. "The appointment is Mr Chalerm's personal decision, and it does not involve the government," she said.
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said Mr Chalerm had thought carefully before deciding to appoint the advisers.
The deputy prime minister needs the help of those who are knowledgeable on the problems of the South, he said.
Wadah member Mr Najmuddin said he is ready to provide information and offer his opinions on the insurgency.
He stressed the need for the government to solve the unrest through peaceful dialogue.
He said the invocation of the Internal Security Act to replace the emergency decree in the area is a step in the right direction.
The emergency decree worries locals as it gives authorities too much power, he said.
Mr Najmuddin said the ruling Pheu Thai Party has no representation in the far South, which makes it difficult for the government to work with local authorities.
The party needs representatives from the region to liaise with local people to solve the problem, he said.
Democrat Party deputy leader Thaworn Senneam Tuesday said the Wadah group has close ties with locals in the far South, and while this could benefit Mr Chalerm's efforts in the region, it could also pose problems.
Meanwhile, in Yala, eight soldiers were injured in a grenade attack.
Authorities say two suspected insurgents drove a motorcycle past Wat Lak 5 at 6pm as soldiers of the Yala Task Force 11 were engaged in physical training, and tossed an M26 grenade at the troops.
Pol Col Pacharaphol na Nakhon, chief of the Muang district police station, said the explosion wounded eight soldiers.
Security cameras recorded the attack and a manhunt has commenced, he said.
EARLIER REPORT
By Online Reporters
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha welcomed the appointment Tuesday of nine members of the Wadah political group as advisers to Deputy Prime Minister and security chief Chalerm Yubamrung.
The nine Wadah group members could have deep understanding of the problems in the southernmost provinces, said Gen Prayuth, and could help to come up with suggestions for solutions against the violence there.
Mr Chalerm will be taking advice from Wadah members Wan Muhammad Nor Matha, Den Tomeena, Areepen Uttarasin, Sukarno Matha, Najmuddin Umar, Phetdao Tomeena, Abdulrohman Absulsamad, Suthipan Sriwikanont and Sudin Phuyuthanont. Most are well known in political circles, and several have been cabinet ministers and members of parliament.
Under an order from the Prime Minister's Office issued Tuesday, they will be responsible for giving advice, opinion, analyses and suggestions on problems in the deep South, under Mr Chalerm.
One of the group, Najmuddin Umar, was once charged with separatism and rebellion. Gen Prayuth said he trusted the government to think carefully about choosing advisers from diverse backgrounds and knowledgeable about the separatist movement in the South.
Mr Najmuddin was once a Narathiwat MP under the banner of the New Aspiration Party for ex-premier Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.
The appointment of Muslim advisers should not affect government efforts in the South, and the military has no objection, Gen Prayuth said.
Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn, the supreme commander, said the armed forces are duty-bound and ready to support the government in its efforts to solve the problems, including the move announced on Monday to replace the emergency decree with the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Mr Najmuddin said Tuesday the government was on the right track by replacing the emergency decree with the ISA. The emergency decree had caused tension among the population, because authorities sometimes abused their power, he said.
He said the ruling Pheu Thai Party had limitations in working to solve the problems in the South, because it has no MPs from the region, a traditional stronghold of the opposition Democrat Party.
This political weakness caused poor coordination between the government and the local people. If Pheu Thai had MPs from the South, this problem would be solved, Mr Najmuddin said.
The former MP said under the emergency decree, cases against militants could be dismissed under the condition that they surrendered under a warrant issued under this law. However, cases would not be dismissed for those held on criminal offences.
Under Article 21 of the ISA, cases against those wanted for criminal offences could be dismissed if they surrendered to the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) or the 4th Army command within six months.
The government had previousy invoked the ISA in Chana, Thepha, Nathawi and Sabayoi districts of Songkhla and Mae Lan district of Pattani.
Mr Najmuddin said the emergency decree imposed in Waeng and Sukhirin of Narathiwat and Betong, Thanto and Kabang districts of Yala should be lifted because during the past year there were very few security-related incidents in these localities.
However, in areas where violent incidents were still rampant such as Bacho and Cho Airong districts of Narathiwat the emergency decree could remain in place, he added.
Mr Najmuddin said this was the first time in several decades he had heard a government state it was ready to hold negotiations, and he fully agreed to this stance.
He said his first advice is for the government to hold talks with anyone with different opinions who clearly shows the intention of serious dialogue.
The former MP disagreed with the rotation of troops from other regions to operate in the three southernmost provinces, adding that it would be better if the soldiers are recruited from within the troubled areas.
Security operations continued on Tuesday, amidst new attacks by militants. In Narathiwat's Rueso district, a 60-strong combined police and military force descended on a house before dawn and arrested two suspects named in warrants issued for bombings and arson.
The house at Ban Muelae in tambon Sawo was reported to be a hideout of a group of RKK militants led by Repae-ing Useng who took part in an attack on a marine base at Ban Yuelo in Bacho district on Feb 13 in which 16 militants were killed.
As the authorities approached the house three men fled into the forest.
Two others remained behind and surrendered.
The first man was identified as Isueman Jehama, 28. He is wanted on warrants for a bombing in Rueso district on Sept 12, 2008 in which eight policemen were injured and another security related incident. He is also believed to be one of the insurgents who attacked a marine oupost on the morning of Feb 13.
The other man is Ali Baka, 25. A warrant was issued earlier for his arrest for setting fire to Ban Muelae School in Rueso district on March 21, 2007.
A search of the house found one 9mm pistol with 26 rounds of ammunition and four mobile phones.
The two suspects were taken to the Narathiwat Task Force 30 operations base for questioning.
Violence continued in the region. An assistant village headman was killed in a drive-by shooting in Pattani’s Khok Pho district on Tuesday morning, police said.
Somsak Surasith, 44, assistant village chief of Moo 4 in tambon Khok Pho, was travelling on his motorcycle on the rural road at Moo 3, tambon Pa Bon of Khok Pho when a gunman riding pillion on another motorcycle fired at him with handgun, said Pol Col Suchart Assawachinda, chief of Khok Pho police station.
Somsak took bullets in the head and torso and died on the spot. Pol Col Suchart blamed separatist militants.
In Khok Pho, a school teacher was shot and seriously wounded late Monday night.
Police said 56-year-old Saman E-so was returning home in a pick-up truck when a group of men in another pick-up opened fire at his vehicle. Mr Saman was admitted to Pattani Hospital. Doctors said he was out of danger by Tuesday.
Early Tuesday morning, a former paramilitary ranger was wounded in a drive-by shooting in Yala’s Yaha district.
Police said Marase Saekaela, 28, a resident of Moo 5, tambon Patae of Yaha district, was travelling on his motorcycle on a rural road in his village when he was shot by a gunman on another motorcycle. The attackers then fled.
Marase was hit in his right shoulder and taken to Yaha hospital.
bangkokpost.
Insurgentsform 'army of Pattani
14 Feb 2013 at 00.00
The uniforms worn by the 16 militants killed in their attack on a military base in Narathiwat show the insurgents in the far South have formed a "Pattani army", a military source says.
He said the uniforms mean southern insurgents have set up their own force, even though the militants wore uniforms used by Thai soldiers.
Uniforms boost their courage and morale making them feel they are soldiers of a Pattani army, said the source who is a unit commander in the area.
However, the insurgents have not yet established a permanent base there, he said.
If they set up a permanent base in the forest, it would be a stationary target for attack by state authorities, the source said.
Insurgents still mingle among residents. "They reveal themselves when they launch attacks and afterwards they return home," the source said.
Often, insurgents wear military uniforms in attacks on residents, a tactic to make people think the destruction was the work of state soldiers, he said.
Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat said military uniforms are widely available in markets.
"Some people like to wear military uniforms, but insurgents buy them and dress like soldiers to wage violence," ACM Sukumpol said.
ACM Sukumpol said the 16 dead militants were proof that insurgents in the far South pose as soldiers to attack locals to tarnish the reputation of soldiers.
bangkokpost.
5 soldiers killed in Thailand's restive south
10 February 2013
PATTANI, Thailand — Suspected militants killed five soldiers and wounded five others in two roadside attacks Sunday in Thailand's insurgency-plagued southern provinces, police said.
In one of the attacks, insurgents detonated a car bomb on a road in Raman district in Yala province as a truck carrying six soldiers passed by early Sunday, Police Maj. Torphan Pusanthia said.
The militants then opened fire on the soldiers, killing five of them, and took away the dead soldiers' rifles, he said. One wounded soldier was rushed to a hospital.
The six soldiers were on their way to guard a group of local farmers on their way to work.
In the other attack, insurgents set off a bomb on a road in Ra Ngae district in Narathiwat province and wounded four soldiers, Police Col. Jiradet Phrasawang said.
He said the insurgents hid an improvised bomb under the road surface and detonated it as a pickup truck carrying the soldiers passed by.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in Thailand's three southernmost provinces since an Islamic insurgency erupted in 2004.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Sunday that the government would examine whether curfews are needed in the restive south, especially in the areas where attacks frequently occur.
"Authorities are looking into details," Yingluck told reporters. "Any areas that are peaceful, we don't want to announce curfews, but any areas that remain problematic, we will look at it on a case-by-case basis."
Officials from security agencies are scheduled to meet Friday to discuss safety measures for the southernmost provinces.
Teachers as well as security officials have been targeted as government representatives by the insurgents, who have made no public pronouncements but are thought to be fighting for an independent Muslim state. The area used to be an Islamic sultanate until it was annexed by Thailand in the early 20th century.
Muslims in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and part of Songkhla provinces have long complained of discrimination by the Buddhist-dominated central government.
idahostatesman.
OIC lauds improved government intelligence
9 Feb 2013
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) says the government has done a better job of providing information about the ongoing strife in the far South.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Manasvi Srisodapol said he received the OIC's final communique from Thailand's ambassador to Egypt Charit Manittayakul, who represented Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at the 12th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference on Wednesday and Thursday in Cairo.
The meeting agreed with the final communique which described Thailand as more cooperative with the OIC in dealing with problems in the far South.
"The Foreign Ministry is pleased with the OIC's reflection that there has been constructive cooperation between Thailand and the OIC during the past year," Mr Manasvi said.
"The Thai government will continue to cooperate with the OIC in the best interests of the Muslim people in Thailand."
The OIC commended the efforts of its secretary-general in monitoring the situation Muslims face in the far South.
The communique, however, called for the government to take further steps in concert with the OIC in creating peace and stability in the region.
Mr Manasvi said the prime minister clarified her government's strategy in ending the violence in the deep South during her visit last year to Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. Last November, the OIC criticised the government, saying it had made only "meagre" progress.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul on Jan 31 led Thailand-based OIC ambassadors and diplomats on a visit to the far South. The OIC said the visit gave its members a better understanding about what is going on in the region.
bangkokpost.
Peace process complicated by lack of unity and authority
Don Pathan
The Nation
31-01 2013
Before Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung's recent visit to Malaysia, Thai officials, particularly from the security sector, were concerned about the possibility that the security tsar would go around making deals that Bangkok would not be able to deliver upon.
Some see Chalerm as a loose cannon and question his ability to absorb sensitive and complex issues surrounding the insurgency in Thailand's Malay-speaking deep South.
Thai officials, especially at the operational level, had reason to be concerned, indeed. Besides the unpredictability of Chalerm, violence in the restive region, in the days leading up to his visit, had spiked. It jolted people who keep a close watch on the conflict.
According to separatist sources and observers s, the spike was in retaliation for the killing of an imam, Abdullateh Todir, 49, on November 14, allegedly by a pro-government death squad.
A senior police source believed Abdullateh was getting too cozy with the insurgents, also known as juwae, or fighters in the local Malay dialect, but did not go as far as to suggest that his agency was behind the killing.
Abdullateh Todir was a member of the Yala Islamic Committee and a resident of Tambon Patae, one of the "reddest" areas in the deep South. What irked many Islamic religious leaders was the fact that the imam and other clerics were asked to work as go-betweens - between the government and the separatist movement.
The problem with the Thai side is that there are too many agencies competing amongst themselves to quell the insurgency, and many have their own "negotiators". The problem with the separatist side is that the only people who are willing to come to the table are leaders of the long-standing separatist movements that emerged in the mid-1960s. As with the Thais, there is no unity among the separatist groups. Moreover, their ability to influence the new generation of militants on the ground is also questionable.
Such a situation leaves the new generation of militants, the juwae, in a bind with no exit and no other choice but to continue their campaign of violence.
The clerics, the potential go-betweens, quickly went into soul-searching mode immediately after Abdullateh was killed. Like everybody who monitors the conflict closely, the clerics were scratching their heads, wondering how in the world this government can talk peace and permit death squads to do as they please, even after a "gentlemen's agreement" basically said the government side will not permit target killings of religious leaders, while insurgents will lay off public schools.
A cadre from the Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Coordinate (BRN-C), the separaitst group with the best working relationship with the juwae, said the militants had kept their word throughout 2012. Between January and October 2012, two teachers were killed. One was an undercover police officer and the other killing, said a BRN-C source, was not claimed by the juwae.
Within days after Abdullateh was killed, insurgents responded immediately with a roadside bomb attack in downtown Yala, an ambush of a train with a security detail, a raid on a police station in Pattani's Raman district and the murder of a headmistress of a public school in Pattani's Tha Kam Cham, who was well liked by both Muslim and Buddhist locals. Three teachers would be killed in the following weeks, and two more schools came under arson attack.
And then came an early-morning massacre at a village teashop in Narathiwat's Rangae district on December 11 that resulted in the deaths of four, including an 11-month-old child, and injury to four others.
Within five hours, insurgents retaliated with the point-blank execution of two Thai Buddhist teachers in Pattani's Mayo district.
The government immediately went into damage-control mode and set up an investigating committee to look into the teashop massacre. After a face-to-face confrontation with local Muslim residents, authorities agreed to include Artef Sohko, a former national student leader and currently the director for foreign relations at the Youth for Peace and Development Academy in Pattani, on the investigating committee.
When asked about the teashop massacre, Artef said: "Nobody in the community believes the juwae were behind the massacre."
The spike in violence came just as Chalerm was preparing for his three-day trip to Malaysia. Among the delegation was Thawee Sodsong, the head of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC), who heads the government's secret peace process that is backed by Pheu Thai Party de facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
In March 2012, Thaksin met with a group of separatist leaders in Kuala Lumpur. The event was faciliated by Malaysian authorities.
Given the lack of unity among government agencies, lack of a common political platform among exiled separatist leaders and the inability to geneate any real traction from the various secret peace initiatives by all sorts of people - from NGOs to opportunist officials and politicians (active and retired) - placing hope on Thaksin's personal involvement is a big leap of faith. For one thing, said the BRN-C cadre, if Thaksin is serious about the process that he helped hatched, he doesn't seem particularly concerned about the target killings that have undermined whatever peace process he is trying to push through.
Such scepticism explains why the BRN-C only sent a junior officer to the March 2012 meeting with Thaksin. His job was just to observe and listen.
Boycotting the event entirely was Samsudine Khan, one of the three self-proclaimed presidents of the Patani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo). It is said that he was disgusted at the interference by Wadah politicians from Thaksin's camp, so he decided to sit out the meeting completely.
Similarly, there were attempts to arrange similar meetings with Thai officials duirng Chalerm's visit, but the exiled leaders decided to go under the radar, including Sapae-ing Basor. Some left town at short notice.
Beside the fact that they were turned off by what had happened to Imam Abdullateh, the exiled leaders also recalled how the juwae had responded to the March 2012 meeting with Thaksin. Two weeks after the event, there was a triple car bomb in Yala that looked like the kind of scene one sees in Pakistan these days. Over 100 were injured and 13 were killed. Almost at the same time, another car bomb went off in a Hat Yai hotel parking lot.
It was a slap in the face for Thaksin and the government's so-called peace initiative, Human Rights Watch's Sunai Phasuk was quoted as saying.
Prior to asking Abdullateh and other religious leaders from the deep South to act as go-betweens, Thawee was using Wadah politicians. It took the government some time to realise that the Wadah was not exactly a good investment because their political capital pretty much dried up after the 2004 Tak Bai massacre, when they sided with Thaksin.
But Thawee hasn't given up. Following Abdullateh's murder, he ordered an investigation into the killing. The BRN-C dismissed it as public relations stunt.
Given this backgdrop, it was understandable why Chalerm's visit to Malaysia had so many people holding their breath and crossing their fingers. His plan is to make a similar trip to Indonesia. Chalerm's drunkenness dominated the headlines in Kuala Lumpur. Thai officials are wondering what could be the outcome of a Jakarta visit.
nationmultimedia.
Marine killed, 2 hurt in Narathiwat blast
30 Jan 2013 at 10.17
One marine was killed and two others injured in a roadside bomb explosion in Narathiwat’s Muang district on Wednesday morning, reports said.
The marines, members of a special task force, were ssigned to teacher escort duty.
They were patrolling a rural road near Khok Bae Nae intersection in tambon Manang Tayo of Muang district in a modified pickup when an improvised bomb buried in the road exploded beneath the vehicle.
Three marines, Chief Warrant Officer Suthep Muankammoon, Pvt Wasant Kaewsaensarn and Pvt Anuchit Jitnin, were wounded in the explosion and taken to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin hospital.
Chief Warrant Officer Suthep was later pronounced dead.
Police were inspecting the scene. They blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Pattani bomb kills 2 soldiers
11/01/2013 at 10:44 AM
Two soldiers providing security for teachers were killed and two others injured by a bomb explosion on a road in Pattani’s Yarang district on Friday morning, reports said.
Soldiers of No 21 Pattani special force were patrolling a rural road at Ban Buenae Peedae in tambon Prachan of Yarang when a buried, home-made bomb exploded under their vehicle (see pix below).
names of the dead and injured were not immediately released, according to the reports.
Forensic police were inspecting the scene.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 9,000 hurt in more than 11,000 incidents, or about 3.5 a day, in the three southernmost provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch.
bangkokpost.
Malaysia to mediate talks
11/01/2013 at 12:00 AM
Malaysia says it is ready to help mediate truce talks between the Thai government and separatists in the deep South.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung yesterday that Kuala Lumpur would help as Thai authorities try to solve the longstanding conflict in the three largely Muslim provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, according to ThaiPBS.
Mr Najib said the talks would be similar to those held in the Philippines' Mindanao island, where a peace treaty was signed late last year between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country's largest Muslim rebel group, and the Philippine government.
Mr Chalerm yesterday called on Mr Najib at his office at the Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya, and asked for his cooperation.
He held a one and a half hour-long meeting with Mr Najib.
Mr Chalerm led top Thai security officials on a three-day visit to Malaysia, from Tuesday to yesterday.
He spoke to the Bangkok Post and said Mr Najib had assured him that Malaysia would fully cooperate with Thailand in matters related to the far South conflict.
Mr Chalerm said he had also asked the Malaysian premier to help register more than 150,000 Thais who are working at Tom Yum Kung restaurants across Malaysia.
He said about 6,900 Thais had legally registered so far to work at the restaurants in Malaysia.
Thai authorities believe that if those Thais, who mainly come from the deep South, work legally in Malaysia they will be able to send money back home with greater ease.
Authorities believe the struggling economy of the deep South was one of key factors driving many Muslims to join separatist movements.
Mr Najib also assured Mr Chalerm that Malaysia had never supported separatists in Thailand's South.
He said he hoped there will be stability and peace in the area by 2015, the year that Asean is set to become a single economic community.
bangkokpost.
Thai-Malaysia Relations
The Nation January 11, 2013 1:00 am
KL offers to act as a go-between in South
Malaysia supports Thailand's efforts to negotiate an end to the separatist violence in the South and is ready to assist with a peace initiative and act as a mediator if requested,
National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Lt-General Paradorn Pattathabutr said. Paradorn accompanied Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung on a visit to Putrajaya in Malaysia yesterday.
Chalerm and his entourage met with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and spent over an hour discussing the issue as well as other matters in an atmosphere which was later described by Paradorn as "very good". He said Najib stated that Malaysia is categorically opposed to the idea of Pattani province seceding from Thailand, and vowed not to support separatists who cross the southern border of Thailand into Malaysia.
Paradorn said Najib would discuss the matter further during his visit to Bangkok next month.
Paradorn added that security agencies from both countries, particularly Thailand's Special Branch police and its equivalent agency in Malaysia, were closely monitoring the situation. Should Thailand need Malaysia to act as mediator, Kuala Lumpur is ready to apply the Mindanao model, in which Malaysia played a successful role in mediating between the government and rebels in the southern Philippines, Paradorn said.
Colonel Pramote Prom-in, chief of the Fourth Region's Public Relations centre at the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), said Chalerm signed a memorandum of cooperation with Malaysia on tackling problems in southern Thailand as well as other bilateral issues such as cross-border drug trafficking and Thai migrant labourers. He said many separatists who committed crimes hide in Malaysia as they hold dual citizenship. If Malaysia is sincere, it could help Thailand on the issue, Pramote said.
In a related development, Pol Maj-General Chamruen Den-udom, chairman of an agency that conducts Malay-language broadcasts in southern Thailand, said the agency would seek to cooperate with Malaysian broadcasters.
nationmultimedia.
Four injured in Narathiwat attack
9/01/2013 at 10:18 PM
Four people were wounded in shooting and motorcycle bomb attacks in Narathiwat's Muang district on Wednesday evening.
The shooting occurred at Nong Nad karaoke bar on Kok Kian Road at about 7pm.
Police investigating the scene said two men on a motorcycle fired four shots into the bar, injuring three waitresses.
The three were Samran Tongbai, 35, Tipsuda Sajjawa, 15 and Petchmanee Janthaburi, 26, who was shot in the leg and arm.
About 15 minutes later, while paramedics were rushing the injured to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, a motorcycle bomb exploded at a local food shop opposite the bar. The explosion injured a 14-year-old male passer-by identified as Suhajrawan Jae-soh, and caused damage to the shop and two cars parked on the premisies.
Police said a 10kg improvised explosive device (IED) connected to an alarm clock was hidden in a Honda Wave motorcycle parked in front of the food shop. It was intended to target and kill officials who rushed to the shooting scene, they said.
bangkokpost.
Chalerm asks Islamic leader to seek peace
8/01/2013 at 12:00 AM
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung yesterday met Islamic spiritual leader Chularatchamontri Aziz Phitakkumpon to discuss ongoing violence in the South.
Speaking after the 30-minute meeting, Mr Chalerm, who has been assigned by the government to bring an end to the southern violence, said he had asked Mr Aziz to help relay the government's message regarding solutions to the southern conflict to people in the far South in Yawi _ the Malay dialect spoken by Muslims in the region.
The message will be taped and broadcast on the television channel run by the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC).
Mr Chalerm said the government wants a peaceful end to the southern strife and to find ways to improve local livelihoods.
He said he will travel to Malaysia to seek Kuala Lumpur's help in dealing with a number of southern issues.
He will negotiate with Malaysia to arrange work permits for southerners, as a way for them to improve their lives and avoid getting roped into militant activities.
SBPAC director Pol Col Tawee Sodsong yesterday commented on the launch of the agency's television station, TV Malayu, a satellite television station financially supported by the state, which operates in Yala province to broadcast news in Malay.
Communicating with local residents in the local dialect is key to creating a better understanding between the state and residents, he said.
The station will serve as a public media source for locals in the far South, offering a wide range of news and information in Malay on education, religion, social issues and economics.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday the government is taking steps to find solutions to the southern violence. She said ending the strife is a national priority.
She will assign agencies to consider what actions should be taken.
Gen Udomdej Sitabutr, army chief of staff and secretary-general of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), said the army had not conveyed any messages on issues facing the South to Malaysia through Mr Chalerm.
The military would not interfere with the government's work, Gen Udomdej said.
bangkokpost.
Soldier slain in Pattani ambush
5/01/2013 at 11:36 AM
PATTANI - A soldier was killed and four others injured in an ambush carried out by a group of suspected insurgents on Friday night, police said.
Police said a military task force unit was on its way on a four-wheeler truck when an unknown number of unarmed militants fired at the vehicle. The soldiers attempted to drive the truck out of the danger and returned fire briefly.
After the gunfight, the gunmen fled and the injured officers were rushed to hospital.
There were five casualties. One of them, Pvt Sarawut Srinakhon, 22, had succumbed to a gunshot wound on the left side of his lower chest.
Two soldiers were in a critical condition.
An investigation team recovered some spent bullet casings from the scene to determine the weapons used in the ambush. The police will compare them to those found in past attacks.
The army truck will also be examined. Its front windshield and doors on both sides were riddled with bullet holes. There were pools of blood inside the passenger compartment.
According to an intelligence report, such type of attacks against security forces is likely to intensify this year.
Over 5,000 people have been killed and more than 9,000 hurt in over 11,000 incidents, about 3.5 a day, in Thailand's three southern border provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since violence erupted afresh in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch, which monitors the regional violence.
bangkokpost.
There's A Secret War In Thailand No One's Talking About
Dec. 31, 2012, 6:00 PM
Dispatch: not far from Thailand's tourist beaches, Muslims and Buddhists are locked in a struggle in which thousands have died. David Eimer reports.
The young father walked slowly down the road, his face expressionless, as a light rain fell. In his arms he held the lifeless body of his 11-month-old daughter, killed just hours before when the tea shop in his village was sprayed with automatic gunfire that left six people dead.
Fellow residents of the Muslim Damabuah Village in Thailand’s Narathiwat Province walked behind in silence, while men and women from the security forces lined the road clutching rifles.
A few minutes later, the infant was laid to rest in a shallow, muddy hole under a mangosteen tree in the village cemetery, beside the newly dug graves of two other victims of the tea shop shooting.
Infami Samoh’s death, a couple of hundred miles from the tourist playgrounds of Ko Samui and Phuket, was shocking only because of her age. The 11-month-old was one of the youngest of nearly 5,400 people who have been killed in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand in the past eight years.
More than 9,500 have been injured since 2004, when the long-festering grievances of the majority Muslim population in the region erupted into outright guerrilla war against the overwhelmingly Buddhist Thai state.
With more than 20 million visitors a year and tourism contributing an estimated six per cent of the country’s GDP, Thailand is fiercely protective of its reputation as the Land of Smiles. But the deep south is a different world, the beaches deserted, foreign visitors non-existent.
Instead, the area is under a form of emergency law that gives special powers to the 150,000 soldiers, police and local militias deployed in the region.
Military convoys rumble through the towns and villages, checkpoints dominate the roads, while mobile phones are frequently jammed to prevent the insurgents using them to set off bombs, 2,500 of which have been planted since 2004.
About 80 per cent of the 1.8 million people living in the provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala that border Malaysia in the south are ethnic Malay Muslims. They speak Malay as their first language and many want their own state, as the region once was hundreds of years ago.
“The land here was colonised by the Thais. In the past, we were a country, the Sultanate of Pattani. We want to take it back. We don’t want to be part of Thailand or Malaysia; we want to have our own country,” a senior representative of the Pattani United Liberation Organisation (PULO), one of the two main insurgent groups, told The Daily Telegraph.
Now, appalling acts of violence such as the tea shop massacre have become commonplace in the region, as a relentless wave of revenge attacks by Buddhists and Muslims fuel the conflict.
Gruesome tit-for-tat killings occur daily, with victims gunned down or beheaded in the rubber plantations that dominate the local economy.
Buddhist monks are confined to their temples, able to leave only under armed guard lest they be attacked, while mosques are riddled with bullet holes after being targets.
A few hours after Infami Samoh died, five Muslim gunmen walked into a school canteen in Pattani Province and shot dead the Buddhist headmaster and a Buddhist teacher in front of their pupils.
More than 150 Buddhist teachers have been murdered since 2004, but the killings have increased recently, while hundreds of schools have been burnt down because they are regarded as symbols of the Thai state by the separatists.
Yingluck Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, made a rare visit to the region last month to meet representatives of local teachers. Before her visit, separatists distributed leaflets saying “This war isn’t over. Don’t count the teachers’ corpses just yet”.
Ranged against the Thai security forces are an estimated 12,500 to 15,000 separatists. “We are normal people. We’re rubber tappers, rice farmers, small business owners, teachers. We are present in every village in the deep south,” said the PULO representative, a well-spoken middle-aged man who asked not to be named, or for the location of the interview to be revealed.
Along with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Koordinasi (BRN-C), the other main separatist group, PULO operates in the shadows, rarely issuing statements or demands. At the same time, Thai politicians and the media play down the insurgency, the most violent internal conflict in south-east Asia, according to the International Crisis Group think tank.
Last month, Chalerm Yabamrung, the deputy prime minister, refused to accept a new report by the Australian Institute for Economics and Peace that said five per cent of all global terrorist attacks between 2002 and 2009 occurred in Thailand. “Thailand is not yet the land of terrorism because we are a Buddhist country,” said Mr Chalerm.
Yet, it is the imposition of Buddhist and Thai culture on the deep south that is many claim is driving the insurgency.
“Our children are taught only Thai in school, but we all speak Malay. They have to learn about Buddhism as part of the Thai curriculum, but we are Muslims,” said one man in Pattani Town.
Above all, many Muslims complain of human rights abuses by the security forces, in particular the paramilitary rangers known as the black army because of their all-black uniforms.
In Damabuah Village, known as a hotbed of BRN-C activity, relations of the victims of the tea shop massacre had no doubt who was responsible – although their belief is contested by the Thais.
“There are black army checkpoints at each end of the village which the killers had to pass through,” said Shukri Nikmea, whose father died in the attack. “You draw your own conclusions on who did it.”
businessinsider.
6 rangers hurt in deep South bomb attack
Additional security to be given to teachers
15/12/2012 at 12:00 AM
Six army and volunteer rangers were wounded in an explosion and ensuing gunfight while on patrol in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district yesterday morning.
Officers examine a blast site on a road between Ban Aipayae and Ban Cho Airong in Narathiwat’s Cho Airong district yesterday. The bomb wounded six army and volunteer rangers who were on patrol in their armoured vehicle. WAEDAO HARAI
The bomb was detonated while the rangers were travelling in an armoured vehicle along a road between Ban Aipayae and Ban Cho Airong.
Unit leader Sgt Abdulrahim Yama and five volunteer rangers - Tangphong Phapan, Amornsak Kanreun, Sornchai Chandaeng, Chuwit Chanthip and Somchai Watwong - were wounded in the blast, although none of the injuries were life-threatening.
Sgt Abdulrahim told investigators that the armoured vehicle's rear wheels became stuck in the blast crater after the bomb went off. He ordered his men to exit the vehicle and take cover.
The rangers then engaged in a 15-minute gun battle with suspected militants who were hiding in roadside bushes. The assailants fled after back-up was called.
All six rangers were taken to Cho Airong Hospital in central Narathiwat province for treatment.
Investigators said the bomb was placed inside a 50kg gas cylinder. A 150m-long wire was found linking the bomb to nearby bushes.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana yesterday promised that security measures for teachers will be extended to cover their homes, travel routes and schools.
Teachers will need to inform authorities in advance if they are leaving their protection zones, Mr Phongthep said, adding that security units will be deployed to schools on a case-by-base basis.
The education minister's assurance came in the wake of an increase in attacks on teachers in the far South.
Three teachers have been killed and one critically injured in the insurgency-plagued region over the past two weeks.
Classes were suspended at 1,200 schools in the far South yesterday and Thursday after the murder of two teachers on Tuesday. The minister said classes were expected to resume classes on Monday.
Adul Promsaeng, chief of Yala Primary Educational Service Area Office 3, said more than 100 school administrators were called in for a meeting yesterday to iron out appropriate new security measures for teachers.
Meanwhile, 62 teachers have requested to be transferred out of their schools in Narathiwat's Muang, Yi-ngo, Bacho, Rueso and Si Sakhon districts, Chanwit Rangsao, an officer of the Narathiwat Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, said. More transfer requests are expected.
Ratinporn Kwannongrak, a Yala teacher who requested a transfer, called on the government to restore teacher confidence. He said teachers feel insecure every time they go to work or step outdoors.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday also questioned the appointment of Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung to head a new operations centre given responsibility for solving the southern unrest.
He said Mr Chalerm was "heartless" and was not qualified to deal with the issue.
He added that the new command's work would overlap with that of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre.
Mr Abhisit urged Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to take responsibility for the situation herself instead of assigning Mr Chalerm.
bangkokpost.
3 die in Narathiwat attack
11/12/2012 at 11:18 AM
Three people were killed, including a toddler, and five others seriously injured, including another infant, when gunmen on a pickup truck sprayed bullets from AK47 and M16 assault rifles into a teashop in Narathiwat’s Rangae district on Tuesday morning, police said.
Pol Capt Boonsak Noomaad, duty officer at Rangae police station, said he received a report of the shooting about 7.13am.
He led a team of soldiers and police to the scene and found at least 40 spent cartridges from AK 47 and M16 assault rifles scattered in front of the teashop.
The security force was hunting for the fleeing attackers, believed to be members of a separatist group led by Amran Ming which has bewen responsible for much of the vilence in in tambon Bor-ngor of Rangae district.
The three dead victims were identified as Samueree Thoh, 32, Yameesi Jehdoh, 23, and an unidentified 11 month-old girl.
The seriously injured people are;
1) Sitee Rawhima Mamah, 70, mother of the teashop’s owner
2) Tuanma Tee-ngee, 61
3) Bisma Musor, 25
4) Pa-ngoh Rimae, 74, and
5) Muhammad Dalrishagimee Yaena, a 10 months old boy
They all were taken to Rangae hospital and later relocated to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin.
bangkokpost.
40 armed men steal rifles in outpost raid
8/12/2012 at 12:00 AM
About 40 armed men in military-style uniforms yesterday raided a village defence volunteers' outpost in Pattani's Kapho district and stole five assault rifles.
The outpost, in front of Ban Bango school in tambon Karubi, was surrounded by the men about 5.30am.
The group tied the volunteers' hands and legs before making off with four AK-47s and one M16 along with five bullet-proof vests, a communication radio and a number of mobile phones belonging to the volunteers.
The armed men left without harming the volunteers.
Every security unit in the far South has been alerted to take extra precautions for possible attacks following the weapons robbery, security sources said.
According to the sources, insurgents are preparing to launch attacks against officers and weapons heists could intensify during this period.
Meanwhile, security units have been told to look out for a silver Toyota Vigo pickup, which was stolen from Pattani's Khok Pho district on Thursday. Officials believed the vehicle could be planted with bombs to target community areas.
The sources said the recent attacks on teachers may have been in response to the murders of an Islamic religious teacher and a local imam during the past two months.
Mahama Ma-air, a teacher at Yala's Thammawithaya Islamic School, was shot dead on Oct 30 in Pattani's Yarang district, while Abdullateh Todir, the chairman of the Muslim religious leaders of Yaha district and a member of the Yala Islamic Committee, was gunned down on Nov 14 in Yaha.
"The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre has set up an investigation panel to look into the cases," a source said.
Navy chief Adm Surasak Rounroengrom yesterday insisted that security measures for teachers have been on the right track, but need some time to materialise.
The plan will remain unchanged as security forces have frequently contacted the Education Ministry and organisations concerned about the protective measures, he said.
Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry yesterday launched a campaign to send New Year postcards to soldiers in the far South.
According to permanent secretary for defence Gen Thanongsak Apirakyothin, 5 million postcards will go on sale for 10 baht apiece in order to offer New Year blessings and encouragement to security officers in the restive South.
Funds raised from postcard sales will sponsor medical supplies and support the wellbeing of the soldiers, Gen Thanongsak said.
The postcards will be available at more than 1,200 post offices and 7-Eleven convenience stores nationwide between Dec 13 and Jan 31.
bangkokpost.
Chalerm: No terrorism in Thailand
6/12/2012 at 04:19 PM
There is no terrorism in Thailand, just political demonstrations and the insurgency in the deep South, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said on Thursday.
Mr Chalerm was commenting on the report of the Australian Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) that ranked Thailand eighth in a global list of 158 countries where terrorism has had the most impact in the past decade. The index takes into account the number of terrorist incidents, fatalities, injuries and damage.
"There have been more political protests recently and they might lead to this kind of understanding," the deputy premier in charge of security affairs said.
He said he was confident that the immigration and public security police and other security agencies were still working efficiently.
He said the US once claimed that members of the Hezbollah militant group had entered Thailand and he told the US that it would not be a problem because the government had the Immigrant Act to deal with the issue.
The US did not believe the government. But when the truth was out, it was not what the US embassy understood, he added.
"Thailand is not yet the land of terrorism because we're a Buddhist country, we don't take sides and we're friends with everyone.
"We don't treat our neighbouring countries differently and therefore I'm not worried about the [terrorism] news," Mr Chalerm said.
On the continuing unrest in Thailand's southern border provinces, he said the insurgents had an idea of separating the far South from the country and misunderstood that people in the region were continually being mistreated by authorities.
The IEP might combine the political protests and the southern violence in the country into one issue and consider it terrorism, he said.
"If the media stops presenting news about the southern unrest, the situation would improve. Today, people in the three southernmost provinces and four districts of Songkhla province are not scared of the unrest but the news are making people in Bangkok and other places scared of the South.
"Even though I've not yet visited the South, I'm working closely with the national police chief and provincial police chiefs and I'm talking to them on the phone every week," the deputy prime minister said.
Concerning the closure of schools in Narathiwat province due to safety concerns, Mr Chalerm said there were some ways to improve the situation.
The budget and equipment for state officials working in the deep South had to be sufficient and there must also be adequate welfare and measures to boost their morale, he said.
According to report from Thairath.com, some schools in Narathiwat remained closed in wake of recent teacher killings, as a group of local teachers had proposed five measures for the government to implement to ensure their safety.
Sanguan Indhrarak, president of the Teachers' Federation in Narathiwat, said that from a meeting with all 369 schools in the province, the federation is planning to demand five measures to Education minister Pongthep Thepkanjana.
These included the ministry must reconsider teachers’ transfer requests which have previously been rejected, to relocate Buddhist teachers to city areas, to form security force units to ensure teachers’ safety at tambon-level, to provide extra protection for individuals’ teachers if requested. Last, the group is demanding for all schools in the province to be closed on Dec 6 and 7 as their administrators have to attend a meeting with the education minister in Pattani province.
The report said many schools, mostly those in populated areas, have already reopened after receiving complaint from parents that their children’s education has been affected by the repeatedly closures during the academic year.
Related search: South, violence, school, chalerm, security, terrorism
bangkokpost.
Pattani bomb kills soldier
1/12/2012 at 04:00 PM
A soldier was killed and five others injured, two seriously, in a roadside bomb explosion in Pattani’s Mai Kaen district on Friday night, police said.
Six soldiers were patrolling in a pickup truck on a rural road at Ban Rang Mod Daeng in tambon Don Sai of Mai Kaen when a 20-kilogramme home-made bomb buried on the roadside exploded.
Sgt Saipetch Chankrachang was killed instantly, Sgt Amporn Uthaicheeva and Pvt Meerawan Jehmana were seriously injured and three others slightly wounded.
Both Sgt Saipetch and Sgt Amporn were taken to Hat Yai hospital by an army helicopter. The remaining three soldiers were sent Mai Kaen hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 9,000 hurt in more than 11,000 incidents, or about 3.5 a day, in the three southernmost provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch.
bangkokpost.
Government bristles at OIC
Islamic group calls peace efforts in South 'meagre'
30/11/2012 at 12:00 AM
Thailand is upset with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) resolution that the kingdom has made little progress in addressing unrest in the deep South.
The country's position was stated publicly yesterday by Vice Foreign Minister Jullapong Nonsrichai, who attended the OIC foreign ministers' meeting in Djibouti on Nov 15-17 as an observer.
He said Thailand felt disappointed with the OIC secretary office's use of the word "meagre" to describe the lack of progress in the Thai government's efforts to resolve the southern conflict.
Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul will send a letter to OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu to reaffirm the country's intentions to cooperate with the OIC in seeking a lasting peace in the southern provinces.
The letter will be presented by deputy permanent secretary Vijavat Isarabhakdi today to Mr Ihsanoglu during the secretary-general's stopover at Suvarnabhumi airport on his way to Brunei. The vice foreign minister suggested the language used by the OIC could affect the kingdom's ability to work with the Islamic organisation.
"If the OIC wants to continue cooperating with Thailand, it should realise the fact that Thailand has made a lot of progress in the South. Otherwise we might not cooperate with it in the future," said Mr Jullapong.
The OIC resolution said Thailand has made little progress in solving the southern problem since the organisation and the kingdom issued a joint statement expressing the intention to cooperate on the issue five years ago.
The OIC also expressed its disapproval of the continued use of the emergency decree in the restive South and the limited progress in introducing the local Malayu language to classrooms in southern schools.
The organisation said the continued extensive military presence throughout the southern border provinces is having a negative impact on the population's everyday life. It expressed concern that the government's increasing reliance on "undisciplined" paramilitary personnel could aggravate the ongoing conflict in the region.
The OIC called on the Thai government to hold talks with Muslim leaders to find a solution that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Islamic communities of southern Thailand.
Mr Jullapong said the Thai government was ready to lift the emergency decree in some southern areas if the situation improved, he said.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will today chair a security cabinet meeting to discuss the proposed extension of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in four districts of Songkhla and Mae Lan district in Pattani as the enforcement of the ISA in these areas is due to end today.
The ISA is seen as a less draconian act than the emergency decree, which permits the military or police to hold suspects without charge in locations other than prisons for up to 30 days.
The districts of Na Thawee, Saba Yoi, Thepha and Chana and Mae Lan in Pattani are under the ISA; the rest of the troubled region is under the emergency decree.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat yesterday said the prime minister had signed an order on Wednesday appointing him to oversee security affairs in the South.
The Confederation of Teachers of Southern Border Provinces announced yesterday that all 332 schools in Pattani that had been shuttered by the group due to security concerns are likely to reopen next week.
The move came after authorities and the confederation came to an agreement on proposed security measures for teachers.
The schools were shut after the fatal shooting of the director of Tha Kam Sam School in Nong Chik district on Nov 22.
Meanwhile, a building at Bang Maruat School in Panare district of Pattani province was burned down early yesterday morning, causing the loss of 20 desktop computers, 80 new tablet computers and other teaching equipment.
Eight classrooms, a computer room and an administration office were destroyed.
It was the third time the school's building has been torched. Previous attacks caused only partial damage
bangkokpost.
Page 1 of 2
Etymology of an ethnic conflict
By Jason Johnson
PATTANI - In Thailand's insurgency-hit three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, the state's marginalization of the Malay language has been a core grievance among Malay Muslim nationalists aiming for either independence or substantial autonomy from the predominantly Buddhist nation.
For nearly a century, the state's effort to promote central Thai as the sole legitimate language has engendered animosity and even violent resistance in the historically Malay-speaking region. If relative peace is ever to be restored, the issue of language use will need to be addressed.
After the 1921 Compulsory Primary Education Act, which required all children in Thailand to attend state primary schools where
central Thai was the medium of instruction, Tengku Abdul Kadir, a Malay Muslim aristocrat, launched an organized rebellion against the government. Kadir and others considered the reforms an attempt by the government to destroy the identity of Malay Muslims and convert them into Thai-speaking Buddhists.
Organized Malay Muslim resistance to Thai rule later contributed to the government's approval of the use of Malay as a medium of instruction in some public primary and secondary schools in the region beginning in 1948. Yet the authoritarian government of Sarit Thanarat began in 1961 to transform traditional Islamic pondok schools into state-accredited private Islamic schools, which used the Thai language as the medium of instruction.
The policy served as the key proximate factor in the founding of the separatist organization Barisan Revolusi Nasional in 1963. Analysts believe BRN remains at the heart of Thailand's shadowy and, as widely believed, fractured southern insurgency.
Islamic pondok schools were a bastion of symbolic capital for Malay Muslims in the former Patani Sultanate, a region that roughly corresponds with the area currently embroiled in unrest. Although Islam was introduced to the region around the 14th century, there was a dramatic rise in the establishment of pondok schools in the 19th century.
This took place at a time when Siam, present-day Thailand, began to assert its power over Patani and other neighboring Malay kingdoms through warfare. Siam's internal colonization of Patani dramatically diminished the region's role as a vibrant commercial trading center in the Malay Peninsula.
Historians David Wyatt and Francis Bradley have pointed out that the destruction of Patani led the region's religious scholars to turn more toward Mecca in an effort to restructure and reform Patani. Those local religious leaders would later become prominent figures in Southeast Asian networks of Islamic scholars. Their role in publishing Jawi-based texts helped to transform Patani into the main center of Islamic learning in the Malay Peninsula in the second half of the 19th century.
Jawi, the use of a modified Arabic script to write classical Malay, has gradually been undermined by the introduction of central Thai and the Thai script to the region. As a result, Malay-speaking Muslims are now noticeably more fluent in written Thai than the antiquated Jawi, once the dominant form of writing Malay in maritime Southeast Asia.
Now, the majority of Malay speakers cannot write an original sentence in Jawi, or draw much meaning from reading Jawi texts. A younger generation of Malay speakers, however, has gained some fluency in Jawi because it is taught at the region's growing number of Islamic tadika kindergartens and private Islamic schools.
The demise of Jawi has long engendered strong resentment among those who take pride and dignity through disseminating Islamic knowledge. But there is broader animosity among Malay Muslims toward the more general erosion of the use of Malay. To varying degrees, many Malay Muslims - especially among the educated classes - in Thailand look south toward Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore and see how Malay dialects are not only widely spoken but are also used as official languages.
Many Malay Muslims here quip that while Thai is only useful in Thailand, Malay can be used in these Southeast Asian countries. Those sentiments have deepened among those looking toward further integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations through the introduction of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. This, they believe, will provide a way to elevate the Malay language's status in Thailand's far south.
In spite of the linguistic affinity with Malay speakers beyond Thailand's territorial borders, the rise of the Thai language means a minority of Malay Muslims are no longer fluent in their native language. As a result, many Malay parents from a range of socio-economic backgrounds are concerned that future generations will not understand their mother tongue. Some older Malays in particular have been known to engage in language policing, scolding youth who use Thai in both public and private settings.
Those elders can still reflect on a time when Malay was the lingua franca throughout the region. As recently as 40 years ago, ethnic Chinese and Thais were compelled to learn the local Malay dialect for business and commerce. As a result, many elderly Malays cannot speak Thai, while some elderly Thai and ethnic-Chinese Buddhists are fluent in local Malay.
In some villages with ethnic-Malay majorities and Thai-speaking minorities, even younger Thai speakers can speak the local Malay dialect. It is a reminder that the state's efforts toward linguistic unification have only recently begun to take hold in the ethnic-minority region, where relative fluency in central Thai pales in comparison to other areas of the country.
Linguistic twists
While a period of relative peace in the region spanning the late 1980s through the 1990s saw a rise in the use of Thai, the protracted violence since 2004 has opened up a new debate over the future course of language use in the region. The unrest has provided a political opportunity for Patani-nationalist activists to undermine the trend toward Thai and give Malay more recognition.
Frequent seminars and conferences on the southern conflict have provided a platform for nationalist activists to argue in favor of legitimating the use of Malay in the region. For instance, local activists have worked toward making terms such as "Patani Malay" or "Melayu Patani" official in Thai to refer to the local dialect.
In bids to boost their reputation with the local populace and international observers, successive Thai governments have felt compelled to show greater respect and sensitivity toward the local use of Malay. Long accustomed to referring to the Malay dialect as pasa Yawi or pasa Isalam in Thai, many Thai officials have drawn from recent intellectual debates and now refer to the language as pasa Melayu, or "Malay language". A seeming minority has gone a step further by specifically referring to the local Malay as pasa Melayu Patani, or "Patani Malay language".
Addressing historical grievances over language use was central to the conflict-resolution proposals laid out by the National Reconciliation Commission, which was established in 2005 by the administration of then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The NRC recommended in 2006 that Malay be used as a second working language in the region, meaning significantly that it could be used in government offices.
The recommendation, however, was rejected by one of Thailand's most influential figures, Prem Tinsulanonda, a former prime minister and current president of the monarchy's advisory Privy Council. Prem, who is now 92 years old, voiced that only Thai should be used as a medium of instruction in schools, underscoring a long-standing Thai reluctance to recognize Malay.
Yet even figures aligned with the opposition Democrat Party - often viewed as a conservative party that is reluctant to alter the political power arrangements between the central government and the ethno-religious minority region - have shown support for elevating the status of Malay.
Page 2 of 2
Etymology of an ethnic conflict
By Jason Johnson
In 2009, under the Democrat-led government of Abhisit Vejjajiva, foreign minister Kasit Piromya addressed a group of officials from countries from the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC, now the Organization of Islamic Cooperation) in Pattani province about the conflict. Kasit, who was a former leader of the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy social movement, told them: "If it were up to me, I would make Yawi an official language."
On one hand, such diplomatic niceties from senior Bangkok-based officials signal a rise in consciousness and acknowledgment of the Malay language. At the same time, Kasit's statement demonstrated a deep-seated lack of knowledge about the local Malay dialect among Thais and foreigners who
have worked on the troubled minority region, as most conflate Yawi with Jawi.
"Yawi" is how Thais pronounce Jawi. But while Jawi refers to the written form of classical Malay, Thais mistakenly use the term "Yawi" to refer to the local spoken Malay language. Most Thais also incorrectly believe that Yawi is the written form of the local Malay. Thai and foreign academics and non-government organization (NGO) workers have often botched reporting on the issue by noting that the Malay-speaking population is fluent in reading and writing "Yawi".
The pervasive lack of fluency in Jawi among Malay speakers indicates that the logic behind some recent efforts to introduce Jawi may be more symbolic than practical. For instance, when presented with government-produced training manuals that included Thai and Jawi versions, a group of Village Defense Volunteers said that no one could read the Jawi version. Yet they all agreed that it was a positive conciliatory gesture by the government to offer a Jawi version.
Some of these men and others also recently lauded the policy of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) to introduce trilingual street signs in Jawi, Thai and English. In another symbolic gesture, the regional administration center, whose secretary general is appointed by Bangkok, also recently added Jawi to the center's main sign at the building's entrance in Yala town. The SBPAC has also worked with some NGO-led efforts to change the names of some villages from Thai to Malay, consistent with those more commonly used among Malay-speaking locals.
Many local television and radio programs now broadcast in the local Malay without government harassment. Most recently, the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand announced that beginning next year it would use exclusively local Malay when broadcasting its TV and radio programs in the minority region.
Local Malay has also become increasingly mixed into classroom teachings at both government and private Islamic schools. In 2006, the Ministry of Education began a project in which teachers at 12 government schools were encouraged to use local Malay in preschool classrooms. Less formally, Malay-speaking teachers across the region have also been given dramatically more leeway to use Patani Malay in their classrooms.
Jawi, Rumi, or Thai?
Some academics focused on the far south have suggested that Malay Muslim youth can improve both their Thai language skills and secular knowledge through bilingual education. For instance, Bangkok-based Mahidol University's Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia has introduced a program in which the Thai script is used to write Patani Malay.
The program has been ongoing at four government pilot schools since 2008, but this year the Ministry of Education agreed to allow the program to be expanded to a total of 15 schools. Moreover, Jawi will soon be taught at these schools beginning in Grade 4, while romanized Malay, or Rumi, will be introduced in Grade 5 or 6 as a foreign language.
In recent years, both Jawi and Rumi have been introduced at many government schools throughout the region, though students only spend a few hours per week on such studies.
The Mahidol program has won support among government officials. But because the program uses the Thai script, it has been viewed by some figures in the Malay community as another Bangkok-led attempt to wipe out the Malay language. Some critics have claimed that the Jawi script would be more fitting for local Malay youth.
Besides the conflict over the use of Jawi or Thai script, there are some Malay Muslims who would prefer to use the romanized script. This, they argue, would help to facilitate the learning of not only standard Malay but also English. (Rumi is official in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, and is co-official with Jawi in Brunei.)
Mahidol University research on the subject revealed that the vast majority of Malay-speaking Muslim parents preferred a Thai-based script, since that was the only script that most parents could understand. Many educated Malays strongly disagreed, but that criticism has waned somewhat because the parents of children involved in the program have been pleased with the program's results, according to people familiar with the situation.
Test results have shown that students have become dramatically more fluent in central Thai and excelled in mathematics and social studies compared with students in monolingual Thai schooling.
Given the program's relative success, Bangkok could in the future formally implement the bilingual style of learning throughout the restive region. In 2010, then-prime minister Abhisit signed the Royal Institute of Thailand's proposed National Language Policy, which provided official support for the use of languages or dialects other than central Thai in education, even as languages of instruction. Current Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra authorized the formation of an implementation committee for the policy in April.
However, linguist Kirk Person, an adviser to the Mahidol University program, said there were still no clear signs on whether the bilingual education program will expand beyond 15 schools. Key stakeholders worry that a rapid expansion of the program without sufficient teacher orientation and strong community support could result in a poorly implemented program opposed by some sectors of Malay Muslim society and thus prefer a more gradual roll-out.
Still, many Malay Muslims remain cynical about government claims of elevating the status of Malay after decades of repressing the language. Some have already complained about the SBPAC's slow movement in carrying out Malay-related programs, such as changing the names of some villages from Thai to Malay.
Malay Muslim cynics are also quick to note that despite nearly a decade of extreme violence, state officials deployed to the region have taken little if any initiative to learn Malay. But if the region's violence is to be effectively managed through some kind of eventual peace deal, the issue of language use in the ethno-religious minority region will likely be a key issue at the negotiation table.
Jason Johnson is an independent researcher and consultant covering southernmost Thailand. He is currently based in Pattani province, southern Thailand, and may be reached at jrj.johnson@gmail.com.
(Copyright 2012 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)
atimes.
Bomb blasts hurt civilian, four soldiers
22/11/2012 at 12:00 AM
Four soldiers and a civilian bystander were injured in bomb attacks yesterday in Narathiwat and Pattani.
Armedofficers provide security on board Train No.006 bound for Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok yesterday. Train services resumed after a three-day halt following abomb attack on Sunday. WAEDAOHARAI
The attack in Narathiwat targeted a security force that was escorting teachers in a particularly violence-plagued area.
The explosion went off about 7.30am on a road in Ban Deu Yae while an 11-member security team was on a routine patrol to protect teachers commuting between their houses and the schools.
Private Anan Maijui, Pvt Suwatchai Karnthang, and Tuwai Yako, 53, sustained shrapnel wounds from the blast. They were taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors said their injuries were minor.
Meanwhile in Pattani, two soldiers suffered minor injuries in a similar roadside bomb attack targeting a security escort for teachers in Khok Pho district.
The bomb exploded as a pickup truck carrying six soldiers passed over the planted explosive, police said.
The explosion injured Pvt Anant Dolarman and Pvt Theerasak Kaewkhao, both of them 23. The two were attached to the Pattani Special Task Force 24.
Meanwhile, train services between Yala and Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district resumed yesterday after being suspended for three days following a bomb attack on Sunday that killed three people and injured 35 others.
Authorities implemented stringent security measures in the wake of the attack. Security forces have been deployed to ensure safety on board trains, at the stations and along the railway.
Helicopters patrolled the route, focusing on certain sections considered vulnerable to insurgent attacks, Thanongsak Pongprasert, a state railway official, said.
The southern railway has been hit by about 100 insurgent attacks during the past eight years, costing the State Railway of Thailand more than 100 million baht.
The section of the southern railway from Yala's Raman district to Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district has attracted the most frequent attacks, he said.
The number of passengers travelling by train via this particular route appeared considerably lower than usual yesterday.
Somsak Thepsena, a teacher working in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district, said he feared for his safety on the train but continued to use it to get to work because it was the cheapest option.
bangkokpost.
Railway bomb kills 3, wounds 35 in South
18/11/2012 at 12:55 PM
Three defence volunteers were killed and 35 people including passengers and train staff were wounded, many seriously, in a bomb explosion that hit a local train in Rueso district in Narathiwat province on Sunday morning.
Pol Lt-Col Jakrit Wongprommet, deputy chief of Rueso police station, said the incident occurred at about 7.30am when a bomb planted on the railway track at the Bukit Yure station near Ban Salo in Rueso district was detonated while the Yala-Sungai Kolok train No 453 stopped at the station.
After the bomb, which was made of a gas cylinder and weighed about 100kg, exploded, militants hiding nearby opened fire at the station.
The huge explosion badly damaged the train's passenger cars. The dead defence volunteers were identified as Prasarn Chatree, Panakorn Choonkaew and Sooksawat Raungnam.
The wounded included one railway police officer and two train ticket inspectors.
The rest of the wounded were passengers. Four or five of them had their legs or arms severed by shrapnel.
All of the wounded were rushed to Rueso Hospital.
The explosion left a hole about 3 metres in diametre and 2 metres deep in the rail track. Two passenger cars were derailed.
Train services on the route were suspended.
State Railway of Thailand governor Prapat Chongsa-nguan said he would travel down South on Sunday to inspect the damage.
bangkokpost.
Woman killed, 33 hurt in Yala bomb blast
18/11/2012 at 12:00 AM
YALA : A woman was killed and 33 others injured in a motorcycle bomb attack in Yala's Muang district yesterday morning.
Police said the bomb, which appeared to target a passing military patrol, detonated in front of a store on Siroros Road.
Security forces rushed to the scene, where they found dozens wounded and a commercial building on fire. It took emergency workers more than an hour to contain the blaze.
The injured were carried out and taken to nearby hospitals.
About 20m from the burning building was the smashed military pickup truck which had been carrying the army patrol. On its hood was a motorcycle with the body of a woman on top of it.
Investigators believed the woman was hit and killed by the truck, which had been thrown across the street by the force of the blast.
Police later identified the dead woman as 49-year-old Pannee Sirinworawet, a Yala native.
The twisted frame of another motorcycle was also found across the street. Police suspect that it came from the motorcycle used in the attack.
It was later learned that the motorcycle was reported stolen two months ago.
Police suspect that the explosion was detonated by radio, based on initial examinations of circuit components recovered from the scene of the blast.
Police said the bomb went off as the patrolling pickup truck was passing by.
Five soldiers in the truck were wounded, with two in a critical condition. Twenty-eight civilians were also hurt, and five commercial buildings and several cars were damaged.
Pol Lt-Gen Paitoon Chuchaiya, chief of the Southern Border Police Operating Centre, said a suspect in the bombing was captured by a nearby closed-circuit TV camera. Police were reviewing the footage to track the suspect down.
Pornsak Leelakriengsak, who runs an automotive parts shop that was damaged in the blast, said he wanted the government to compensate him for the damage as quickly as possible.
"I was almost killed. As soon as the bomb exploded, I ran out of the house through the back door," he said.
Meanwhile, a defence volunteer was shot dead and another injured in Pattani's Kapho district about 5.45pm yesterday. The dead man was identified as Sakipbalaki Dengla, 24, while the injured volunteer was Sauding Jehdo, police said.
After an initial investigation, police said the two were shot by a group of about six men riding in a pickup truck. The pair had been sitting in front of a petrol station in the district when the men shot at them, police said. It was not clear whether the shootings were motivated by personal conflicts or the southern insurgency.
bangkokpost.
Yala police chief tightens security after bomb blasts
5/11/2012 at 12:00 AM
The Yala police chief has ordered his officers to tighten security after a series of deadly blasts in Rueso district in nearby Narathiwat province on Saturday.
Two bomb blasts in Narathiwat killed two people and injured more than 10.
Police will release sketches of two suspects seen on CCTV footage near a house behind Rueso police station _ the site of a car bomb that killed two people. Police will also seek arrest warrants for the pair.
The second explosion, which involved a motorcycle, took place near Ban Yaba Uppakara Witthaya school.
The two attacks happened a day after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took charge of national security operations.
Yala police commander Pol Maj Gen Peera Boonlieng said further violence could spill over from Narathiwat into Yala, so he urged his officers to remain vigilant.
Pol Maj Gen Peera said he ordered police to beef up security to prevent further bomb attacks.
He said he ordered police to set up checkpoints on main provincial roads and on inter-district routes.
"We have information that insurgents have stolen several motorcycles and cars," he said, adding that it is believed the stolen vehicles are outfitted with explosives to be set off in public places.
He said his officers were tracking down a stolen Isuzu D-Max and a golden-bronze Toyota pickup following information that the two trucks would be used in car bomb attacks in the southernmost provinces.
Pol Maj Gen Peera said additional police patrols have been assigned to increase surveillance of several locations and to check whether CCTV cameras were correctly placed and in working order.
Violence continued in the South yesterday. Chula Woma, 33, a teacher at Ban Kaen Thao School in tambon Ko Chan of Mayo district in Pattani, was shot by a pillion rider on a motorcycle as he waited at a bus stop on the Pattani-Yala road near Ban Ton Kham in tambon Mo Mawi. He was seriously hurt and taken to hospital.
In Pattani's Khok Pho district, Tasmi Kabae, 40, of Yarang district, was shot dead while riding a motorcycle on the Ban Khok-Ban Prang road.
An unknown number of people opened fire at him with a 9mm pistol about 1am, hitting him four times in the body. He died at the scene.
Meanwhile, government forces killed a suspected militant during a shootout in Songkhla's Saba Yoi district early yesterday morning.
The clash occurred when police surrounded a house in a village in tambon Chumpho in Saba Yoi district after receiving information that a number of militants were hiding there. A 10-minute exchange of fire ensued. The deceased was identified as Mayuding Sama, a native of tambon Sapae in Yaha district of Yala province. Two others in the house escaped.
Authorities said a 50kg bomb was found in Narathiwat's Si Sakhon district, which was successfully defused.
Two fake bombs were also found in Chanae district of Narathiwat yesterday morning. Pol Col Patta Madava, the Chanae police chief, said a bomb disposal team was deployed to a village in tambon Dusongso after residents reported seeing two suspicious objects.
bangkokpost.
Five dead, nine wounded in rebel attacks in southern Thailand
04 November2012
Five people were killed and nine wounded in several attacks by rebels on the weekend in southern Thailand, where violence surrounding the activities of an Islamist separatist movement has taken more than 5,300 lives in the past eight years, local media reported Sunday.
A car bomb exploded next to the police station in Rey Soh on Saturday, in Narathiwat province, killing three people and wounding six, police said.
Almost simultaneously, another bomb detonated near the Ban Yaba school, wounding two people.
One man was shot to death and his wife was wounded in the neighboring province of Pattani when two unknown gunmen opened fire on them while they were riding a motorcycle along a street in the town of Ban Duwa.
A worker on a rubber plantation in Narathiwat was also killed by rebels on Saturday morning.
Six other people, including a child, have been killed in this conflict in southern Thailand since the beginning of last week.
Some 40,000 Thai soldiers have been deployed in the provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala in the face of the ongoing violence by the Islamist separatist movement, which renewed its armed conflict in January 2004.
The insurgents claim they are discriminated against by the country's Buddhist majority and are demanding the creation of an Islamist state made up of the three abovementioned provinces, which comprised the ancient sultanate of Pattani that Thailand annexed a century ago. EFE
foxnews.
Narathiwat bomb kills 3
3/11/2012 at 08:22 PM
Three people were killed and eight others injured in two separate car and motorcycle bomb explosions in Narathiwat on Saturday night, reports said.
The first motorcycle bomb attack took place near a school in Ban Yaba, and the car bomb explosion occurred behind the Rueso police station.
Further details on the deaths and injuries were not available.
It was also reported that an outpost of village defence volunteers in Ban Klapor in Pattani’s Saiburi district was ambushed. There were no reports on casualties.
bangkokpost.
5 police injured by Pattani bomb
31/10/2012 at 10:27 AM
Five policemen were wounded, one of them seriously, by a bomb explosion while they were travelling on a pickup truck in Pattani’s Nong Chick on Tuesday night, reports said.
About 9pm, Pol Sub-Lt Somchai Phumphanang, duty officer at Nong Chick police station, received a report that a police operations base inside Wat Ban Rai in tambon Bang Tawa was attacked by gunmen and had asked for reinforcements, the reports said.
He and four other police officers then boarded the pickup truck and rushed to the scene.
As their vehicle was crossing Khlong Yuyong bridge on Pattani-Hat Yai highway at Moo 3 in tambon Yuyong of Nongchick, a home-made bomb hidden inside a motorcycle parked on the bridge exploded.
The police pickup was wrecked and all five policemen were injured in the explosion. They were all taken to Nong Chick hospital.
Pol Sub-Lt Roengchai Saengchansiri was seriously wounded and was forwarded to Pattani provincial hospital.
It was reported that no police were hurt in the outpost that was attacked.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Checkpoint targeted in grenade blast
Attack motive thought to be Tak Bai anniversary
26/10/2012 at 12:00 AM
Authorities combed an area surrounding a checkpoint in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district yesterday after it was hit by two M79 grenades on Wednesday night.
Stocking up for Eid Al-Adha
The fresh market in Muang district of Yala province bustles as Muslims from surrounding districts buy clothes and other goods ahead of the Eid Al-Adha weekend holiday. MALUDING DEETO
A joint force of policemen and bomb disposal experts, led by Pol Col Krisda Kaewchandee, the deputy Narathiwat police chief, checked the two blast sites near the checkpoint. No one was hurt in the attack.
The first grenade exploded at the front gate of a building housing a village waterworks system, leaving a hole about 10 centimetres deep and 20cm in diameter.
The second landed under a mango tree about 30m from the first spot, creating a crater of about the same size.
Authorities were immediately informed about the night attacks, but decided to visit the scene the following day, fearing that the attack was a ploy to draw them into a trap.
Police said the grenade attacks were carried out by two men who arrived on a motorcycle along the Tak Bai-Narathiwat road.
The two stopped about 300m from the checkpoint near Ban Sala Chuak in tambon Sala Mai. One of them threw the grenades at the checkpoint but missed the target, police said.
Officials believe militants were behind the attack in an attempt to mark the eighth anniversary of the Tak Bai tragedy.
The Tak Bai massacre took place on Oct 25, 2004, when the military cracked down on protesters in front of Tak Bai Police Station. Eighty-five people died, of whom 78 suffocated while being transported to detention centres.
Meanwhile, three members of the separatist Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) turned themselves in to authorities at a government centre in tambon Kok Tian of Narathiwat's Muang district yesterday morning.
The three were identified as Arduenan Tuanbuesa, 33, Ari Jehsoh, 28, and Mohammad Ritanuo Tarasi, 35. Mr Arduenan was accused of shooting at a train carriage last year. Mr Ari is suspected of gunning down Somphong Saui in June last year and a military ranger informant this year. Mr Mohammad is a suspect in a security-related case.
Authorities said the suspects had promised to stop engaging in violence and to cooperate with officials to halt the unrest in the South. They had also vowed to end their associations with insurgent networks, officials said.
Pol Col Krisada Kaewchandee, deputy commissioner of Narathiwat police, promised to facilitate the legal process for the suspects. They will be allowed bail for 200,000 baht.
Narathiwat governor Apinant Suethanuwong promised to ensure the safety of their families after their surrender.
bangkokpost.
Twelve slain in far South over two days
9/10/2012 at 04:36 PM
A total of 12 people were killed by insurgents in Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala and southern Songkhla in a series of attacks stretching over Monday and Tuesday.
Police said two rubber tappers were ambushed and killed on a local road at a rubber plantation in Pattani's Khok Pho district early Tuesday morning.
They were identified as Phon Phetsorn, 66, and his wife Nid, 68, residents of Ban Kluay in tambon Na Pradu of Khok Pho district.
Witnesses told police the couple were travelling to work on a motorcycle when gunmen hiding in the roadside forest fired on them with an AK47 assault rifle and 11mm handgun. The assailants then fled.
The victims were hit several times in the head and torso and died on the spot.
On Monday night, another couple were shot dead in Khok Pho.
The victims were identified as Supachai Chuaysaen, 27, and his wife Sirikwan Saengtong, 24.
Police said the Buddhist couple were travelling on a motorcycle in front of the Office of the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund about 8pm when gunmen opened fire at them and then fled.
Police blamed separatist militants for both attacks.
In Pattani's Yaring district on Monday afternoon, three defence volunteers were shot dead and the killers made off with their firearms.
Surasak Saksongmuang, 27, and his father Nam Saksongmuang, 57, were found dead on the Yaring-Ban Muang Wan road next to a pickup truck.
Somsak Khunchum, 42, was found dead inside. Their bodies and the vehicle were riddled with bullets.
The trio were on their way back from a security meeting at Yarang district office when they spotted someone on a motorcycle they knew and stopped for a chat near Ban Yai in tambon Ratapanyang.
A pickup truck then drove past and two men on the back opened fire at the defence volunteers' vehicle. The motorcycle sped away.
The attackers searched the pickup and took with them an AKA rifle, an M-16 rifle and two pistols before fleeing.
Police found more than 100 spent cartridge shells scattered on the road.
On the same day a pair of Muslim men were also killed in a drive-by shooting in neighbouring Yala province, police said. Their names were not released.
Two vegetable vendors were also shot dead in Songkhla province, which had been relatively untouched by the violence until a number of attacks this year, including a series of car bombs in April that left 15 people dead.
In Narathiwat's Cho Airong district, a village health volunteer was killed in a drive-by shooting on Tuesday morning.
Pol Lt Kaweepat Kraiperm, a duty officer at Cho Airong police station, said the attack occurred on the Sungai Padi-Cho Airong road at Ban Sormong of Cho Airong about 6am.
Police found five spent cartridge shells from a 9mm handgun at the scene and were told that an injured woman had been taken to Cho Airong hospital.
The victim was identified as Suena Seng, 44, a health volunteer at Ban Aye Payae. She was hit by three bullets - in the head, right shoulder and torso.
The victim's husband, Sama-air Seng, 49, told police that he, his wife and another woman were travelling along the road to work at their rubber plantation when a gunman riding pillion on another motorcycle fired on Suena. The attackers then fled.
Suena and the woman passenger fell from the motorcycle but Mr Sama-air escped unhurt. The woman passenger was also unhurt in the attack. The sattackers fled.
Mr Sama-air said he asked the driver of a passing pickup truck to take his wife to Cho Airong hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Separatist insurgents were blamed for the murder.
Since the resurgence of the insurgency in January 2004, there have been about 11,000 violent incidents instigated by secessionists in the Muslim-dominant southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, with almost 5,000 people killed and nearly 8,000 injured.
bangkokpost.
Bomb wounds 4 in Narathiwat
24/09/2012 at 01:42 PM
Two school directors and two soldiers were wounded in a bomb explosion at a school in Bacho district of Narathiwat province on Monday morning, police said.
Pol Lt Thamnoon Klaewthanong, the duty officer of Palukasamo police station, said the attack occurred about 9.30am at a shelter at the entrance of Batu Mitrapap 66 School on Narathiwat-Pattani road in tambon Ton Sai of Bacho district.
Wouned in the explosion were Kordir Laemaenae, director of Batu Mitrapap 66 School, Ma Durama, the director of Bunae Piyae School and Pvt Wattana Sridej and Pvt Panuwat Chinrak, both of Narathiwat Task Force 32.
A meeting of directors of schools in tambon Palukasamo was being held at the school. The wounded were sitting at a set of marble tables in the shelter when the bomb went off.
Six other soldiers on security duty near the shelter were not hurt.
Bomb disposal police said the explosion was from a 5kg bomb laid under the shelter and detonated remotely by a mobile phone.
bangkokpost.
Car bomb kills 6, wounds scores in Pattani
22/09/2012 at 03:07 AM
A powerful car bomb detonated at a municipality-run market in Pattani's Sai Buri district yesterday, killing six people and wounding scores of people, including security officers who were lured to the bomb scene.
Security officers inspect the scene of a carbombattack at a municipality-run marketin Pattani’sSai Buri district. Six people were killed and 50 others, including police, defence volunteers, and civilians, were woundedwhenthe car bombexploded yesterday. ABDULLOH BENJAKAT
The blast went off about 12.30 pm in the compound of Taluban municipality market in Sai Buri district. Several shophouses caught fire.
The bomb killed six people, two who died instantly at the scene, and wounded almost 50 people, including police, defence volunteers and civilians. Of the injured, 10 were seriously wounded.
The bomb, hidden in a black Chevrolet sedan with fake licence plates, went off when a team of police and defence volunteers were lured to Kamolphan gold shop, opposite a motorcycle repair shop where the car containing the bomb was parked.
The officers went to the gold shop after being alerted by a phone call that an unknown number of armed men had earlier opened fire on the shop, which was only 100 metres from the police station.
The explosion caused damage to several shophouses. Many cars and motorcyles caught fire.
The six dead victims were identified as Worawut Sunthorn, 45, a food vendor; Ariya Saman, 19, a student at an Islamic school; defence volunteer Wichai Sakonthawut, 54; Paisarn Chanthanasap, 54, owner of the motorcycle shop; Saowapa Praditneesilapa, 55, a vendor; and Prapin Kaewthong, a fruit vendor.
Among some 50 injured victims were Pol Col Arzis Umayee, chief of Sai Buri police; Pol Lt Col Pattanapong Thongduang, deputy Sai Buri police chief; Pol Capt Abdul-amid Bueraheng, suppression police inspector, non-commissioned police and civilians.
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha admitted violence still existed in the far South even if a group of 93 southern rebels recently turned themselves to authorities as there were several groups of insurgents. Speaking after his return from Indonesia, the army chief said he had discussed the southern violence with his Indonesian counterpart.
He quoted the Indonesian army chief of staff Gen Pramono Edhie Wibowo as saying that Thailand was on the right track to solve the unrest.
He maintained he would give justice to insurgents who surrendered and to victims of southern unrest.
Gen Prayuth said insurgents involved in minor offences such as strewing metal spikes on roads may not face punishment.
However, those involved in serious offences such as killings would not escape legal action.
bangkokpost.
Call to elect governors in South
Chalerm touts idea to better handle unrest
8/09/2012 at 10:03 AM
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung has proposed that the governors of the three southern border provinces be elected to better deal with the southern unrest.
Mr Chalerm yesterday called for a special form of government for Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat.
The governors of the three southern provinces would be elected and have some degree of autonomy - like the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Pattaya City - but would still come under the control of central government.
Mr Chalerm said this new form of government would not lead to secession in the southern region.
Former PMs talk: Songkhla brainstorming session
He said he would have to discuss the idea with Pheu Thai Party members and MPs before putting it to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Pattani provincial police chief Phichet Pitisettthaphan voiced support for the idea. He suggested provincial police chiefs and military unit commanders also come under the administration.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa, who oversees national security, is less keen on the election of the governors.He said he prefers the existing system, that the governors in the five southern-most provinces be allowed to select their district chiefs who would also be agreed upon by the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre.
Artef Sokho, coordinator of the Pattani-based Youth for Peace and Development Academy, said electing the governors was a good idea but would not end the violence.
"The government does not deal with the core issue of negotiations or talks. It's time the negotiations were in the open and understood and welcomed across society," he said.
"Security officials say they don't know who to talk to while the insurgents are not sure if the people they talk to can deliver anything," said Mr Artef.
Intelligence sources in Pattani said the governor proposal would simply increase the desire among certain politicians for power.
"The grass roots do not really care about elections. Let see whether those involved in the insurgency would be voted in as a governor," a source said.
Abdul Aziz Tade-in, an adviser to the Young Muslim Association of Thailand, said the idea was interesting and worth considering but more details on the proposal are needed, especially on the scope of authority of the elected governor.
Gen Yutthasak also talked about reports of large-scale land buying in the deep South believed to be financed from overseas. He said 39 deals had been struck to buy 2,600 rai in the three southern provinces, with Pattani accounting for the most land plots sold.
He believed the land buying was intended to expel local people or to launder money acquired by drug gangs.
Her Majesty the Queen has raised concerns over reported land grabbing in the restive region.
Gen Yutthasak said he had raised the issue with army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha who has advised the prime minister on the matter. He said the government will allocate a budget of about 1.2 billion baht for land mortgages for residents or to buy their plots to ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands.
He said the Anti-Money Laundering Office is monitoring suspicious financial movements in bank accounts of people believed to be linked to the land buying.
Meanwhile, Suhaimee Makae, the toh imam of Khao Tanyong mosque in Narathiwat's Muang district, said it was impossible for foreign countries to invest such huge amounts of money to buy land in Thailand because there are legal limits on land ownership.
Col Pramote Prom-in, deputy spokesman of the southern Internal Security Operations Command, said army personnel had been sent to survey land plots in the three southern provinces and found no suspicious mass buying.
bangkokpost.
Yingluck To Meet Najib On APEC Sidelines
September 06, 2012 16:55 PM
BANGKOK, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will meet her Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to discuss the unrest in southern Thailand when they attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Vladivostok, Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister Gen Yuthasak Sasiprapha, who is in charge of security matters, said, here, today that the two leaders would meet on the sidelines of the APEC forum, scheduled for three days starting tomorrow.
However, Gen Yuthasak could not provide details of the issues expected to be discussed by the two premiers.
More than 5,000 people have died since suspected separatists resumed their armed campaign to seek independence for the three southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala eight years ago.
Malaysia has extended mainly educational and economic assistance in strife-torn southern Thailand at the invitation of the Thai government.
bernama.
Malaysia 'not involved' in South
3/09/2012 at 06:14 PM
Malaysia is not involved with the planting of Malaysian flags in the deep South, Malaysian ambassador to Thailand Nazirah Hussain said on Monday.
"We have yet to get a full report about the incidents. But really this has nothing to do with the Malaysian authorities," Ms Nazirah said.
The ambassador said the incidents would not affect relations between the two countries, adding Thai authorities understood Malaysia's position.
The two neighbours shared not only a border, but also culture and religions, she said.
"Our border trade is also important, so conflicts do no good to anyone. Thus, we cannot be complacent but need to cooperate further together (with Thailand)," the envoy said.
She insisted on Malaysia's support for Thailand in solving the southern violence through education and economic cooperation.
In Narathiwat, five soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously, by a bomb explosion in Tak Bai district on Monday afternoon.
Police said the attack occurred about 12.30pm when a pickup truck carrying five soldiers on patrol was hit by a bomb buried at one end of a bridge on the road through Ban Pakhado in tambon Na Nak.
The bomb was remotely detonated by a mobile phone by militants hiding nearby when the vehicle was passing over the bridge.
Seriously wounded were Pvt Phumsiri Chantharat, 22, and Pvt Damrongrit Hemphukhieo, 22. Both sustained serious wounds to their bodies. Also wounded were Mst-Sgt Niran Jaipaen, 30, Sgt Thirapol Jina, 27, and Sgt Prajak Prapanmit, 28. They were rushed to Narathiwat Hospital.
The pickup truck was badly damaged.
In Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district on Monday morning, two suspicious objects were found, placed with the intention of creating havoc in the area.
Sungai Padi police chief Peerapol na Phatthalung said one was found to be a fake bomb and the other a real one, which was then destroyed.
Pol Col Peerapol said the two objects were found at about 10am by a local railway protection team.
The first was found on the bridge near Ban Joh Wa in tambon Sungai Padi, about 500m from the base of Border Patrol Police Company 447, and the second at kilometre marker 1125 on a railway bridge, about 300m from Toh Deng railway station in tambon Toh Deng.
Forensic and bomb disposal police were dispatched to the two spots.
A cardboard box with electric wires protruding from it was found at the first spot. After jamming the telephone signal, bomb disposal police examined the box and and found it was a fake bomb.
At the second spot, the police found the object was a real bomb, weighing about 1.5 kilogramme, stuffed in a milk can. It was later destroyed.
Over 5,000 people have been killed and more than 9,000 hurt in more than 11,000 incidents, or about 3.5 a day, in the three southern border provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch.
bangkokpost.
Bomb wounds 5 soldiers in South
3/09/2012 at 06:04 PM
Five soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously, by a bomb explosion in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district on Monday afternoon.
Tak Bai police said the attack occurred about 12.30pm when a pickup truck carrying five soldiers on patrol was hit by a bomb buried at one end of a bridge on the road through Ban Pakhado in tambon Na Nak.
The bomb was remotely detonated by a mobile phone by militants hiding nearby when the vehicle was passing over the bridge.
Seriously wounded were Pvt Phumsiri Chantharat, 22, and Pvt Damrongrit Hemphukhieo, 22. Both sustained serious wounds to their bodies. Also wounded were Mst-Sgt Niran Jaipaen, 30, Sgt Thirapol Jina, 27, and Sgt Prajak Prapanmit, 28. They were rushed to Narathiwat Hospital.
The pickup truck was badly damaged.
bangkokpost.
102 separatist incidents in the deep South
31/08/2012 at 04:27 PM
A total of 102 incidents of unrest struck the four southern border provinces on Friday morning, Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) deputy spokesman Pramote Prom-in said.
Col Pramote said bombs and suspicious objects were planted in many areas, and insurgents were thought to be to blame. Thai flags were also burned and Malaysian flags hoisted to mark the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Bersatu separatist movement, an umbrella group active in the far South, and Malaysia's National Day, Aug 31.
There were 44 incidents in eight districts of Narathiwat, 34 in Yala's Muang, Yaha and Bannang Sata districts, 12 in Pattani's Muang and Yarang districts, and another 12 in southern Songkhla.
Security officers were able to dismantle most of the bombs, but six soldiers were injured by explosions in different areas of Narathiwat this morning, he said.
"We believe the culprits wanted the incidents to make headlines and they chose to act on Aug 31, which coincides with the national day of Malaysia and the anniversary of the Bersatu's establishment," Col Pramote said. "They [the insurgents] wanted to arouse their followers in the region."
He said the insurgents were trying to generate hatred and distrust between the people of the two neighbouring countries by burning Thai flags and raising Malaysian flags.
However, Thailand and Malaysia will continue to have a good relationship and these incidents will not cause conflict, he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa, who is in charge of security affairs, said officials in the deep South were checking footages from closed circuit television cameras and tracking down the perpetrators.
"I don't think these incidents will hurt Thai-Malaysian ties and we're telling Malaysia that the Bersatu is trying to get the Malaysian people involved [in the southern insurgency]," Gen Yutthasak said.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she had ordered National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Wichean Potphosri to visit the South on Saturday to oversee the situation there.
Boonsom Thongsriprai, chairman of the Federation of the Three Southern Border Provinces Teachers, said he believed the insurgents wanted to show off their strength.
Even though no teacher was killed or injured in the incidents this morning, local people had been both directly and indirectly affected, particularly teachers, he added.
Many teachers in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat were terrified by the latest incidents and admitted that they had lost courage and had no confidence in their safety, he said.
Mr Boonsom said he had been in contact with all school directors in the three southernmost provinces to consider temporarily closing their schools for safety reasons, if necessary.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 9,000 hurt in more than 11,000 incidents, or about 3.5 a day, in the three southernmost provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch.
bangkokpost.
2 slain, 3 hurt in Narathiwat (pix)
21/08/2012 at 05:37 PM
A soldier and a defence volunteer were killed and three other people wounded in three coordinated attacks in Rangae district of Narathiwat province on Tuesday, police said.
In the first attack, about 10am, a pick-up driven by Sgt-Maj Bang-ern Phanyu, 39, of the 45th Rangers Regiment, with two civilians on board was ambushed by gunmen as it arrived at Kujing Lupa School in tambon Chalerm of Rangae district on an assignment.
The pick-up truck skidded off the road and rammed into the wall of the school.
Sgt-Maj Bang-ern was killed. The two civilians in the vehicle were wounded. They were Niso Edure, 42, a member of the Tambon Chalerm administration council, and a villager identified only as Somchit.
About 10 minutes later, as Suriya Awaekuji, an assistant chief of Rangae district, and six defence volunteers were on the way to examine the scene of the attack, the same group of militants detonated three mines buried on the road to the school.
The three mines exploded at intervals of 10-15 seconds, but caused no damage or casualties.
In another attack, two men on a motorcycle opened fire at Mahama Chewa, 41, assistant village chief of Ban Lubokayo, and Adunan Salae, 34, a defence volunteer, who were on the road near the scene of the first shooting waiting for the assistant district chief to arrive.
Mr Adunan was killed and Mr Mahama seriously wounded.
Police said the attacks were clearly coordinated and blamed militants.
bangkokpost.
New southern ops centre discussed
21/08/2012 at 03:43 PM
The National Security Council (NSC) today held a meeting with the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) and Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) to discuss the responsibilities of the new operations centre for solving problems in southern border provinces.
Isoc spokesman Maj-Gen Dithaporn Sasasamit said the new centre, which has yet to be officially established, would be responsible for collating reports from various agencies for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, so she could make swift decisions on solving problems without having to go through the details herself.
He said the operations centre would initially be an ad hoc organisation set up by a prime minister's order, specifically for solving problems in the far South.
Details on the structure and responsibilities of the centre, initially to be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa, would be given in an order to be approved by the prime minister.
If the new southern operations centre was to be a permanent organisation, a decree could be issued later for its establishment, he said.
The centre would look into the operations of both Isoc and the SBPAC, but the prime minister would have the power to give them orders for further operations.
On Gen Yutthasak's comment that a list of people to sit on a working committee at the centre would be forwarded to the prime minister by Friday, Maj-Gen Dithaporn said the NSC was compiling the names of the committee members who would be recruited from various agencies.
The working committee would initially consist of no more than 40 members. The number of personnel could be increased as necessary along with added responsibilities.
Those responsible for gathering intelligence and following up the situation would be the first group to begiong work.
On concerns that the centre could duplicate work of other agencies, Maj-Gen Dithaporn said the NSC would serve as the secretary of the centre to ensure its operations did not breach any laws.
He believed there would not be any problems since Isoc and the SBPAC operate under separate decrees and both are under the prime minister.
On a recommendation by Aziz Benhawan, chairman of the advisory council for the development and administration and development of the southern border provinces that the SBPOC plan should be scrapped, Maj-Gen Dithaporn said Lt-Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat, the 4th Army commander, had been instructed to talk to him to establish a better understanding.
Gen Yutthasak said earlier today that the NSC, SBPAC and Isoc would this afternoon hold a meeting to discuss the work of the southern operations centre to prevent overlapping of work.
bangkokpost.
9 soldiers injured by Pattani bomb
7/08/2012 at 04:19 PM
Nine soldiers were wounded, three of them seriously, by a bomb explosion while they were providing security for teachers in Pattani's Yarang district on Tuesday morning.
Pol Col Adisakda Charoenkul, the Ban Sarong police chief, said the attack took place about 8.30am near Ban Lubo Bala in tambon Khaotum of Yarang district.
A vehicle taking nine soldiers of Company 6144 of Pattani Task Force 21 to provide security for teachers on a road near Ban Lubo Bala.
A 15kg bomb, inside a fire extinguisher cylinder buried in the road, was detonated by militants as the vehicle was passing over it.
Three soldiers - Mst Sgt Adisak Pimpakul, Mst Sgt Teun Chaisaj, and Sgt Tiwakorn Pratchaya - were seriously wounded in the explosion while the six others suffered minor injuries. They were admitted to Yarang Hospital.
On Monday night, two villagers were shot dead in separate attacks in Pattani.
Sant Kimku, 44, a motorcycle repairman, was shot at a point-blank range in the head by the pillion rider of a motorcycle in front of his house at Village Group 4 in tambon Sai Thong or Mai Kaen district.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at Mai Kaen Hospital. The attack occurred about 6pm.
Later, about 8pm, Prakan Paerasama, 55, a villager of Village Group 2 in tambon Manangyong in Yaring district, was shot with a shotgun by one of four men who arrived on two motorcycles while he was walking to a nearby mosque for prayers. He died on the spot.
Police were investigating the two incidents.
bangkokpost.
Panlop: Guerrilla tactics the answer
6/08/2012 at 06:38 PM
It is now time for the government to wage guerrilla war in its counter-insurgency operations against "separatist insurgents" in the three southern border provinces, Gen Panlop Pinmanee said on Monday.
"I think it's now time for the armed forces and the government to decide to adjust the current tactics in dealing with the southern insurgents. It is now time for guerrilla warfare against the separatist bandits. We need to counter with guerrilla tactics. We can't afford to continue with conventional fighting styles," Gen Panlop said.
Gen Panlop is a former deputy director of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc). He is now the prime minister's adviser for security affairs.
An expert in guerrilla warfare, Gen Panlop said it is necessary for troops to go out to "search" for core separatist members and sympathisers, "destroy" the core members and armed elements, and carry out "reconstruction" work.
"My opinion is that soldiers can't just patrol on motorcycles or other vehicles. They must go on foot while going on patrol. Doing this, they will draw the militants out from hiding to intercept them. The two sides would then clash.
"I know this is risky, but it is a way to bring the insurgents out into the open, otherwise they will continue to mingle among villagers. Let's get decisive. Don't be afraid," he said.
Gen Panlop said according to intelligence reports the insurgents are being trained abroad for eight months before returning to Thailand for insurgency operations.
He said that in 1977 he used only 2,000 troops to fight against separatist bandits, deploying guerrilla tactics.
"Now we have 50,000-60,000 troops. We can use groups of them for guerrilla warfare," Gen Panlop said.
"The prime minister never asks for my advice, Probably she may think I am of the hawkish line. She may not know that I once managed to keep peace in the South for many years," he added.
Gen Panlop said about 15,000 people had died or been injured over the years and the government had spent more than 120 billion baht in combating the southern insurgency.
"Without using guerrilla tactics we may lose another 10,000 and may also lose the South," he said.
bangkokpost.
Southern discomfort
5/08/2012 at 03:58 AM
The mantra is 'cover your behind, secure the budget and never mind the truth'According to Deep South Watch, since 2004 and as of June 2012, there have been 11,754 violent incidents in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, and counting. Casualties are at 14,343, with 5,206 people dead, and counting.
However, Deep South Watch stresses that the quantity of violence has been decreasing, while the quality is on the increase. This means that the attacks are better planned, the targets more specific and the results more successful, from the perpetrators' viewpoint. It speaks of the insurgents becoming more organised, more professional.
In the eight years of violence, the government has poured in some 180,000 million baht, and counting. This is to address the conflict and develop the devastated provinces, though it does not include the military budget. Due to the volume of funding and the ongoing military operations, the economy of the three provinces is growing at an average of 2% annually, still well below what it was before the conflict started.
The report also puts the number of people under arms at 150,3990, with soldiers/policemen accounting for 27%, paramilitary personnel 17% and civilians 56%.
Deep South Watch says the majority of civilians distrust the power of the military authorities. In fact, according to a survey by the organisation, police and the military rank as the bottom two on the trust scale with scores of 2.94 and 2.78 out of 5 respectively. Those most trusted are the imams, or religious teachers, who scored at 3.95. Sandwiched in the middle are medical workers, NGOs, the media, and people from other state agencies.
A car bomb was detonated last Tuesday near a hotel in Pattani town _ in this, the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Last Thursday, three men were killed in separate incidents. A curfew is being debated; the Yingluck Shinawatra government wants it, while the commander of the Fourth Army Region disagrees. This comes as the government proposes setting up a new permanent command centre for handling problems in the deep South.
There are many problems in the handling of the southern situation, most important of which is who should be in charge, the civilian government or the military. In theory, it ought to be the civilian government. In reality, the military calls the shots.
The civilian government and the military organisation are each designed for specific purposes. The civilian government brings peace, the military makes war. This is said not to condemn the military, just to state its function.
If it is our purpose to annihilate the insurgents, bring the three southern provinces to heel, cowed and submissive, then it is the job of the military to do it. However, it is safe to say that for the past eight years the military has failed spectacularly. The statistics presented by Deep South Watch do not lie. On the other hand, if the purpose is to bring peace to the South in the most humane way possible, then the civilian government should be in charge.
On my trip through the South last year to report on the bombing in Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat province, I was accompanied by a local policeman 20 years on the job. I learned five things. Bear in mind, this is just one man's take on the situation, and it is a generalisation.
First, the situation is a mess. Not even the local police and the military trust each other and work together. There's animosity and jealousy, in terms of budget allocation, exercise of authority and understanding of the local situation. The local police would argue that the military has no understanding because the majority of military personnel, including the generals, are from other regions of the country.
Second, through almost 10 years of constant fighting, there is a feeling of contempt between the authorities and the locals. The Buddhist authorities are disdainful of the culture and practices of the Muslim locals. This was displayed by my police guide and also a police general I talked to.
Third, the southern provinces are being run like a warlord's enclave, not a proper state. Think of the generals as conquering warlords, strutting about, travelling in motorcades from one leisure destination to another, while the locals scurry out of the way, cowed but full of resentment.
Fourth, the same big problem that exists throughout the country is present here - institutional dysfunction - but the symptoms are more prominent in the war-ravaged deep South.
From petty officials up the line through the bureaucracy, whether civilian, police or military, the mantra is ''cover your behind, secure the budget and never mind the truth''. By the time a report gets to the desk of the prime minister, regardless of who has held power over the past eight years, that report becomes more fiction than fact. Again, this is a situation not unlike anywhere else in Thailand.
Lastly, through the years, the struggles of the insurgency have become about more than just freedom and autonomy. This is now also a story of the narcotics trade and gang rivalries between insurgent groups. It has become about finding money to perpetuate the struggle, to maintain the lifestyles and expand the organisations of the insurgents.
Looking at the above five factors, the situation seems pretty hopeless - unless is viewed it from the perspective that it is ideal for securing the budget and the power to build and maintain a warlord's enclave, a feudal playground.
Ahead of the July 3, 2011 general elections, the Pheu Thai Party campaigned in the South on the platform of a Pattani Metropolitan Administration, where the three southernmost provinces would be autonomous and self-governing, not unlike Pattaya. Many critics were against it, perhaps because they were against Pheu Thai in general rather than the policy itself. Many didn't believe that Pheu Thai would actually deliver, since it was Thaksin Shinawatra who in July 2005 assumed full emergency power to wield his authority in the South and thereby escalated the conflict.
In the end, the three southernmost provinces gave their votes to the Democrats and not Pheu Thai, as they are still entrenched in the Democrats' patronage network.
The southern situation carries a huge amount of political baggage. But if we can agree that the purpose is to first and foremost bring peace to Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, then we must set aside that baggage - whether it comes in yellow or red and whether it is carried by the military, local police, Buddhists or Muslims. To bring peace is to win the hearts and minds of the people. To win the hearts and minds of the people is to give them the freedom, the respect and the dignity that all people deserve.
Thailand is not a homogenous nation. We are a collection of different peoples, cultures and religions put together in a pot through military conquests and dubious British treaties. Certain regions assimilate better than others because the people and the cultures are more similar. The Deep South is a place apart, ethnically, culturally and religiously. But southerners are still Thais - more important than that, they are people.
If Pattaya can be awarded the self-determination to become a red-light town for Europeans and Middle Easterners, then Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat deserve to determine their own fate as part of the Kingdom of Thailand.
Committees, command centres and dialogues do not solve anything. They just waste time and budgets. Or perhaps that's the point. It is the freedom, the respect and the dignity that they need, and we do that by action and implementation, not just discussion. Pull back the military. Let them determine their own fate. For better or worse, life is a matter of choice.
But of course, as long as we allow the mantra of ''cover your behind, secure the budget and never mind the truth'' to remain in force, and national colour politics and divisions take precedence over human lives, then the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat will remain torn by war, and we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
bangkokpost.
South operations centre to be set up
31/07/2012 at 03:17 PM
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered the establishment of an operations centre to especially tackle the situation in the far South, Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said on Tuesday.
Gen Yutthasak said the prime minister issued the instruction at today's meeting of security agencies.
He said the centre would be a permanent agency which would integrate the operations of all agencies involved in the solving the problem to ensure better efficiency and harmony.
This was not a change of policy, just an adjustment of the work procedures, Gen Yutthasak added.
The deputy prime minister in charge of security affairs admitted that present intelligence operations were not effective, judging from the escalating level of violence lately in the three southernmost border provinces.
The insurgents had stepped up their operations, employing new guerrilla tactics. There were two groups of militants whose leaders were competing each other in terms of combat capability, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung admitted he felt heavy-hearted to have been assigned to help oversee the situation in the far South, but would try to do his best.
Mr Chalerm said he would call a meeting of senior police officers in the South to hear their opinions.
He insisted that it was not necessary for the prime minister to go to the South, as doing so would only be an added burden on local authorities.
bangkokpost.
4 soldiers killed, 2 injured in Thailand's south
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 5:00 AM
PATTANI, Thailand (AP) — Four Thai soldiers were shot to death at close range Saturday in a brazen daylight attack carried out by suspected Muslim insurgents in Thailand's violence-prone south. Two soldiers were wounded.
Video footage of the attack in Pattani province was captured by surveillance cameras that authorities have installed throughout Thailand's three southernmost provinces, where an Islamist insurgency that erupted in 2004 has claimed more than 5,400 lives.
The footage shows pickup trucks tailing a pair of motorbikes that soldiers were riding as they returned from a military patrol to their base.
As the trucks pulled up alongside the motorbikes, armed men opened fire on the soldiers at close range and shot them dead. They then stole their victims' rifles, which they used to fire at another oncoming security vehicle before fleeing.
Police Col. Kong-att Suwannakha said three motorbikes were attacked in total, each carrying two soldiers. Police were looking for about 15 suspects in connection with the attack but had made no arrests.
The shooting is among several attacks by suspected militants since the Islamic holy month of Ramadan began last week.
A roadside bomb on Wednesday in nearby Yala province killed 5 policemen.
The three southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are the only Muslim-dominated provinces in the largely Buddhist country.
kens5.
Bomb kills 5 police in Yala
25/07/2012 at 04:56 PM
Five policemen were killed and another wounded by a bomb explosion in front of a school in Raman district of Yala province on Wednesday afternoon, reports said.
The bomb exploded about 3pm as a police patrol vehicle providing security for teachers was leaving Ban Upoh School in tambon Wang Phraya of Raman district.
One report, which was still not confirmed, said it was a car bomb.
Five police officers on board the vehicle were killed and one other wounded, he said.
The explosion was followed by an exchange of fire between surviving police and the attackers, who then fled.
Police had sealed off the area and called for reinforcements.
bangkokpost.
Bomb blast spurs security crackdown
Eight hurt as explosionshatters buildings, cars
21/07/2012 at 03:33 AM
Security measures have been beefed up in the deep South after a car bomb attack in Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district yesterday morning.
An armoured military vehicle lies upside down after a bomb blast on Tanyongmas- Samoh Road in Narathiwat’s Rangae district about 5pm yesterday. Two soldiers, five military rangers and a female villager were injured. WAEDAO HARAI
Army Region 4 commander Udomchai Thammasarorath ordered all military units in the South to tighten security measures to deter any further attacks by militants.
Col Pramote Prom-in, deputy spokesman of the Internal Security Operations Command, Region 4 office, called on Thai-Muslim people to condemn the car bombers who attacked Sungai Kolok.
Soldiers of the Yala 11th special task force set up a security checkpoint on the Tao Poon-Tha Sab road in tambon Tha Sab of Yala's Muang district. They checked all of the motorcycles passing by and vehicles heading into Yala municipality.
Police, soldiers and territory volunteers also set up security checkpoints on all main inbound roads to Yala.
Yesterday was the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan which will continue until Aug 20. "This is the holy month for Muslims and there should be no violence during this period. Unfortunately, the separatist militants just ignored it," Col Pramote said.
The bomb blast happened about 6.15am.
Police said the blast came from a 50-kilogramme gas cylinder placed inside an Isuzu D-Max pickup truck that was parked in front of Pro Computer and OA Thailand Co on Charoen Khet Road in Sungai Kolok municipality.
The explosion completely destroyed the truck, damaged three cars and a motorcycle parked nearby, and set ablaze the building of a company which occupies four adjoining units of four-storey shophouses.
The company is the biggest supplier of electronic devices and electrical appliances in Sungai Kolok district.
More than 10 fire engines took more than three hours to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters rescued people who were trapped on the top floor of the building. Damage was estimated at about 10 million baht.
The eight people injured are Charoenchai Udomlertsakul, the 74-year-old owner of the company; his son Thaweesak, 45; his daughter Sunee, 35; his daughter-in-law Supassorn Tiyaratanachai, 43; Pichai Thongchompoonuch, 53; Sama-ae Waema, 62; Ameera Jehsoh, 31; and Rusman Ma-useng, 41.
The bomb in the truck was detonated with a mobile phone when a police patrol vehicle from Sungai Padi district was passing by.
Police checked the chassis number of the pickup truck and found it had been stolen from Chalong Nuana, a 46-year-old local of Pattani province. Chalong and his associate were shot dead in a housing estate in Rangae district of Narathiwat on Nov 20 last year while they were unloading furniture from the truck.
The vehicle bore licence plates of another vehicle that belonged to Suchart Suwanchaluay, a local from Muang district of Yala. Suchart was shot dead in front of his house on June 21 this year and his vehicle was stolen.
Police believe the bombing was an act of members of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) separatist group which is based in Cho Airong district of Narathiwat. Police have already issued warrants for their arrest. A security source identified the suspects as Alawuddin Sohko, Nasree Mueree and Muhammadsakree Sosing.
Waedueramae Mamingji, chairman of the Pattani Provincial Islamic Committee, yesterday castigated those who masterminded the car bomb attack.
"It is an unacceptable action," Mr Waedueramae said. "Allah will punish them and bring them to disgrace. They must be brought to justice soon."
He wondered why those who planted the bomb chose the Ramadan fasting festival to carry out their attack as it is the Muslim holy period that requires Muslims to do good things for Allah, themselves and others.
Mr Waedueramae also called on the masterminds to stop such actions in the deep South and he wanted to see suspected insurgents join the process of reconciliation that is building within the nation.
In another incident, an armoured military vehicle was hit by a buried bomb on the Tanyongmas-Samoh road in Ban Juenong Bueso village in Rangae district of Narathiwat about 5.20pm yesterday.
Two soldiers and five military rangers suffered broken bones as a result of the explosion. Shrapnel from the buried bomb wounded a 28-year-old female motorcyclist.
The explosive was placed within a 20-kilogramme fire extinguisher that was wired to a battery hidden in roadside bushes.
bangkokpost.
One dead, six hurt in three Yala bombings
3/07/2012 at 05:25 PM
An assistant village chief was killed and six soldiers were wounded when three bombs were detonated in different areas of the southern border province of Yala on Tuesday.
Pol Lt Issaraphan Surathip, the duty officer of Kotabaru police station, said a bomb explosion in Raman district killed Maromulee Eyuno, 49, an assistant to the chief of Ban Lumo in tambon Bue Mang.
The attack occurred when Maromulee was returning home from a meeting in Raman district town to his village in a pick-up truck.
A 10kg improvised bomb, made of a gas cylinder, buried on the road inside the village was detonated as the pick-up went over it. The explosion wrecked the vehicle and killed Maromulee.
Another bomb was detonated on a road near Ban Kuelong in tambon Talingchan of Bannang Sata district as a patrol vehicle from Infantry Company 7021 was passing over it.
One soldier was injured in the explosion, which occurred about 1.40pm.
The third bombing occurred about 8.50am in Muang district and five soldiers were wounded.
Police said the bomb was placed in the front basket of a bicycle parked on a roadside near Ban Mo in tambon Lammai and was detonated when an army truck carrying a number of soldiers passed by.
The truck skidded off the road. Five soldiers were wounded by bomb shrapnel, two of them seriously.
A pick-up truck then drove past the scene and four or five men in it opened fire at the truck before speeding away, but did not inflict more casualties.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 8,400 hurt in the three southernmost provinces and four districts of Songkhla since violence erupted in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch, an agency that monitors the conflict in the southernmost provinces.
bangkokpost.
Yutthasak says security forces have insurgency under control
30/06/2012 at 03:40 AM
Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa insists violence in the deep South has dwindled, but a leader of a people's network claims successive government strategies have failed to ease the problem over the past nine years.
Gen Yutthasak said the violence in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat was under control as security forces have managed to quell unrest in their areas.
He made his remarks in responding to observers' views that the situation has not yet improved.
He said daily attacks occurred as insurgents opted to attack weak targets or innocent people. But security authorities were able to control the situation.
Gen Yutthasak said state agencies must revise their working plans and budgets in line with the government's strategies on solving the southern unrest.
The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) and the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) recently agreed that every ministry should ask their agencies to fit their activities in with the government's action plan.
The ministries have been given three months to complete their tasks. If agencies under any ministry failed to respond to the national action plan, they would have their budgets taken back, said Gen Yutthasak. The government would divert cash allocated to those agencies to other projects.
But Prasit Meksuwan, president of a people's network, said the southern situation has not yet improved.
"More than 15,000 people in the region have been killed and injured over the past nine years, with an average of 3.5 people killed a day," he said.
Since the separatist violence flared up in January 2004, more than 400 billion baht has been injected into the deep South to solve the problem. However, every government's strategy has been on the wrong track, he said.
Mr Prasit said the government must understand the separatists' ideology if it wants to improve its handling of the unrest. Separatists create unrest as part of their ultimate aim to achieve an autonomous Pattani state, he said.
The government must assign more importance to community relations work to recapture support from locals misled by insurgents, he said, adding military operations must also be carried out to suppress separatists.
Gen Ekkachai Sriwilas, director of King Prajadhipok Institute's Office of Peace and Governance, said there were more than 600 research papers on the unrest. However, all the studies were left on bookshelves as agencies had not used them to solve the problems.
Meanwhile, a teacher network has demanded a compensation package, similar to one approved for those affected by political violence, for families of teachers killed and wounded in the South.
Boonchuay Thongsri, adviser to the Federation of Southern Teachers, said teachers risked their lives in the strife-torn region and they wondered why they had not received a 7.75 million baht compensation package like those affected by the May 2010 political violence.
Wannachai Suwannakarn, secretary to the SBPAC's advisory council, admitted teachers were primary targets of insurgent attacks. Over the past nine years, the southern unrest has left 151 teachers dead and 143 others seriously wounded. However, they had been left out of the state remedy scheme, he said after receiving a petition from the teachers' network.
Meanwhile, two territorial defence volunteers were killed in a drive-by shooting in Pattani's Sai Buri district yesterday, police said.
The victims were identified as Krissana Thepsao, 34, and Wirat Inthong-aiad, 42, both defence volunteers in the district.
They took bullets in the head and torso and died on the spot. The attackers stole two .38 pistols from the victims. Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
8 rangers, 6 civilians wounded in bomb blast
27/06/2012 at 08:15 AM
NARATHIWAT : Eight military rangers and six civilians were wounded by a bomb blast on a road in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district yesterday morning.
The rangers _ five women and three men _ were among members of the 11th Rangers Regiment travelling by bus from Waeng and Sukhirin districts to Bangkok. A cement trailer with several people on board was following the bus.
As the bus was about to cross a bridge in tambon Phraiwan of Tak Bai district, a bomb concealed on a tricycle parked on the Tak Bai-Narathiwat Road was detonated remotely about 11.40am.
The explosion damaged the bus and the trailer and wounded eight of the rangers and six people on board the trailer. They were admitted to Narathiwat Ratchanakharin Hospital.
Meanwhile, an assistant village headman was shot dead in an ambush at Ban Luemu in Yala's Krong Pinang district yesterday morning, Pol Col Samniang Luechiakkam, chief of Krong Pinang police station, said.
Adong Maseng-bangee, assistant chief for security of Ban Ube in tambon Krong Pinang, was travelling on his motorcycle back home from his rubber plantation on a local road when gunmen hiding in a roadside forest fired at him with shotguns, Pol Col Samniang said.
Police say Adong fell from his motorcycle and tried to run away, but the gunmen followed, shot him again at close range and then fled.
Adong was shot in the shoulder and chest. He died at the scene.
On Monday night, three men were shot dead in Pattani's Kapho district by a group of men disguised in military camouflage uniforms.
The three victims were travelling in a pickup truck when six armed men wearing military-style uniforms signalled their vehicle to stop at Ban Buenae Dalae intersection in tambon Plong Hoi of Kapho district about 8.55pm.
The armed men forced the victims to get out of the vehicle and to lie face down. They then shot them in the head.
Some of the assailants fled in the victims' pickup truck and the rest made off on three motorcycles, witnesses said.
The victims were identified as driver Chaicharn Adam, 31, Wanchai Napasin, 17, and Isma-el Daengkhong, 25, all natives of Songkhla's Rattaphum district.
They supplied chicken meat to villages in the deep South.
Police suspected the killings might have stemmed from a conflict over the chicken trade or that it might be the work of separatist militants wanting to create a situation by blaming security forces for the deaths.
Three chicken dealers from Yala were gunned down in a similar style in Pattani's Sai Buri district last year.
bangkokpost.
9 rangers wounded in Narathiwat
26/06/2012 at 02:40 PM
Nine paramilitary rangers were wounded by a bomb explosion on a road in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district on Tuesday.
They were among members of the 11th Rangers Regiment travelling by bus from Waeng and Sukhirin districts back to Phetchaburi province after being relieved.
As the bus was about the cross a bridge in tambon Phraiwan of Tak Bai district, a bomb concealed on a tricycle parked on the Tak Bai - Narathiwat road was remotely detonated.
The explosion damaged the bus and injured nine of the rangers, who were admitted to Narathiwat Ratchanakharin Hospital.
bangkokpost.
Policeman dies as blast hits armoured car
21/06/2012 at 02:49 AM
NARATHIWAT : Police are hunting a key insurgent suspect believed to have masterminded the bombing in Si Sakhon district yesterday that killed one border patrol police officer.
The bomb, stuffed inside two large gas cylinders and weighing a total of 100kg, also wounded two other border patrol officers.
A rebel group led by Bangsop Tolueno is thought to be behind the blast.
The bomb, buried in the middle of the road and set off by a detonation chord, wrecked the armoured car in which the three officers were travelling.
The force of the explosion ripped through the vehicle, killing Pol Snr Sgt Maj Prasit Pankhamkerd, 44, and seriously injuring squad leader Pol Sub Lt Supakorn Polthasri, 57, and Pol Snr Sgt Maj Vinai Ratsimuang, 44.
The injured officers were treated at a local hospital and are now in a safe condition.
The attack occurred as the police team was patrolling in Si Sakhon district on Tuesday evening to provide security for teachers.
Police have launched a manhunt for Mr Bangsop, whose group is thought to have planned the attack for a week.
Police had heard the bombing might take place, but did not know when or where, Si Sakhon district chief Kowit Rattanachok said.
Meanwhile in Pattani, a shop caught fire in Khok Pho district on Tuesday night. No one was injured, police said.
The blaze, which took firefighters an hour to bring under control, ravaged the shop, which sells agricultural tools and implements and engine oil.
The fire also damaged two adjacent homes on Phetkasem Road in tambon Na Pradu municipality.
Police are working to identify the cause of the fire, which shop owner Somphong Sae Ueng said started near the entrance gate of his house.
Police have not ruled out the possibility of an arson attack.
In Narathiwat's Muang district, police found the body of a man on Tan Yong-Lamphu bypass road at Ban Khae Na Moo 7 early yesterday morning.
The man, who was fatally shot in the head and chest, was identified as Phinyo Salae, 35.
Police investigators suspect the death may have resulted from a personal conflict.
bangkokpost.
Soldiers hurt by Narathiwat bomb
31/05/2012 at 10:37 AM
Two soldiers were seriously injured when a roadside bomb exploded in Narathiwat’s Bacho district on Thursday morning, said Pol Lt-Col Prateep Suksarn, chief of Bacho police station.
Witnesses told police that nine soldiers were patrolling on foot on the Bacho-Ban Thorn road in tambon Bacho when a 5kg home-made bomb buried on the roadside was detonated by mobile phone.
Sgt Rojana Kul-ampha, 45, and Pvt Wisan Kaewsithong, 23, were critically wounded in the explosion and taken to Bacho hospital.
Police blame separatist militants.
Since the resurgence of insurgency in 2004, around 11,000 violent incidents instigated by secessionists in the Muslim- dominant southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat happened, with almost 5,000 people killed and nearly 8,000 injured.
bangkokpost.
Bomb kills 2, wounds 4 in Pattani
28/05/2012 at 02:35 PM
Two village defence volunteers were killed and four others wounded by a bomb while patrolling in Kapho district of Pattani province on Monday afternoon.
Police said the attack occurred about 12.25pm near Ban Koli in tambon Talo of Kapho district. A bomb buried on the road was detonated by militants.
The explosion destroyed a pick-up truck with six defence volunteers on board, killing two and wounding four others, two of them seriously.
bangkokpost.
Prayuth: Red villages could cause problems in South
16/05/2012 at 04:23 PM
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha has warned that establishing red-shirt villages in the far South could cause more political problems, but he did not expect it would affect national security.
"The political sector, or any other sector, should take precautions when working in the South as the area is not yet peaceful," Gen Prayuth said on Wednesday.
"If we bring more problems to the area, I can't say whether or not more violence might occur."
The expansion of red-shirt villages into different provinces would affect politics more than national security, he said.
The army had talked to the people and they had no problem with red-shirt villages, but the timing of establishing them must be taken into consideration because the country is now going through a democratic transition, he said.
"We must allow time to know what true democracy is, and to what extent. While we're learning there'll be losses and gains, but I ask everyone to think of our country, and things will gradually improve," the army commander-in-chief said.
Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut on Wednesday again denied his party was linked to the torching of a roadside shelter at a newly established red-shirt village in Songkhla's Chana district on Tuesday morning.
He was responding to United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship chairwoman Tida Tawornseth's claim that a political party was behind the arson.
"The Democrat Party was not in any way involved in the arson because we do not have the proficiency to use fuel or fire in solving problems.
"Mrs Tida needs to understand why some people are against the red-shirts, and that it's not only her side that can resort to violence and use force against others, and that people are ready to fight and protect their rights," Mr Chavanond said.
The spokesman said his party did not want to see violence or the use of force, but the UDD should stop creating national division and conflict.
Pheu Thai list MP and UDD core member Korkaew Pikulthong said that a national level politician from the South whose name begins with the initial "S" was thought to be behind the torching of the roadside shelter.
Mr Korkaew said the fire was the work of local people who oppose the establishment of the red-shirt village.
These people were supported by a politician whose name begins with the initial "S" and who does not want red-shirt villages, whose aims were to combat drugs and oppose a coup, to be established in the area, he said.
Mr Korkaew admitted there was no evidence to prove his claim, but said his assumption was based on the fact that about 100 people closely watched the opening of the village on Monday.
On Democrat Party MP for Songkhla Sirichok Sopha's comment that the opening of red-shirt villages might have been funded by the government, Mr Korkaew said the Democrat Party should produce evidence to support the claim and then use it to take legal action.
bangkokpost.
20 Injured In Red Cross Fairs In Thailand Deep South
May 14, 2012 13:00 PM
BANGKOK, May 14 (Bernama) -- A total of 17 paramilitary volunteers and civilians were wounded during a Red Cross fair in Thailand's far south in a Pattani's explosion while seven others were injured after a grenade attack in another fair in Narathiwat, local media reported today.
Seventeen people -- 15 paramilitary volunteers and two civilians -- who were assigned to secure safety at a Red Cross Fair in southern Pattani were wounded in a bomb attack when returning from duty around midnight on Sunday.
According to police, assailants detonated a bomb hanging on a road sign as a truck carrying the 17-member group was travelling on a road linking downtown Pattani and a military camp in another district, Xinhua news agency reported.
In a related development, seven people made up of a police officer, a paramilitary volunteer and five civilians were injured in a hand grenade attack late Sunday night in downtown Narathiwat province.
Reports said two men on a motorcycle hurled two hand grenades into a checkpoint at a Red Cross Fair while members of the police and military forces were inspecting vehicles heading to the fair. However, only one of the grenades exploded.
Police have detained one suspect for further investigations.
Since the resurgence of insurgency in January 2004, over 11,000 violence-related incidents had taken place in the southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, which once were part of the independent sultanate of Pattani.
More than 5,200 people were killed and nearly 8,000 wounded during this period.
bernama.
Rangers wounded by Pattani bomb
14/05/2012 at 12:09 PM
Sixteen rangers, 10 of them women, were wounded by a bomb explosion in Muang district of Pattani province early Monday morning.
Pol Col Somporn Meesuk, the Muang district police chief, said the 16 were in a group of about 20 rangers of the 7th Company of the 43rd Rangers Regiment travelling on a pick-up truck and a military truck while returning to their base in tambon Bo Thong of Nong Chick district from providing security for the annual Red Cross fair organised in front of the city hall.
The attack occurred shortly after midnight when the two vehicles stopped at Ban Don Rak intersection on the Pattani - Hat Yai section of Highway 42. A 3kg bomb inside a gas cylinder hung behind the stop sign was detonated by a radio signal militants hiding nearby.
The militants then opened fire at the rangers. After a brief exchange of shots the militant fled into the dark.
Sixteen rangers, 10 women and six men, were wounded by the explosion, but not seriously.
The explosion shattered the windows of the two vehicles, which were also riddled with shrapnel.
Earlier on Saturday night, one policeman, a defence volunteer, and five civilians were hurt when a hand grenade exploded at the checkpoint near the clock tower on Wichit Chaiboonkhet road in the Narathiwat municipality, where police and defence volunteers were on security duty for the annual Red Cross fair.
Pol Col Sathanfa Wamasing, chief of the investigation section of Narathiwat police, said the grenade was believed to have been hurled over a wall from a mosque near the checkpoint.
The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people, who were admitted to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Hospital.
One suspect, identified as Hadafi Sedommad, was arrested. He was being interrogated.
Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said he had been brief on the two incidents.
bangkokpost.
OIC Calls For Dialogue To Solve Southern Conflict
May 11, 2012 23:25 PM
By Jamaluddin Muhammad
BANGKOK, May 11 (Bernama) -- The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) is encouraging dialogues between the Thai Government and all quarters, including those in disagreement with them in solving the eight-year-old southern conflict.
OIC secretary-general's advisor, Ambassador Sayed Kassem El-Masry, said today that such dialogues were important in reaching a compromise so that a lasting peace could take place in the southern region.
"Based on history, if we leave the situation to continue without drastic solution, then, the situation will become harder to solve," he told a press conference at the end of his four-day visit to this country.
Sayed Kassem is here at the invitation of the Thai Government in getting first-hand and accurate information on the southern conflict.
He said, the sooner the problem was solved, the better.
Thai Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Sihasak Phuangketkeow, in a joint press conference, said the Thai Government was engaging dialogues with all parties, including non-governmental organisations.
However, he stressed that it was not negotiations with certain quarters because not a single group could claim they represented the people in the south.
More than 5,000 people have died since suspected separatists resumed their armed campaign to seek independence for the three southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, eight years ago.
From his observation during the visit, Sayed Kassem said the heavy presence of military and roadblocks, as well as limited communication facilities for the public, had created "tension".
However, he noted that the overall situation in the south had improved a lot recently, as compared to his first visit to the region in 2005.
"There is a plan by the government to develop something meaningful towards resolution of the problems," he said, adding that it recognised the problem and tried to tackle its root causes.
He said the root causes were ethnicity, and not Islam, as they wanted to have their own way of life, culture, language and administration of the region.
Sihasak said the Thai Government had given some space for them, including locals, to run the region.
Sayed Kassem reiterated OIC's stand on the southern conflict that it make contacts with the minority Muslims through the government.
"We condemn any killing of innocent civilians from any quarters, including the military," he said.
While accepting some limitation that OIC could do when dealing with the southern conflict as it had to respect the Thailand sovereignity, Sayed Kassem said OIC could offer advice when engaged with the Thai Government.
"OIC, through the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), could contribute to the economic development of the southern region," he said.
In the cultural and socio aspects, he said OIC could offer scholarships and teachers training programmes, among others.
Sayed Kassem said, from his observation, the government looked at the problem from the security aspect only, the last time around, but has included the political, cultural and economic dimensions now.
He said he would prepare the report of his visit for the Council of Ministers which would meet later this year.
During the four-day visit, Sayed Kassem met representatives from the government, National Security Council, southern administrative council, Muslim community leaders and youth. He also visited the southern region.
Thailand has held the observer status in the OIC since 1998, in the 57-nation grouping which was set up in 1970.
bernama.
OIC urges education to help end attacks
10/05/2012 at 01:45 AM
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is calling for better educational support to residents in the deep South as a way to resolve the persistent violence in the region.
Sayed Kassem el-Masry, special envoy and adviser to the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), second left, leads an OIC delegation on a visit to the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre in Yala yesterday. MUHAMMAD AYUB PATHAN
Sayed Kassem el-Masry, a special envoy and adviser to the secretary-general of the OIC, said through an interpreter he would encourage the government to tackle the southern problem at its root causes.
First of all, the government had to find out whether the real cause of the southern violence was disparities in society or injustice, Mr Masry said after receiving a briefing at the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) in Yala yesterday.
No matter what the answer was, he would urge the government to consider education as one potential solution to the problem, as it would make people more rational and smarter.
Mr Masry said he was against all forms of violence, because it usually resulted in innocent people losing their lives.
At the SBPAC, the OIC delegation received a briefing on the unrest especially the March 31 car bombs in Hat Yai district in Songkhla and Muang district in Yala that left 14 people dead and hundreds injured. The OIC has expressed its concern about the attacks and condemned the people behind them.
The OIC described the attacks as serious violations of human rights which led to the deaths of innocent people.
On Tuesday night, the OIC delegation arrived in Hat Yai district where it met Asis Phithakkhumphol, the Chula Ratchamontri or spiritual leader of Muslims in the Thailand. The OIC team stayed overnight in the district.
Yesterday afternoon, the delegation travelled to neighbouring Pattani to stay at the CS Pattani Hotel where stringent security measures were in place.
Security checkpoints were set up around the city to screen people entering the area. Heavier security measures were being implemented at the hotel. All hotel guests were required to walk through a bomb detector when entering the hotel area.
Today, the OIC delegation plans to travel by helicopter to the Inkhayuthaborinharn military camp in Nong Chik district of Pattani, on the last leg of its three-day visit to the South. The team will return to Songkhla later today.
Pattani police chief Pol Maj Gen Pichet Pitisresthaphan said police believed the Runda Kumpulan Kecil militant group was planning more car and motorcycle bomb attacks in the province.
Police are looking for a black Toyota Vios, a light blue Izusu pick-up truck, and a light green Yamaha Fino motorcycle which they believe will be used by the attackers.
bangkokpost.
B160bn spent fighting southern unrest
8/05/2012 at 02:55 PM
The various governments have spent about 160 billion baht in total trying to quell the unrest in the far South since it erupted in January 2004, so far to no avail, the head of the Advisory Council on the Administration and Development of Southern Border Provinces, Pakorn Preechawuthidech, said on Tuesday.
Mr Pakorn said about 60,000 soldiers have been sent to the far South, to augment the police, civil servants, volunteers and the paramilitary rangers deployed there, but the violence in the region still continued.
He said there must be talks, especially about the justice process, because when accused insurgents appeared before the court, they so often had to be released due to lack of evidence or witnesses.
This reflected the ineffectiveness of the current operation. In fact the insurgency network had expanded, he said.
"This problem must be discussed as people in the deep South do not know when they'll suffer another attack," Mr Pakorn said.
He said there was no guarantee that negotiations between government officials and southern insurgents would end the violence.
"I don't know who will be the meeting participants because the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) Coordinate separatist group is now divided into two sub-groups, and I don't know if they can hold talks with the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) separatist group," he said.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 8,400 hurt in the three southern border provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since violence erupted in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch -- an agency that monitors the conflict in the southernmost provinces.
In March, a total of 56 people were killed and 547 wounded in insurgency-related violence in the region.
bangkokpost.
Islamic delegation's visit tipped as game-changer in conflict
7/05/2012 at 01:53 PM
Muslim leaders believe today's visit of a delegation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will remind the Thai government that fair treatment of Muslim Thais is a crucial part of ending the violence in the Deep South.
There is also hope that the OIC, which is trusted by Muslim insurgents, will be able to act as a mediating body between separatists and the government.
Angkhana Neelaphaijit, chairwoman of the Working Group on Justice for Peace and wife of Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit _ who disappeared on the night of March 12, 2004 and is yet to be found _ said she was disappointed that the government did not invite her to meet OIC representatives.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of Turkey, secretary-general of the OIC.
Ms Angkhana said she believed the delegation could act as a mediator in the negotiations of the peace process between insurgent groups, which trust the OIC, and the Thai government.
She said the government should persuade the OIC to help engage separatist groups in a constructive manner.
Ms Angkhana said if she had had a chance to meet the OIC delegation, she would have raised the issues of human rights violations and the unfair treatment of Muslims in southern Thailand.
"I believe these are the causes of increased violence," she said.
"There has been no progress [over the past few years] on the disappearance case of my husband."
Violence resurfaced in the Muslim-dominated southern provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala in January 2004, when armed insurgents attacked a military camp in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district, killing five military officers and making off with 470 guns.
Until now there have been no signs of the bloodshed abating, prompting several international organisations, including the OIC, to take notice.
The delegation will spend a week travelling in Thailand, including the deep South, to gather information concerning the latest developments in the conflict. They will end their visit on Sunday.
Their findings will be published in a report during an OIC conference this November in Djibouti in East Africa.
Somboon Ahmad Bualuang, former member of the now-dissolved National Reconciliation Commission to address problems in the South, said he believed the visit of the OIC representatives will help the government become more aware of the need to adopt policies that address violations of the basic human rights of Muslim Thais.
"When they [the OIC] visit the deep South, the government will have to take them to talk to various groups of people affected by violence, not only authorities," Mr Somboon said.
Former Thai ambassador Surapong Jayanama, who worked to address problems in the deep South when he was deputy secretary to prime minister Gen Surayud Chulanont, said the government should use the opportunity to urge the OIC to condemn all violence.
"The OIC condemned us when violence was caused by the state, such as the Krue Se and Tak Bai clashes and the disappearance of Somchai Neelaphaijit," said Mr Surapong, who was also part of the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration's efforts in the deep South.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said the OIC will have a greater understanding of Thailand after their trip, when they will meet both academics and civil society representatives.
"But if the violence still persists, the OIC will still pay attention to it because it is a matter of protecting the Muslim minorities around the world," he said.
The OIC was previously the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. It changed its name in June 2011.
bangkokpost.
OIC visit to Thailand
6/05/2012 at 08:34 PM
The visit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) delegates to Thailand sporadically helps remind the government to treat the eight million Thai Muslims, particularly in the far South, impartially although there are still lingering issues.
The OIC delegation will be led by Ambassador Sayed Kassem El-Masry, adviser to the OIC secretary-general and special envoy of the OIC secretary-general on Thailand. Starting from Monday, the delegation will spend a week in Thailand during May 7 to 13 to gather facts concerning the latest developments in the southern region.
The results of the visit will be included in the OIC report during the Conference of Foreign Ministers this November in Djibouti.
Nine years have passed since the violence in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand first erupted and the OIC has still to pay attention to it.
Surapong Jayanama, a former Thai Ambassador who worked on the southern problem for four years from the Surayud Chulanont government to the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration, said the government should use this visit to urge the OIC and the Muslim world to put more pressure on responding to violence by non-state actions.
"We were always condemned by the OIC when violence was caused by the state such as the cases of Tak Bai, Kru Se and the disappearance of Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit," said Mr Surapong.
However, this was the first time in which the OIC issued a statement to condemn such terrorist acts as the four explosions that hit southern Thailand last April, causing many casualties among civilians.
"The OIC expressed its grave concern over the massive loss of lives and injuries and denounced the indiscriminate violence against civilians from any quarter,’" said the statement.
While separatist groups like PULO or BRN were trying to cause misunderstanding of Thailand within the OIC, Thailand has sought a constructive strategy by not trying to set conditions for the organisation, said Mr Surapong.
Thailand still has to report the progress on resolving the southern problem and accept its faults to the OIC, he added.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said the OIC seems to have more understanding of Thailand because the country has let the OIC meet academics and civil society.
"Nonetheless, the violence still persists, and the OIC will pay attention to it because it is a matter of the protection of Muslim minorities around the world,"’ he said.
Angkhana Neelapaijit, widow of Muslim lawyer Somchai, expressed disappointment that the Thai government has not given her the chance to meet the OIC delegation.
"It’s a pity that the Thai government has not invited non-government organisations to meet them. I think the government doesn’t want to recall old issues" said Ms Angkhana.
She believes the visit of the OIC delegation will benefit the Thai government as it could act as a mediator for peace negotiations between the government and terrorist groups which trust the OIC.
The government should persuade the OIC to help on this issue too, she added.
Ms Angkhana said if she had a chance to meet the OIC delegation, she would like to raise the issue of human rights violations and unfairness in southern Thailand.
"I believe these are the causes of increased severity as my husband's case as well as the Tak Bai and Kru Se cases have made no progress," she said.
Mr Surapong said drugs, inequality and unfairness are all compounding the southern problem, making it even more complex and difficult for outside countries to help as happens elsewhere.
He also believes some local politicians are profiting from the lingering problems.
bangkokpost.
OIC Official's Visit Over Southern Thailand Conflict
May 04, 2012 18:31 PM
BANGKOK, May 4 (Bernama) - Come Tuesday, a senior Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) official will visit Thailand to get first-hand information on the Southern Thailand conflict.
Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security matters Gen Yuthasak Sasiprapha said the OIC secretary-general's advisor, Ambassador Sayed Kassem El-Masry, would make the four-day trip.
The OIC senior official would be briefed on the issue by the foreign affairs ministry and the National Security Council in Bangkok.
The senior official would also visit Songkhla to meet the Southern Border Province Administration Centre director, army commander of the Region Fourth, Pattani governor and Islamic leaders.
More than 5,000 people have died since suspected separatists resumed their armed campaign to seek independence for the three southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, eight years ago.
Thailand holds the observer status in the OIC since 1998, in the 57-nation grouping which was set up in 1970.
bernama.
The southern insurgency: cracks in Bangkok's tactics
Brian McCartan
May 2, 2012 1:00 am
Thailand's government and military has repeatedly asserted in recent years that separatist support is declining as understanding is built with the Malay-Muslim population through programmes to spur economic development, improve governance and bring justice to the deep South.
In contrast, the separatist movement is often depicted as uncoordinated small groups suffering from declining support and reduced by desperation to committing small revenge attacks.
A deeper look at the situation in the region in the two years leading up to the recent attacks in the South, especially the bombings in Hat Yai and Yala on March 31, however, suggests a much more disturbing situation.
Mounting evidence points to a movement that has shown an ability to not only endure, but also adapt, mature and develop new skill sets. From early 2010 this process went into higher gear through efforts to recruit new members, reorganise command structures and provide advanced training to chosen adherents. This training included more advanced tactics and weapons instruction, as well specialised skills including explosives.
The militants' new capabilities were first displayed in an attack on an Army camp in Rangae district, Narathiwat province in January 2011. Marked improvements in tactical skill, operational planning, coordination and confidence continued to be displayed in a series of subsequent ambushes of security units and well-coordinated attacks on military camps over the past year. A notable feature of these operations is a boldness and willingness to take risks that was hitherto rare in militant activities.
In a departure from the usual small village-based cells of the RKK (Runda Kumpulan Kecil in Malay, or "small patrol group"), the insurgents have been able to assemble platoon-sized units of 15 to 40 men for operations. These units of better-trained militants, stiffened by more experienced RKK members, are supported by local networks of fighters and sympathisers. A pronounced focus on seizing weapons is presumably aimed at expanding insurgent numbers and capabilities for future attacks, as well as to mitigate a perennial lack of ammunition and weaponry. The larger units may also reflect an attempt by the Patani-Malay National Revolutionary Front-Coordinate (Barisan Revolusi Nasional Patani-Melayu-Koordinasi, or BRN-C), the main armed insurgent group, to proceed with a plan to develop such units. The plan apparently has yet to be organised due largely to inadequate experience and expertise as well as military pressure.
The complexity of these operations reveals a level of coordination and intelligence collection suggestive of an improved command and control structure capable of coordinating operations across districts and provinces. It seems highly unlikely that the pattern of attacks over the past year, culminating in the recent Hat Yai and Yala bombings, could be the result of a fragmented command structure. Instead,larger operations appear to be controlled through a separate chain of command to the normal village cells, with each operation requiring weeks of planning and organising as an efficient network of supporters.
To be sure, daily, low-intensity violence continues, and keeps the military off-balance and tied down in manning checkpoints, on duties escorting teachers to school and investigating small incidents. The routineness of the violence has worked to instill a sense of complacency in many security force units. The situation in effect provides a screen behind which the separatists can organise and plan operations.
While it is impossible to accurately gauge support for the separatist movement, anecdotal evidence from recent insurgent operations indicates a much higher degree of support than acknowledged by the government. In addition to the shooters and bomb-makers, a network of people is involved in organising supplies, hiding weapons and ammunition, and providing safe houses before and after operations. Without a network of sympathetic informers it is unlikely the militants would be able to gather the intelligence on their targets that has become an important aspect of attacks over the past year.
While militants have become savvier about the need for operational security, this would still be very difficult to achieve in the community-based urban environment in which they operate without at least the acquiescence of a significant proportion of the local population. The military and police have become more knowledgeable about the region, its populace and the insurgency since 2004, but as recent events have shown, they are still some way from being able to consistently pierce the wall of silence that protects the movement.
The more aggressive and sophisticated attacks over the past year, and especially the March 31 bombings, puts the government in a difficult position. Despite the government's optimistic mantra, it is becoming increasingly obvious that efforts to contain the militant violence through a Bangkok-driven focus on paternalistic notions of economic development, good governance and justice are insufficient. Without addressing Bangkok's legitimacy deficit there is little likelihood of effectively addressing the problem, no matter how well intentioned, organised or beneficial the programmes.
A return to large-scale cordon-and-search operations is also problematic. The ensuing home searches and mass arrests would surely be seized upon by the separatists propaganda machine to further alienate a population already upset with the military's impunity over charges of human rights abuses. Maintaining a security cordon in the South while simultaneously carrying out more aggressive tactics also threatens to derail plans to hand over security in the region to the newly-raised 15th Division backed up by a much expanded paramilitary Ranger presence. A more aggressive posture after several years of optimistic statements could undermine any success the current counter-insurgency efforts have achieved, as well as raise uncomfortable questions nationally and among the international community.
Proposals for implementation of some form of autonomy for the South also need to be improved. This option has never been popular with the Army and its political repercussions go far beyond the three southernmost provinces. Although autonomy has the promise of addressing many of the legitimacy issues, improperly implemented and without the proper political will on all sides, this too could fail and lead to more violence.
Brian Mccartan is an associate research fellow with the Contemporary Islam Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He was previously a Thailand-based journalist and researcher on security issues in Southeast Asia.
RSIS Commentaries.
nationmultimedia.
2 soldiers killed in Pattani
1/05/2012 at 12:33 PM
Two soldiers were killed and six others injured by the explosion of a motorcycle bomb in Pattani’s Mae Lan district this morning, reports said.
The explosion occurred on the No 418 Highway at Ban Wang Kwang in tambon Pa Rai of Mae Lan district, when soldiers on two six-wheel trucks and two pickup trucks were passing a parked motorcycle and heading back to their camp in Pattani.
Mae Lan is the only district in the three southernmost provinces that the emergency decree was revoked after the situation there had improved.
The motorcycle bomb attack comes only two days after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited the deep South.
Earlier reports said that six soldiers were wounded by the bomb.
bangkokpost.
Two hurt by bomb in Narathiwat
30/04/2012 at 06:12 PM
Two defence volunteers were wounded, one of them seriously, by a bomb explosion in Rangae district of Narathiwat province on Monday afternoon.
Police said four defence volunteers were travelling on two motorcycles to provide security for a village game at Ban Topokha in tambon Rangae.
About 3pm, as they were passing a rubber plantation, a bomb buried in the road was detonated by militants hiding nearby.
The explosion wounded two volunteers, one seriously.
The militants opened fire at the volunteers after setting off the bomb. They fled after a brief exchange of gunfire.
A number of spent M16 cartridge shells were found at the scene.
bangkokpost.
Eight injured in Narathiwat bomb attack
25/04/2012 at 01:44 AM
Eight people, including a three-year-old boy and four soldiers, were injured in a roadside bombing yesterday in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat.
The bomb went off about noon on the Tak Bai-Taba road in tambon Jehhe as four soldiers in a jeep passed by the hidden device. The explosion also hurt four civilians riding on two motorcycles behind the military vehicle.
The injured soldiers from Narathiwat Special Task Force Unit 36 were identified as MSgt 3rd Class Uthen Kaewichean, MSgt 2nd Class Thanin Saksri, Pvt Amnuay Sriwandee and Pvt Charan Puvo.
The civilians were Mohama Yuso, a village headman, Warunee Ma, Meela Maair and Ms Warunee's nephew, three-year-old Muhamad Daneeya Paosa.
MSgt Uthen and the boy suffered serious injuries and were sent to Naradhiwasrajanagarindra Hospital, while the others went to Tak Bai Hospital.
According to a forensic report, the 7kg of explosives placed in a metal box were in a black plastic bag in a handcart on the roadside near a Muslim cemetery. It was triggered by a remote radio signal.
In Sungai Padi district, Sainung Ada, a 50-year-old village headman was killed in tambon Sakor before dawn yesterday.
He was shot in the head and body with AK-47 and M16 assault rifles by a number of attackers near his home about 5am.
Meanwhile, the cabinet yesterday approved in principle a budget of 2 billion baht as compensation for victims of southern violence.
The Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre was authorised to set criteria for the compensation, Justice Minister Pracha Promnok said.
Pol Gen Pracha said 500 million baht of the budget will be allocated for compensating members of the public affected by the violence, 200 million baht would be allocated for state officials, one billion baht for those affected by the state security operations, and 300 million baht for those detained or prosecuted in insurgency-related cases.
bangkokpost.
Five rangers hurt by bombs in South
20/04/2012 at 04:29 PM
Five paramilitary rangers were injured, one seriously, by two roadside bomb explosions in Narathiwat province on Friday, police said.
Pol Col Krisda Kaewchandee, deputy police chief at Narathiwat police station said a 5kg improvised bomb, placed near a kilometre marker in front of Ban Hulupareh in tambon Tanyongmas in Rangae, was detonated by radio as a patrolling squad from No 4505 paramilitary ranger unit was passing by.
Ranger Piyapong Leena, 28, was seriously wounded and taken to Rangae hospital.
Another bomb explosion occurred on the Sungaipadi-Cho Ai Rong road at Ban Ai Batu in tambon Tohteng of Sungaipadi, according to Pol Capt Denpong Temyod, duty officer at Sungaipadi police station.
Witnesses told police that seven soldiers from No 4805 paramilitary ranger unit were travelling on a pickup truck heading to their outpost in the district when a 20kg home-made bomb was detonated.
Immediately after the explosion, gunmen hiding in roadside forest sprayed bullets at the rangers with M16 and AK47 assault rifles. The rangers fired back. The attackers fled after a three-minute gunfight.
Four rangers were slightly wounded in the attack.
They were identified as Lance Corp Suphatchai Makprasit, Ranger Charan Chainuan, Ranger Natthawat Plueksapong and Ranger Kraisorn Sikhao. They were taken to Sungaipadi hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Three slain leaving Pattani mosque
12/04/2012 at 01:08 PM
Three villagers were killed when gunmen opened fire at them as they were leaving a mosque in Pattani's Panare district on Wednesday night.
Pol Lt-Col Manit Panthong, chief of the Pattani forensic police, said 16 spent AK47 cartridge shells were recovered from in front of the mosque at Ban Na Phrao in tambon Panare.
The attack occurred about 9.40pm.
A pick-up truck parked near the mosque and two nearby houseswere also hit by AK47 bullets, he said.
Police were investigating, but initially blamed Muslim militants.
bangkokpost.
3 slain, 1 hurt in South attacks
12/04/2012 at 06:09 PM
Three men were shot dead as they left a mosque in Pattani on Wednesday night, and a woman was injured in a grenade attack at her home in Yala on Thursday morning.
The three villagers were killed when gunmen opened fire at them as they were leaving the mosque after prayers in Pattani's Panare district.
Pol Lt-Col Manit Panthong, chief of the Pattani forensic police, said 16 spent AK-47 cartridge shells were recovered from in front of the mosque at Ban Na Phrao in tambon Panare.
The attack occurred at about 9.40pm.
A pick-up truck parked near the mosque and two nearby houses were also hit by AK-47 bullets, he said.
Police are investigating, but initially blamed Muslim militants.
A woman was injured by a K75 grenade explosion at her house in Yala’s Raman district on Thursday morning, Pol Lt Col Sanchia Kessarin of Kotabaru police station said.
The bomb victim was identified as Dariyahasi Sama-air, 25. She was hit in her right arm by shrapnel and taken to hospital.
Witnesses told police than a man riding pillion on a motorcycle hurled the grenade into the house, No 31/1, in Ban Juerae of Raman district.
Police inspected the scene and found a big hole on the house’s roof and property inside the house was also damaged.
Police are investigating.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 8,400 hurt in the three southern border provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since violence erupted in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch -- an agency that monitors the conflict in the far South.
Last month, a total of 56 people were killed and 547 wounded in insurgency-related violence in the region.
bangkokpost.
OIC condemns bombing in Southern Thailand
09 April 2012
Kuala Lumpur: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed concern over the loss of lives due to a series of bombings which recently hit Southern Thailand.
The Jeddah-based OIC condemned such terrorist acts and denounced the indiscriminate violence against civilians from any quarter, an OIC spokesman said in a statement today.
The spokesman noted that on May 1, 2007, the OIC and Thailand had, in a joint press statement, agreed that the climate of violence instigated by attacks on civilians from any quarters would affect the human rights situation and should not be allowed to continue.
The joint statement was issued during the visit of OIC secretary-general Professor EkmeleddinIhsanoglu to Thailand.
The spokesman reiterated the OIC's readiness to continue to expand cooperation with Thailand, which has an observer status with the organisation, to bring about peace and tranquility in the southern Thai province.
He also referred to Thailand's commitment to resolve the unrest by addressing the root causes of the problem and through a comprehensive approach based on reconciliation and accommodation.
In a recent incident on March 31, three bombings hit southern Thailand, leaving five people dead, including two Malaysians, and 416 others injured. The Malaysians were killed when a car bomb went off in the basement parking lot of the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel in Hat Yai that day.
nst.
Building the case for peace dialogues
6/04/2012 at 02:38 AM
On a single day last Saturday, Thailand's southern violence ignited with five bombs causing three explosions in Yala, one blast in Pattani and another at the Lee Gardens Hotel right in the heart of the Hat Yai business district.
These attacks together are historic in terms of the organisation of violence, the centrality of the spectacle and its psychological impacts as well as the number of people affected.
The bomb blasts killed 14 people and wounded at least 549, including about 100 children. The highest number of casualties comes from the hotel explosion with 416 wounded.
Almost exactly a year ago, on March 30, 2011, the Strategic Non-Violence Commission (SNC), a think-tank under the auspices of the Thailand Research Fund presented a policy paper with a recommendation for a unified policy on peace dialogue.
The paper indicated southen violence was picking up, parallel to the trend which began in early 2004 and carried on until 2007.
The use of bombs was becoming more prevalent, with the devices more sophisticated technically.
Then, a home-made bomb hidden in a car parked near the Pattani provincial hall exploded on Feb 9, 2012. The 30kg bomb killed one person and wounded 12 others.
It damaged the public health office, the Education Zone 1 head office as well as 12 parked vehicles.
This Pattani bomb attack marked a new departure in the southern violence as the technical ability of the bomb maker was superior to anything that had occurred before.
In this context, I would argue there is a need to introduce a unified state policy on peace dialogue, precisely because of the intensity and possible escalation of the southern violence.
This policy need could be substantiated by a better understanding of peace dialogue both in terms of what it is, and how it works in the context of extreme violence.
What peace dialogue is not
While some people maintain insurgents escalated the conflict with these bombs to pressure the government to hold talks with them, army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha remarked that recent attempts at mounting an informal dialogue with only certain groups of insurgents, and not the others, could have led to the March 31 bomb attacks.
Secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) Pol Col Thawee Sodsong, denied his body had held any informal talks with the insurgents, despite Gen Prayuth's claims to the contrary.
These exchanges took place in the context of reports about prevalent "peace dialogues" between the government and the insurgents, as well as talk about a southern border provinces administration and development policy, prepared by the National Security Council and now waiting for its final scrutiny in the Senate.
Drawing on the work of Mark Tamthai of the SNC and Parichart Suwanbuppa of Mahidol University, we can see there are many reasons why a peace dialogue is often treated with contempt or suspicion. First, there are people who see no reason why one should engage in a dialogue with people from the other side.
Second, critics argue that when some people have to participate in a dialogue, it is only an attempt to defend one's own interests and group.
Third, critics argue that for those who want to engage in it, they do so only to protect their people from "losing" to the other side.
They also regard dialogue as an important information-gathering platform, not unlike meeting the "enemy" before a battlefield clash.
Fourth, not only does mistrust exist among people who are supposed to engage in dialogue, but some don't have trust in the dialogue process itself.
Fifth, some people maintain that certain rules governing a dialogue process (such as truth-telling) cannot be applied in any real-life situation.
Sixth, ignoring the fact that a dialogue can take time, some quickly point out that a dialogue is useless since killings can continue unabated.
In response to the above, it is important to point out the obvious _ a peace dialogue is not the same as negotiations.
The aim of negotiations is to reach an agreement, sometimes referred to as a peace agreement.
Negotiations should involve authorised people on both sides coming to the negotiating table, often with a mediator to help them reach an agreement.
An example would be the Dayton Peace Agreement which put an end to the war in Bosnia.
The negotiations were held at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, in November 1995, between the presidents of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia. The agreement was formally signed in Paris on Dec 14, 1995.
Another example would be the 1978 Camp David Accord which resulted in the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty signed in Washington on March 26, 1979 by the Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, with US president Jimmy Carter as the witness.
A peace dialogue is not a conversation between two conflicting parties with the aim of sizing up the strength of the other side. That is intelligence gathering.
A peace dialogue is also different from a conversation in the framework of psychological warfare _ an important part of conducting war _ aiming at converting the other party.
Understanding peace dialogue
Though heavily shaped by the specific reality of a particular conflict, the aim of a peace dialogue is also governed by the nature of dialogue itself.
Dialogue is generally seen as a means to come to terms with conflicts through words.
It is about how people, especially those who choose to engage in this effort in the midst of deadly conflicts, see both themselves and others.
It underscores the ways in which different identities encounter one another in dialogue.
When peace dialogues take place in the midst of deadly conflicts, such as in southern Thailand or the southern part of the Philippines, the participants may not arrive at the table as friends, but as enemies, if they do show up at all.
A peace dialogue is aimed at reaching understanding and creating trust.
Understanding within the framework of dialogue means something closer to empathy: to see and feel the world as the other side does. It is crucial if one wishes to construe the other side's claim to the legitimacy of their cause.
One engages in peace dialogue not from a sense of helplessness but from confidence there are alternatives to violence and that both sides need to nurture such alternatives through the understanding of each side's cause and the world, in the hope that trust among the parties in conflict will eventually emerge.
The problem with peace dialogue and the southern violence is not that there is no dialogue between government officials at some levels and with some factions of the insurgents.
The problem is that we lack a unified state policy on peace dialogue that would allow many channels of communication to exist.
In other words, there should be a unified peace dialogue policy with many windows of opportunities for several of them to take place.
A unified policy would serve as a broad strategic direction in pursuit of political solutions to the southern violence while giving a sense of security to security officials working on peace dialogues.
The pursuit of several peace dialogue opportunities would contribute significantly to an inclusivity of the participants, especially from among the insurgents. Peace dialogues would also open up a space for moderates within the insurgent groups while potentially helping to weaken extremists. Properly understood, a peace dialogue could serve as a powerful space for other possibilities that could alleviate the tragic curse of violence in southern Thailand.
Chaiwat Satha-Anand is a professor of political science, Thammasat University, and chairman of the Strategic Non-Violence Commission, Thailand Research Fund.
bangkokpost.
Thailand’s Terrorism Problem
April 2, 2012
Bombings in Southern Thailand on Saturday killed thirteen people and wounded over 300 in the cities of Yala and Hat Yai. The series of explosions targeted civilians in popular shopping districts, a McDonalds restaurant, and a tourist hotel.
These bombings follow close on the heels of February’s much less destructive but widely reported Bangkok bombings, which were likely orchestrated by Iranian nationals.
Thailand’s security apparatus is focusing on a Muslim separatist movement in south Thailand as a potentially responsible in this weekends attack. According to the Bangkok Post, a suspect has been tenuously identified in Saturday’s bombings in Yala and Hat Yai. No arrests have been made as of this writing, and yet more car bombings are feared to be in the works in the busy tourist town of Hat Yai, which will host the popular Songkran water festival in only a few days.
Thailand’s Muslim separatists are relatively little-known on the world stage. They operate in the nation’s Southernmost provinces near the Malaysian border and have been actively angling for independence from Buddhist Northern Thailand since the region’s annexation in 1902, promoting violence that has killed over 5000 since a 2004 escalation in insurgent action. Although Thailand is assumed to be an overwhelmingly Theravada Buddhist nation, things in this Southeast Asian nation aren’t nearly as religiously homogenous as they may seem. The Thai’s 1902 annexation of the at-the-time independent sultanate of Patani (which formerly encompassed Thailand’s current Southernmost provinces) brought a relatively large population of ethnically and culturally distinct Malay Muslims into the national fold, whether they liked it or not.
Separatist feelings have simmered in the local population due to large cultural, ethnic, and religious rifts between the Malay Muslim minority and the Thai Buddhist majority. Muslim’s have complained of human rights abuses perpetuated by the Thai government, including disappearances and extrajudicial killings, poor socio-economic conditions with little opportunity for advancement, and ineffectual policies that have largely failed to help Malay Muslims assimilate.
The contentious reign of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, beginning in 2001, didn’t help matters either: many believe that his aggressive response to the separatist movement only spurred Southern Muslims into yet more intense action, resulting in a January 2004 flareup in violence in the South that shows little sign of weakening. A state of emergency has existed in the region since 2005, giving police special special powers of arrest and detention. But these relatively sweeping police powers appear to have done little to curb the violence, while separatist attacks appear to only be increasing since the start of the year—and now appears to be targeting tourists.
The insurgents long-standing refusal to out themselves as specific groups or make particular demands has confounded the national government, forcing Thai national forces to strike out against a faceless and widespread adversary. Although new Thai leader Yingluck Shinawatra (the sister of Mr Thaksin) had been contemplating turning the three contentious Southern provinces into a special administrative region with a single governor, it’s safe to assume that after these latest attacks, such a lenient policy is off the table for now.
These latest attacks, which have blatantly targeted civilian foreigners, are also sparking even more concern about the future of Thailand’s lucrative tourism industry, which Ms Shinawatra recently announced could reach over $22 billion in revenue in the next five years. Although Thailand’s Southern Muslim separatists are both locally organized, focused much more on separatism than religious extremism, and are not known to have any deep connections with Islamic terrorist groups in other Muslim nations (beyond some educational exchanges) it’s unlikely that many tourists will know this— and the timing of these Southern attacks is truly horrid PR for Thailand’s active tourism lobby.
In the wake of 2010′s extremely destructive spring Red Shirt protests, 2011′s highly destructive flooding, February’s massively-reported Iranian-orchestrated bombings, and these latest March blasts, Thailand’s formerly solid reputation as a family-friendly and safe Southeast Asian destination may be eroding swiftly. If Thailand wants to keep the all-important tourist revenue coming—and, most importantly, improve the lot of its own citizens—this swiftly developing nation needs to address the problem of radical Muslim separatism quickly and with considerably greater tact than it has shown in the past.
undispatch.
Deadly Hat Yai fire 'sabotage'
31/03/2012 at 10:12 PM
A car bomb is believed to have caused the fire that killed five people at a Hat Yai hotel and sent more than 300 to hospital on Saturday.
It was fairly clear that the blast was caused by a car bomb, according to evidence found at the scene, said Surin Weerasook, a mechanic (professional level) with the Region 12 Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, who led an inspection team to examine the cause of the explosion.
Four men and one woman died in the fire, Songkhla Governor Grisada Boorach told AFP. He said 336 people were injured, of whom 28 were in hospital.
Hat Yai mayor Phrai Phatthano reportedly admitted that the fire was caused by sabotage on the underground floor of the five-star Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel. However, he urged all sides to wait for an official conclusion on what caused the blaze.
The fire broke out just after a series of blasts in the commercial heart of Yala killed 10 people and injured more than 100, on one of the deaadliest days of the protracted southern insurgency.
Mr Surin said explosives had been hidden in a car parked on the underground parking floor, B2 of the 33-storey Lee Gardens in Songkhla province’s business and shopping hub.
The force of the blast tore the car to pieces and debris penetared the hotel's first floor located three floors above.
About 10 cars parked on B4 were also heavily damaged.
Mr Surin’s assumption coincided with TV news footage showing that explosives ordnance disposal (EOD) police had collected objects believed to be explosive devices at the scene.
Charred remains of five human bodies, one of them a woman, were found on separate underground floors of the hotel. Between 300 and 400 people were injured, mostly suffering rom smoke inhalation, burns and injuries from broken glass and falling debris, Mr Prai said.
Initial reports indicated that the fire was caused by an explosion in the five-star hotel’s gas pipeline system, and officials denied reports of a car bomb.
Songkhla Provincial Administration Organisation president Udon Uthit Choochart told Thai PBS television shortly before 6pm that emergency fire and rescue teams had used cranes to evacuate all people stranded on upper floors between seventh and 33th stories, which house the hotel rooms.
Heavy black smoke was seen billowing out of the underground floors and clouding the sky. Authorities earlier tried to use ventilation fans to clear heat and smoke to help stranded guests flee the hotel but failed due to excessive smoke.
Reports said the air in the underground floors was filled with gas, requiring authorities to wear oxygen masks and take turns in the area, for only 30 minutes maximum at a time.
bangkokpost.
Yala blasts kill 10
31/03/2012 at 09:04 PM
Three bomb attacks minutes apart killed 10 people and wounded more than 100 on Saturday in the heart of Yala in the insurgency-hit far south.
The blasts took place within a 10-minute span near the Ruam Mitr intersection in the main business centre of Yala municipality around noon as families were out shopping, in the most deadly attack in five years in the Muslim-majority South.
A nurse in the emergency unit of Yala provincial hospital told AFP that there were nine dead and 112 wounded people had been admitted, but police later said the death toll had risen to 10.
The Public Health Ministry said 10 people were in critical condition with severe burns.
Officials inspect the wreckage of a car used in Saturday's bombings, which followed a smaller explosion triggered in a motorcycle as a diversion.
The first bomb was hidden in a motorcycle parked outside a karaoke shop, according to local media reports. Insurgents detonated the second and third bombs, which had been hidden in a motorcycle and a car, when the authorities rushed to check the first explosion.
Several shophouses near the blast sites caught fire and many parked cars and motorcycles were damaged by the powerful explosions. Bomb squad officers were seen inspecting the mangled car wreckage at the site of the car bomb as firefighters doused blazes nearby.
Yala Governor Dethrat Simsiri said that many of the injured were hit by the third bomb, hidden in a car, as they gathered at the scene.
Rescue workers helped bloodied victims and searched for other wounded people as smoke filled the street.
The Yala bombing was the worst attack in the Deep South since January last year, when nine people were killed by a bomb in a village in the same province.
The complex insurgency, without clearly stated aims, has plagued the far south near the border with Malaysia since 2004, claiming thousands of lives, both Buddhist and Muslim, with near-daily bomb or gun attacks.
Authorities have imposed emergency rule in the Muslim-majority region, which rights campaigners say effectively gives the army legal immunity.
The military last week admitted that troops had shot dead four Muslim villagers on their way to a funeral due to a "misunderstanding" in late January after apparently fearing they were under attack from militants.
One of the region's deadliest incidents occurred on Oct 25, 2004, when seven people were shot dead as security forces broke up a protest in the town of Tak Bai, and 78 more suffocated or were crushed to death in trucks while being transported to a detention centre.
Rights groups have said the failure of Bangkok-based authorities to hold security forces to account over the deaths has fuelled further violence and alienation in the region.
Elsewhere in the troubled provinces on Saturday, a policeman was injured by a bomb explosion at a food shop near Mae Lan police station in Pattani province, officers said.
The victim was admitted to Pattani hospital but his identity and details of his condition were not available. Police blamed separatist militants.
As well,a villager was killed in an ambush while walking home on a local road in Ban Khok Pan Ton in Pattani’s Mae Lan district late Friday night, reports said.
The victim was identified as Ama Wani, 34, a resident of Ban Khok Pan Ton. He was walking home with his four-year-old son on the local road in the village when gunmen hiding in a roadside forest sprayed bullets at him.
Ama was shot in the head and died on the spot. His son was unhurt.
bangkokpost.
7 dead in Yala blast
31/03/2012 at 02:58 PM
Three bomb attacks killed seven people and wounded dozens more on Saturday in the heart of Yala, the military said.
Blasts such as the one pictured above, in Yala in July 2011, have been a frequent occurrence in the southern insurgency now in its ninth year.
The blasts took place just minutes apart at the Ruam Mitr intersection in the main business centre of Yala municipality around noon on Saturday.
"Seven people are confirmed dead, more than 70 others were wounded in the Yala bomb blasts," Colonel Pramote Promin, a spokesman for the southern army region, told AFP.
"There were three bombs that exploded. The first is a car bomb and the second and third bombs were hidden in motorcycles."
Several shophouses near the blast sites were on fire and many parked cars and motorcycles were damaged by the powerful explosions.
A Yala city policeman said more than 50 wounded had been taken to hospital.
"The bombs went off about 10 minutes apart," he said.
One policeman was wounded in a separate motorcycle bomb attack in Mae Lan district of neighbouring Pattani province, police said.
A complex insurgency, without clearly stated aims, has plagued the far south near the border with Malaysia since 2004, claiming thousands of lives, both Buddhist and Muslim, with near-daily bomb or gun attacks.
Authorities have imposed emergency rule in the Muslim-majority region, which rights campaigners say effectively gives the army legal immunity.
The military last week admitted troops had shot dead four Muslim villagers on their way to a funeral due to a "misunderstanding" in late January after apparently fearing they were under attack from militants.
One of the region's deadliest incidents occurred on October 25, 2004, when seven people were shot dead as security forces broke up a protest in the town of Tak Bai, and 78 more suffocated or were crushed to death in trucks while being transported to a detention centre.
Rights groups have said the failure of Thai authorities to hold security forces to account over the deaths has fuelled further violence and alienation in the region.
The insurgents are not thought to be part of a global jihad movement but are instead rebelling against a long history of perceived discrimination against ethnic Malay Muslims by governments in the Buddhist-majority nation.
Police found two home-made bombs hidden inside two cars parked near the intersection.
It was reported that the explosion also caused a fire in nearby commercial buildings and firefighters were trying to put out the flame.
Elsewhere in the troubled southernmost provinces, a villager was killed in an ambush while walking home on a local road in Ban Khok Pan Ton in Pattani’s Mae Lan district late Friday night, reports said.
The victim was identified as Ama Wani, 34, a resident of Ban Khok Pan Ton.
He was walking home with his four-year-old son on the local road in the village when gunmen hiding in a roadside forest sprayed bullets at him.
Ama was shot in the head and died on the spot. His son was unhurt.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Narathiwat blast wounds two rangers
31/03/2012 at 01:49 AM
Two military ranger volunteers were wounded in a roadside bomb attack yesterday morning in Narathiwat.
Prasan Kaewkhiew, 27, and Nanthawat Konthong, 25, were among 10 volunteer rangers patrolling on foot on Bo Ngo Duzongyo Road in Rangae district when the bomb went off about 8.20am.
They were rushed to a nearby hospital following the explosion which left a 1.2-metre-wide crater measuring just over half a metre deep.
The bomb, which was buried by the side of the road, was a homemade device comprising about 10kg of explosives stuffed in a metal box.
Also in Rangae district, a combined security force raided a cottage in Ban Bangota where a group of men suspected of being key members of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) separatist group were hiding.
The raid at 8am yesterday sparked a gun battle after the security forces were spotted by the occupants approaching the cottage.
At least three of the men managed to flee during the gunfight.
Abdulkaha Jena, 28, a deputy village headman and the owner of the cottage was arrested and taken in for questioning.
Security officials believe the men were meeting at the cottage to plan attacks.
A number of items including a 9mm handgun, camouflage uniforms and mobile phones were found in the cottage, while an M16 rifle was also found hidden in a bush about 50m away.
A security source, meanwhile, says an intelligence unit working in the southern border provinces believes insurgents are now targeting defence volunteers because they want to steal some of the thousands of brand-new M16 rifles recently distributed to them and to police officers.
bangkokpost.
Bombs blast family home
31/03/2012 at 01:46 AM
NARATHIWAT: The family of veteran politician Najmuddin Uma escaped unscathed as assailants attacked their home with two grenades in Rangae district yesterday.
Rosidah Uma, 39, his wife, and their two children were sleeping in their bedroom when two M-79 grenades exploded about 2.45am.
The grenades landed on the roof above Mr Najmuddin's bedroom, exploded and damaged the ceiling. Mr Najmuddin was not home.
Ms Rosidah said she was awakened by the explosions. She woke her children and alerted police. "We were lucky the grenades didn't explode in the bedroom or we would be dead," she said.
Police and forensic experts led by Narathiwat police chief Pol Maj Gen Chote Chawalwiwat inspected the scene.
They found the two grenades landed on the same spot and it is thought they were fired by someone with skill.
Pol Maj Gen Chote said police initially suspected the attack was meant as a threat against Mr Najmuddin.
He works as a security adviser to the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre.
Mr Najmuddin said he had no idea why he was targeted, but he did not feel intimidated or disheartened.
He defected from Pheu Thai to contest the July 3 general election in Constituency 3 for the Matubhum Party.
bangkokpost.
Rangers hurt by Narathiwat bomb
30/03/2012 at 12:57 PM
Two paramilitary rangers were wounded by a bomb explosion on a local road in Narathiwat’s Rangae district while on patrol on Friday morning, reports said.
They were members of a ranger squad patrolling Ban Bongo, moo 4 of tambon Bongo. A 5kg bomb buried under a termite hill near the road was detonated as they passed.
The home-made bomb injured rangers Prasarn Kaewkiew and Nanthawat Konthong. They were taken to Rangae hospital.
A joint police and military force was inspecting the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Ranger killed by Narathiwat bomb
21/03/2012 at 11:01 AM
One ranger was killed and two others and a civilian injured by a bomb explosion in Narathiwat’s Cho Irong district on Wednesday morning, said Pol Lt Col Somchai Singkliang, chief of Cho Irong police station.
A witness told police that he was walking across the railway bridge at Ban Buerangae in tambon Bukit of Cho Irong to the nearby railway teashop when he spotted a suspicious box tied on a pole of the bridge. He reported his finding to L/Corp Matohae Sae, leader of a 20-ranger unit patrolling on foot in the village.
As the rangers walked toward the box the home-made bomb was detonated. Ranger Somchai Kamchun died at the scene while two other rangers were injured and taken to Cho Irong Hospital.
A civilian drinking tea at the teashop was also hurt by shrapnel and taken to the hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Two soldiers hurt by bomb in Pattani
12/03/2012 at 12:00 PM
Two soldiers were wounded by a bomb explosion while providing security for teachers in Pattani's Sai Buri district on Monday morning.
Pol Col Aziz Umayi, the Sai Buri police chief, said the incident occurred shortly before 8am.
As four motorcycles taking eight soldiers from Pattani Task Force 26 went past a motorcycle parked on a road near Ban Joh Kuyae in tambon Tabing, a bomb hidden in the vehicle was detonated by militants hiding nearby.
Two soldiers, Pvt Makayi Yuso, 23, and Pvt Thirapong Hassaro, 23, were hit in the bodt by shrapnel from the explosion.
Police said the motorcycle which carried the bomb was stolen from Sai Buri after a policeman and his son were shot dead in January.
bangkokpost.
Two army outposts attacked in South
9/03/2012 at 11:43 AM
Twelve soldiers were injured when militants attacked two military outposts in Narathiwat’s Bacho district early Friday morning, reports said.
The attackers targeted a military base at Ban Sompoi in tambon Kayomatee of Narathiwat 32 special task force and the operations command post of the Narathiwat 32 special task force inside the building compound of Bacho water works office.
Bacho police received reports on the attacks about 12.30am. Pol Col Nanthadej Yoi-nual, deputy chief of Narathiwat police, led a joint police and military force and bomb disposal team to the incident scenes.
The joint force reported that trees had been felled to block the rural road at Ban Bukebagong about 500 metres from the first outpost. It took an hour to clear way to the outpost.
They they discovered the militants had also used explosives to brng down power poles to block the road . It took another hour to clear a way through the power poles out and dispose of unexploded bombs placed on other power poles.
When the relief force reached the first outpost at Ban Sompoi they reported that a motorcycle parking shelter had been destroyed by an M79 grenade explosion and three motorcycles destroyed by the blaze.
They went on to the command outpost at the district water works office and found that a multipurpose ground in front of the post was also hit by nM79 grenade.
Bullet holes were seen in the building walls and bunkers at the two military posts.
Witnesses told police that about 50 armed militants, divided into three teams, wre involved. The first two teams attacked the two outposts with M79 grenades and assault weapons. The soldiers on duty there fired back.
The third team fell trees and blasted power piles to block the road leading to the outposts to prevent easy reinforcements. The attackers fled after a 20 minutes gunfight.
The 12 soldiers injured in the attacks were identified as:
1. Lt Songkan Kudwongkaew
2. Chief Warrant Officer Kampol Kunpreecha
3. Petty Officer 2nd Class Phunpitak Kiew-ngern
4. Petty Officer 1st Class Thosapol Naewkong
5. Pvt Thanongsak Sabua
6. Pvt Thanasak Ruangpol
7. Pvt Ma-useng Jeram
8. Pvt Apichart Kosorn
9. Pvt Danai Wongyoung
10.Pvt Pramuan Boonsri
11.Pvt Sitthichai Dadda
12.Pvt Narathorn Nittayasith
bangkokpost.
Narathiwat army outpost raids wound 12
10/03/2012 at 03:06 AM
NARATHIWAT : Twelve soldiers were injured early yesterday in brazen attacks on two military outposts in Narathiwat's Bacho district, police said.
Around 50 suspected insurgents, who had spilt into three groups, assaulted two military bases belonging to the Narathiwat 32 special task force at Ban Sompoi in tambon Kayomatee and its operation command centre at the provincial waterworks office in Bacho municipality.
Two of the groups used M79 grenades and rifles during their assaults which led to a 20-minute gun battle with the soldiers, investigators said.
The other group felled several trees and attempted to use bombs to bring down electric power poles to prevent reinforcements reaching the outposts.
It took two hours for a soldier-police force to hear of the attacks and relieve the outpost defenders.
Access was first blocked by the fallen trees and spikes laid across a local road at Ban Bukebagong, about 500 metres from the Ban Sompoi outpost. They were then confronted by a fallen electricity pole and two home-made bombs planted next to other nearby poles.
Investigators said the bombs were on timers and were meant to fell the other power poles, but they failed to explode.
Officers had to use their guns to destroy them before clearing the route to the outposts.
They later found 12 soldiers, mainly privates, suffering from gun and shrapnel wounds.
Three motorcycles and a building at the Ban Sompoi outpost were damaged while the other outpost suffered slight damage, officials said.
Navy chief Adm Surasak Roonroengrom later visited the injured soldiers, who are being treated at Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Hospital.
Two of them are still in critical condition.
Police investigators believe the attackers were attempting to steal weapons for use in future insurgent attacks in the far South.
Deputy Narathiwat police chief Pol Col Nanthadet Yoinuan compared them to an earlier attack on the Ror 15121 army outpost in Ban Marue Botok in Narathiwat's Rangae district on Jan 19.
That attack, which left three soldiers dead, might have had the same objectives as yesterday's attacks, he said.
Officers looking into the two attacks yesterday believe some of the insurgents could be members of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) guerilla group who were involved in the Ror 15121 outpost raid, marine corps special task force chief Capt Somkiat Ponprayun said.
Elsewhere yesterday, suspected insurgents shot dead two defence volunteers at a checkpoint in Ban Kalo in Yala's Raman district and stole their weapons, police said.
The attackers sprayed the checkpoint with bullets from two vehicles, killing Itkama Sato, 42, and Mahama Tongnuyai, 44, instantly.
According to investigators, the assailants, who were dressed like policemen, made off with an M-16 rifle, a Po Lo Yo 11 rifle, a shotgun and three 9mm pistols after the attack.
bangkokpost.
5 killed in South, army rejects Pattani zone
8/03/2012 at 08:35 PM
Four soldiers and a rubber tapper were killed in two separate attacks in Narathiwat and Pattani on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, as army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha came out strongly against the idea of a special administrative zone for the deep South.
The four soldiers were killed and another seriously injured when a bomb exploded on a rural road at Ban Yaba in tambon Rueso of Narathiwat’s Rueso district late on Wednesday night.
Twelve soldiers from the Narathiwat 30 special force were returning to base after providing security for people at Wat Ratsamosorn in tambon Rueso municipality. They were travelling in two pickups. Insurgents detonated a 20kg home-made bomb under one of the vehicles.
Local Buddhists had turned out in large numbers last night to walk with lighted candles in their hands around the temple to mark Makha Bucha Day.
The explosion blew one army vehicle in half, reducing it to a total wreck and instantly killing Sgt Dejpol Saiwannee, Cpl Sompong Kaesanan, Pvt Suwat Ninpak and Pvt Kamol Panthong.
Pvt Suriya Jachalee sustained a serious injury and was taken to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
In Pattani, a rubber tapper was killed in a drive-by shooting on a rural road at moo 4 in tambon Khao Toom of Yarang district early Thursday morning.
Yarang police chief Uthai Thipayasepa said Kamaruding Masae, 42, and his wife, Samasae, were riding a motorcycle back home from their rubber plantation when a gunman riding pillion on another motorcycle fired at them with a 9mm handgun. The attackers then fled.
Pol Col Uthai said Kamaruding was hit twice, in the head and torso, and died at the spot. Mrs Samasae was slightly injured when the motorcycle crashed to the ground.
Police were investigating.
National army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, meanwhile, has voiced his staunch opposition to a proposal for the establishment of a special administrative zone covering Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, termed Pattani Maha Nakhon.
Gen Prayuth said the government had already decentralised administrative power, so it was unnecessary.
He was replyng to questions about a report that Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa, who is in charge of security affairs, had asked various agencies to look into the Pattani Maha Nakhon proposal.
The proposal was made by a Pheu Thai panel chaired by Prasop Bussarakham, a former MP for Udon Thani.
The army chief said he had talked the matter over with Gen Yutthasak yesterday, and the deputy premier said he did not mean to imply that the proposal would be implemented, because it was a matter for the government to decide.
Thailand has already decentralised administrative power through the election of tambon and provincial administration organisations. Provincial governors were still appointed only to represent the central government, Gen Prayuth said.
"More importantly, more than 99 per cent of the people in the area have not called for it (a special administrative zone). Go and ask them and they will say this, unless they are forced to say otherwise. The people in general have not called for it.
"Today, the people have more confidence in the military and the safety of their lives and property. But the other side [those fighting against the government] has tried to erode their confidence in the government and the military. This is simply their line of struggle," Gen Prayuth said.
He said the southernmost provinces already have the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre and Internal Security Operations Command to oversee their administration with several laws, including the emergency decree and Internal Security Act, in effect.
The army chief, whose work concerns national security, said he did not think it necessary to have a special administrative zone for the southern border provinces.
Since the resurgence of the insurgency in January 2004, there have been about 11,000 violent incidents instigated by secessionists in the Muslim-dominated southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, with almost 5,000 people killed and nearly 8,000 injured.
bangkokpost.
4 soldiers killed by Narathiwat bomb
8/03/2012 at 08:32 PM
Four soldiers were killed and another seriously injured when a bomb exploded on a rural road at Ban Yaba in tambon Rueso of Narathiwat’s Rueso district late on Wednesday night, reports said.
Twelve soldiers of Narathiwat 30 special force were returning from providing security for people at Wat Ratsamosorn in tambon Rueso municipality in two pickup trucks when a 20kg home-made bomb was detonated.
Buddhist people turned out last night to walk with lighted candles in their hands around the temple to mark Makha Bhucha Day.
The explosion blew one pickup into two pieces and instantly killed Sgt Dejpol Saiwannee, Cpl Sompong Kaesanan, Pvt Suwat Ninpak and Pvt Kamol Panthong.
Pvt Suriya Jachalee sustained a serious wound and was taken to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
2 soldiers hurt in Yala bomb
6/03/2012 at 10:39 AM
Two soldiers providing security for teachers were seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Yala’s Krong Penang district on Tuesday morning, said Pol Col Samniang Luechiangkam, chief of Krong Penang police station.
The soldiers were members of a security unit patrolling a local road at Ban Kuwa in tambon Huay Krating of Krong Penang district at about 6.30am when the bomb went off.
Sgt Maj Preecha Kongphakdee, 52, and Lance Corp Thongchai Boonchuay, 23, were seriously wounded and taken to Krong Penang hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
8 wounded by Tak Bai bomb
5/03/2012 at 03:24 PM
Four soldiers and four civilians, one of them a Malaysian man, were wounded by a bomb that went off at a roadside shelter near a fresh market in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat province on Monday morning.
Pol Capt Boonsak Nooman, the duty officer at Tak Bai police station, said he was informed of the incident about 10.30am.
Pol Col Nanthadet Yoinual, the Narathiwat deputy police chief, Somsak Sithiworakarn, the Tak Bai district chief, Pol Col Nitinai Langyanai, the Tak Bai police chief, led a team including forensic police to scene, the Ban Taba market opposite a marine police station.
According to accounts from eyewitnesses, after comopleting a patrol around the market, the 12 members of a unit led by Mst-Sgt Thammakorn Chamram took a rest under roadside shelter where a number of villagers were also sitting.
A bomb planted under the roof of the shelter was remotely detonated. The explosion injured four soldiers and four civilians. They were all admitted to Tak Bai Hospital.
The wounded soldiers are Mst-Sgt Thammakorn, the patrol leader, Pvt Likit Thanomsombat, Pvt Chakrapong Thepsena, and Pvt Phusit Basri, all from the Narathiwat Task Force 36.
The wounded civilians included two men, identified as Sanadi Dolo, 37, and Paosi Awae, the Malaysian, and two women identified as Meeno Boonchan, 54, and Nida Daraman.
The shelter was badly damaged by the 5kg improvised bomb which was placed in a steel box.
bangkokpost.
Insurgency to end 'within 2 years'
4TH ARMY CHIEF CONFIDENT OF PEACEFUL RESOLUTION IN DEEP SOUTH
4/03/2012 at 02:30 AM
The southern insurgency will be brought under control within a year or two at the most, said Fourth Army chief Udomchai Thammasarorat yesterday.
Gen Udomchai's prediction was at odds with speculation by others that it would take another 20 or 30 years for the conflict in the region to end.
Authorities have received better cooperation from local communities, allowing them access to all areas to provide security, he said.
Gen Udomchai added that security forces had also stepped up public relations campaigns to gain more trust from local residents.
"I expect we will be able to control the situation in the next couple of years," he said.
The commander cited a significant decline in membership of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) separatist group, blamed for frequent violent attacks in the far South.
The RKK had 10,000 members eight years ago but the latest estimates put its membership at half that.
The remaining members are mostly junior operatives who launch sabotage operations such as setting fire to targeted locations and scattering spikes on the roads to halt rescue efforts, Gen Udomchai said.
Insurgent groups worked to cause divisions between the military and villagers. They picked on blunders in security missions and cast the authorities in a negative light with the aim to drive them out of communities.
In a recent incident, a recorded sex act between an army private and a 16-year-old Muslim girl in Pattani became an issue rallying public anger towards the military.
"Villagers are being incited to demand the withdrawal of troops from their villages," Gen Udomchai said.
However, the army has insisted on maintaining its security presence.
"When there is an allegation against the military, I ask that the people not jump to conclusions," he said.
Military personnel are barred from having intimate relationships with local people while on a mission. In the latest case, the private was disciplined and is awaiting prosecution although both he and the girl may be equally to blame, the commander said.
In Yala yesterday, a suspected militant was caught when a joint military-police unit raided a house in Muang district.
Amad Usni Bakoh, 24, was taken from the house in tambon Lammai. He is wanted on two arrest warrants for allegedly running a criminal syndicate.
The unit also searched a nearby house and arrested an unidentified man believed to be member of a separatist group. The house was previously occupied by insurgent suspect Hamdi Tohluboh, who was arrested on Feb 22.
bangkokpost.
Bomb, shooting, fires in far South
1/03/2012 at 05:28 PM
Two soldiers and an assistant village chief were wounded in attacks in Narathiwat and Yala provinces on Thursday morning as a series of fires blamed on arsonists blazed up in apparently coordinated attacks in neighbouring Pattani.
In Narathiwat, militants detonated a home-made bomb while a pick-up truck with six soldiers on board was heading for Kuching Rupa village in tambon Chalerm of Rangae district on psy-ops duty.
Sub-Lt Rapeepat Mongkol, 25, the team leader, and Sgt Sompot Noochan, 32, were wounded. The vehicle was damaged.
In Yala, Makruri Mani, 40, the assistant headman of a village in tambon Purong of Krong Pinang district, was walking to a teashop in his village when a gunman riding pillion on a motorcycle fired at him twice.
He was hit in the arm and was taken to Yala hospital. Police were investigating.
Fires broke out almost simultaneously at six different locations in Pattani province - two each in Muang, Khok Pho and Sai Buri districts - early Thursday morning.
In Muang district, a fire began in the consumer goods section of Super Department Store on Phiphit road in the business centre of Pattani town about 1am.
Three fire engines were rushed to the scene and the fire was brought under control in about 20 minutes after causing damage to part of the building and some stock.
The damage was initially estimated at one million baht.
Abdulloh Naelee, a security guard, said he heard an explosion before seeing the fire and smoke.
Police said later the fire was caused by an incendiary bomb thrown into the store.
About the same time, another fire occurred in the front of Big C superstore on Nong Chik road in tambon Rusamilae of Muang district.
The fire was quickly put out by security guards after causing slight damage to some children's clothing.
In Khok Pho district, the first fire was in a warehouse of Tanin Parawood Co at Ban Tharua, and the second on the first floor of KP Minimart in the Khok Pho municipality. The damage was being assessed.
Pattani governor Theera Mintrasak said each of the four fires in Muang and Khok Pho districts was started by an incendiary bomb.
In Sai Buri district, a fire broke out at a highway office on Route 42 (Pattani-Narathiwat) at Ban Kalapho in tambon Trobon.
The fire partly damaged the highway office and another building nearby.
A hand grenade was also found inside a can and disposed of by police on arriving at the scene.
Another fire was set against the tyres of an 18-wheel truck parked on a road at Ban Joh Kuyae in tambon Tabing, causing little damage.
The truck belonged to Pattani Sahaphan Kosang Co, a construction contractor.
Police believed the arson was the work of southern militants.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 8,400 hurt in the three southern border provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch - an agency that monitors the conflict in the far South.
bangkokpost.
3 wounded in Narathiwat, Yala
1/03/2012 at 02:09 PM
Two soldiers and an assistant village chief were wounded in two attacks, one each in Narathiwat and Yala provinces, on Thursday.
In Narathiwat, militants detonated a home-made bomb while a pick-up truck with six soldiers on board was heading for Kuching Rupa village in tambon Chalerm of Rangae district on psy-ops duty.
Sub-Lt Rapeepat Mongkol, 25, the team leader, and Sgt Sompot Noochan, 32, were wounded. The vehicle was damaged.
In Yala, Makruri Mani, 40, the assistant headman of a village in tambon Purong of Krongpinang district, was shot at by gunmen while delivering some articles to a tea shop early this morning.
He was hit in the left arm. Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Six arson attacks in Pattani
1/03/2012 at 01:17 PM
Fires broke out almost simultaneously at six different locations in Pattani province - two each in Muang, Khok Pho and Sai Buri districts - early Thursday morning.
In Muang district, a fire began in the consumer goods section of Super Department Store on Phiphit road in the business centre of Pattani town about 1am.
Three fire engines were rushed to the scene and the fire was brought under control in about 20 minutes after causing damage to part of the building and some stock.
The damage was initially estimated at 1 million baht.
Abdulloh Naelee, a security guard, said he heard an explosion before seeing the fire and smoke.
Police said later the fire was caused by an incendiary bomb thrown into the store.
About the same time, another fire occurred in the front of Big C superstore on Nong Chik road in tambon Rusamilae of Muang district.
The fire was quickly put out by security guards after causing slight damage to some children's clothing.
In Khok Pho district, the first fire was in a warehouse of Tanin Parawood Co at Ban Tharua, and the second on the first floor of KP Minimart in the Khok Pho municipality. The damage was being assessed.
Pattani governor Theera Mintrasak said each of the four fires in Muang and Khok Pho districts were started by an incendiary bomb.
In Sai Buri district, a fire broke out at a highway office on Route 42 (Pattani-Narathiwat) at Ban Kalapho in tambon Trobon.
The fire partly damaged the highway office and another building nearby.
A hand grenade was also found inside a can and disposed of by police on arriving at the scene.
Another fire was set against the tyres of an 18-wheel truck parked on a road at Ban Joh Kuyae in tambon Tabing, causing little damage.
The truck belonged to Pattani Sahaphan Kosang Co, a construction contractor.
Police believed the arson was the work of southern militants.
bangkokpost.
Militant killed in Yala shootout
28/02/2012 at 11:25 AM
A wanted separatist militant was killed in a clash with soldiers of No 12 special task force in tambon Jakua of Yala’s Raman district early Tuesday morning, police said.
The soldiers early this morning surrounded a house at Ban Pulasanor in tambon Jakua after receiving an intelligence report that separatist militants were hiding there.
As they were approaching the targeted house three armed men ran out and opened fired at the soldiers, who fired back. There was a brief gunfight as they fled. The soldiers later found the dead body of Masahudee Samae, 29, at the scene. The other two men managed to escape.
Police said Masahudee was wanted on several arrest warrants on charges relating to threatening national security.
The soldiers later searched a house nearby and found Tameesi Kaba hiding in a toilet room. They also found one bullet-proof vest. Tameesi was taken to Jakua police station for questioning.
bangkokpost.
4 soldiers hurt by school bombs
23/02/2012 at 01:07 PM
Four soldiers were wounded when three bombs exploded at a shelter inside a school's grounds in Yala's Yaha district on Thursday morning.
Police said six soldiers from Yala Task Force 14 who were on a security patrol went into the shelter inside the grounds of Samakkhi School in tambon Patae to take a rest. Three bombs which had been planted there were detonated simultaneously about 9.30am.
The explosions wounded four soldiers and wrecked the shelter. the schoolchildren were all in their classrooms about 200 metres away at the time.
The improvised bombs, made of gas cylinders, weighed about 10kg in total, police said.
bangkokpost.
Thailand should allow mediators in the deep South
The Nation February 23, 2012 1:00 am
If the southern insurgency is ever to end, the Thai government must accept the help of outsiders who also want to see peace in the region
News that Thailand and Malaysia are willing to work together to bring permanent peace to Thailand's southernmost provinces, which are plagued by an ongoing insurgency that has no end in sight, is welcome indeed.
How the two countries are going to achieve this goal is anybody's guess, but let's hope the two leaders, Yingluck Shinawatra and her Malaysian counterpart, Najib Razak, weren't just going through the motions when they said what they believe the public wants to hear.
According to sources in the government, there are some encouraging signs and an understanding that the two countries are seriously looking for ways to cooperate on this matter.
In the past, especially during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration, relations between the two countries hit some low points. At one time the southern conflict had threatened to bring Asean to its knees as Thaksin threatened to walk out of the annual Asean summit in Vientiane if any one of his counterparts talked about the massacre in Tak Bai - an incident in which 85 people died at the hands of Thai security officials.
Seven were shot dead at the protest site and 78 died of suffocation after military authorities stacked them one on top of another in the back of military trucks.
To date, no one has been punished, and the culture of impunity among security officials continues, driving a bigger wedge between the Malay-Muslims in the southernmost provinces and the Thai state. Part of the reason why the authorities get away with murder, literally in many cases,
is because the vast majority of the Thai public is indifferent to the plight and historical grievances of the Malays of Patani.
Historical ties between Siam and the Malays of Patani have always been shaped by warfare and mistrust. But the two sides succeeded in establishing a comfort level, at least in the first six decades after the Malay-speaking South came under Bangkok's direct rule. Things fell apart when Thailand imposed racist and ethno-centric policies at the expense of the Patani Malays' cultural and religious identity.
Thailand prided itself on being able to integrate migrants into a state-constructed identity we called "Thai". But Thailand conveniently overlooked the fact that, unlike the migrants, the Malays of Patani have always been where they are, centuries before the first generation of prominent "Thai" families got their citizenship.
Like other countries, Thailand's nation-state has drawn up colonial boundaries and expects all people in every community inside them to go along with the state-constructed identity.
There is not a single country in Southeast Asia that hasn't experienced problems with nation-state building. Some have experienced armed insurgency. Burma has engaged in peace talks with its numerous rebel groups, while the Philippines government is negotiating with the Moros of Mindanao. Indonesia is mostly at peace now, but like all governments in the region,
Jakarta understands that a comfort level between the state and minority groups is something that has to be managed and/or negotiated.
For southern Thailand, the strategy has always been two pronged - military action and development that aims to win the hearts and minds of the local population. Simply put, Thailand thinks it can buy off the Malays of Patani. Needless to say, the policy has failed miserably,
and this may explain why the Yingluck government is finally reaching out to neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia to help with establishing some sort of peace process. In real terms, this means facilitating peace talks with the separatists.
Kuala Lumpur has some experience in conflict mediation, namely in Mindanao and Aceh. But many Thai security officials, especially the military top brass, do not see Kuala Lumpur as an honest broker because of its proximity.
But the real challenge is how to get buy-in from the local Malay Muslims in the deep South. For any peace process to have a chance of success, the Malays of Patani must have ownership. Outsiders have dictated to them for too long.
It's time that they had a greater say in the process so that their place in the Thai state is understood and appreciated. The question is: Will Thailand permit the Patani Malays a place at the table?
nationmultimedia.
Rangers hurt by Narathiwat bomb
22/02/2012 at 01:19 PM
Four paramilitary rangers were injured by a bomb explosion on a road in Narathiwat’s Cho Irong district on Wednesday morning, said Cho Irong police chief Suthon Sukwiseth.
Pol Col Suthon said the home-made bomb exploded about 9.10am while rangers of a security unit were patrolling on Cho Irong-Pa Phai road at Ban Buloyoh in tambon Chuab of Cho Irong.
Four rangers were wounded and later taken to Cho Irong hospital - Pornchai Ruangarun, Arun Suaysod and Montri Kraiprab.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Insurgents shot dead in far South
21/02/2012 at 06:29 PM
Four insurgents and a former separatist insurgent have been killed in three separate incidents in the far South since Monday night.
Three insurgents were killed and three soldiers wounded when paramilitary rangers clashed with a group of militants in Pattani’s Panare district on Tuesday, reports said.
The fight began at about 11am when members of No 44 Paramilitary Ranger Unit were patrolling the Panare-Saiburi road at moo 2 in tambon Thakham, and lasted about 25 minutes.
After the militants withdrew the rangers found two bodies and two AK47 assault rifles.
Three rangers were wounded in the shooting and taken to hospital.
The rangers were hunting for the attackers.
In Narathiwat's Ruso district, a former member of the Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo) insurgent movement was found murdered in a rubber plantation, police said.
The body of Tore Chewaemuro, 53, of tambon Riang, Ruso district, was discovered in a plantation near Ban Tulo early this morning.
His body was riddled with bullets. Two spent shotgun cartridges were found near his body.
Police said Tore was formerly a member of Pulo, a Muslim separatist movement that is no longer active.
The man had been approached many times to join the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK), a separatist movement now very active in the South, after several key RKK members were killed in clashes with government forces, but had refused to do so.
In Narathiwat's Si Sakhon district, a core member of the RKK was killed in a clash with paramilitary rangers on Monday night, reports said.
More than 100 rangers of a special force of the Internal Security Operations Command, Region 4, raided a forest behind Ban Kampong Ngae in tambon Si Sakhon of Si Sakhon district last night after receiving a report that about 10 RKK insurgents were hiding there.
When the RKK members learned that they were surrounded they opened fired on the rangers, who fired back.
After a 10-minute gunfight the RKK militants fled. Rangers searched the scene and found the body of Abdulromae Jehnae, 44, a resident of Ban Ikasae in Si Sakhon and a .357 calibre pistol. He had been shot several times in the body and died at the scene.
Abdulromae was a key member of RKK and wanted on arrest warrants on charges of murdering state officials.
One ranger, Sgt Rithidej Sriruangdej, was seriously wounded. He was shot in the neck and taken to Si Sakhon hospital.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 8,400 hurt in the three southern border provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in Jan 2004, according to Deep South Watch, an agency that monitors the conflict in the far South.
bangkokpost.
Soldier wounded by Yala bombing
17/02/2012 at 10:53 AM
A soldier in a unit providing security for teachers was seriously injured by a bomb explosion on a road in Yala’s Yaha district on Friday morning, said Pol Col Narin Busaman, chief of Yaha police station.
Private Chakkris Raksanual, 21, and other eight soldiers were patrolling on foot on Yaha-La Air road at Ban Pajor in Yaha when a home-made bomb planted under the road surface exploded.
He sustained serious shrapnel wounds to his torso and was taken to Yaha hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Abhisit warns South conflict is escalating
Compensation scheme 'may make things worse'
14/02/2012 at 12:00 AM
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has warned of an escalation in the southern insurgency if the government does not follow through with its promise to compensate victims of the violence.
Mr Abhisit said yesterday that while a government-appointed committee has agreed to pay up to 7.5 million baht in compensation for each case of death in the far South during the past eight years, the cabinet has not made a resolution on the issue yet.
He added that any inconsistency will create confusion.
Mr Abhisit questioned the scope of the compensation, claiming many people would wrongly think they were also eligible for compensation.
He cited as examples relatives of victims of the May 1992 crackdown or people whose property was damaged, and victims of extra-judicial killings during the past drug wars.
He said a compensation scheme that discriminates between victims would worsen conflicts in the South.
Mr Abhisit also urged the government to confirm if it could afford the overall compensation. He said compensation for about 5,000 cases would cost the government 30-40 billion baht.
More importantly, he pointed out the comptroller-general admitted there was no law to support the payments.
''I would like the government to think seriously. Any decision-making must be done carefully and based on the principle that it is explicable to the public. If a measure is approved only to relax the atmosphere, it will turn out to be a problem,'' Mr Abhisit said.
Meanwhile, Pol Col Thawee Sodsong, secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, said compensation would go to victims of state abuse dating back to January 2004, and people can have representatives take part in calculating the compensation.
The payments would be capped at 7.5 million baht for each death. The amount will be lower for other less serious cases and anyone with a criminal record would not be eligible for compensation, he said.
Also yesterday, the government appointed more members to the southern violence reparation committee, which is headed by Justice Minister Pracha Promnok.
Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit was appointed as adviser to the committee, deputy spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ad said.
Education Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech, Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri and Social Development and Human Security Minister Santi Prompat were named as vice-chairmen. The appointments were effective from Friday.
Meanwhile, a bomb buried in the road exploded and injured 10 paramilitary rangers in Bannang Sata district of Yala province.
The blast occurred at 1.30pm yesterday. The device was in a 15kg gas cylinder and was detonated on Ban Tuera-Ngo Kapo Road when the rangers were leaving their base in Ban Tuera village to go on patrol. The attack occurred about 1km from their base and the explosion tore their pickup in half.
Four of the rangers were seriously wounded and transferred from Bannang Sata Hospital to Yala Hospital.
Meanwhile, a report released by the Pattani campus of the Prince of Songkla University has found violence in the far South has restricted agricultural and industrial growth in the region and the economy now depends on government spending.
The government has spent 63 billion baht on development projects in the region, but the benefits are centred on people close to community leaders, the report said.
bangkokpost.
10 rangers wounded by bomb in Yala
13/02/2012 at 05:46 PM
Ten paramilitary rangers were wounded by a bomb explosion while on patrol in Yala's Bannang Sata district on Monday afternoon.
Police said the incident occurred at about 1.30pm when a 10-man unit from Ranger Company 4116 was patrolling the road between Bang Lang dam and Ngokapo village in tambon Bannang Sata.
As their vehicle was passing Ban Tache, a bomb buried in the road was detonated by militants.
The explosion damaged the pickup truck and wounded all of the rangers on board, four of them seriously.
bangkokpost.
One dead, 15 hurt by bombs in South
9/02/2012 at 02:51 PM
A bomb concealed in a parked vehicle exploded and killed one person and wounded 13 others in Pattani, and a roadside bomb injured two soldiers in Narathiwat on Thursday morning.
Police said the explosion in Pattani occurred about 8.07am. The bomb was hidden inside a pick-up truck parked in front of the provincial public health office.
The man who died in the blast was Manit Uma, a retired government official.
Six men, five women and two girls were injured, hit by flying debris. One of them was in a critical condition.
They were rushed to Pattani hospital. Three of them remained in the hospital this evening.
Part of the provincial public health office building and at least 10 cars were damaged in the blast.
Police said the pick-up truck that exploded had a fake licence plate. It belonged to a Pattani resident who was shot and injured by insurgents on Nov 17, 2011. Following the attack, they stole her vehicle.
The pickup had been parked outside the office building for two days, police said.
Later this morning, two soldiers were injured by a roadside bomb in Narathiwat's Bajoh district.
Police said the five-kilogramme bomb was detonated by remote control as six soldiers on motorcycles were returning to their base after providing security for teachers.
The explosion created a 60-centimetre wide, 40-centimetre deep hole in the road.
The two wounded soldiers were rushed to hospital.
Police were investigating.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and over 8,400 hurt in the three southern border provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch - an agency that monitors the conflict in the far South.
bangkokpost.
Narathiwat bomb injures soldiers
9/02/2012 at 11:10 AM Online news:
Two soldiers were injured by a roadside bomb in Narathiwat's Bajoh district on Thursday morning.
Police said the five-kilogramme bomb was detonated by remote control as six soldiers on motorcycles were returning to their base after providing security for teachers.
The explosion created a 60-centimetre wide, 40-centimetre deep hole in the road.
The two wounded soldiers were rushed to hospital.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
1 killed by Pattani car bomb
9/02/2012 at 09:47 AM
One person was killed and eight others injured when a bomb hidden inside a car parked in front of Pattani provincial public health office exploded on Thursday morning, reports said.
The explosion took place about 8.07am, according to the reports.
The injured victims, one in critical condition, were taken to Pattani hospital.
Part of the provincial public health office building at least ten cars were damaged in the explosion.
Police were inspecting the incident scene.
bangkokpost.
2 volunteers killed in Yala
5/02/2012 at 10:43 AM
Two defence volunteers were killed in an ambush by southern militants while leaving their base to escort monks on an alms-taking round in Muang district of Yala province early Sunday morning.
Police said the incident took place at about 6am at the mouth of Soi Berseng 7 in tambon Sateng.
While the two volunteers - Supat Inthanok, 30, and Ronnachit Praiduang, 26 - were leaving their base near Soi Berseng 7 on a motorcycle a number of armed men waiting on a pick-up truck opened fire at them with AK47 and M16 rifles.
The two volunteers were shot in the head while trying to fight back. When they fell onto the ground, seriously injured, the militants took away two AK47 rifles and a .38 pistol from them before fleeing on the pick-up truck.
While fleeing, the militants strewed metal spikes on the road to prevent them being followed.
Supat and Ronnachit died later at hospital.
bangkokpost.
33 killed in far South in January
3/02/2012 at 03:29 PM
A total of 33 people were killed and 41 others injured in 55 incidents of violence in the far South in January, the Deep South Watch Centre at Prince of Songkla University, Pattani campus, reported on Friday.
The violence involved car, motorcycle and roadside bombs, ambushes, drive-by shootings and arson, the centre reported.
Of the death total, 17 victims were ordinary villagers and the others kamnan and village chiefs (4), village defence volunteers (4), soldiers (3), state employees (2), a policeman, one member of a tambon administration organisation, and a teenager aged about 15.
The injuries included 16 soldiers, 14 villagers, 6 defence volunteers, one teacher, one student, one village headman, one state employee and one teenager, the centre said.
There were no details of insurgent casualties.
bangkokpost.
South shooting sparks outrage
Military rangers deny they targetted innocents
31/01/2012 at 12:00 AM
The military is backing rangers who shot dead four Muslims and injured four after angry locals claimed innocent people had been targetted.
The shooting, in Pattani's Nong Chik district on Sunday night, took place as military rangers were chasing suspected insurgents who attacked the 4302 military ranger base at Ban Namdum in tambon Pulo Puyo in the district around 8.30pm. Nine Muslim men were travelling in a pickup truck when they were stopped by military rangers on highway No.418 near Moo 1 of Ban Kayi in tambon Pulo Puyo and were fired upon by the officers.
Authorities claimed someone in the vehicle opened fire on the rangers, prompting them to return fire, killing four and injuring four on the vehicle. One person managed to escape unhurt.
The four dead people were identified as Ropa Bueraheng, 18, Isaman Dueramae, 55, Saha Samae, 62, and Hama Sani, 65. The four injured were the driver, Ya Dueramae, 58, Ma-ae Doloh, 76, Maruding Waekaji, 15, and Sobree Bueraheng, 19. Adbullah Ni, 15, was the only one of the survivors who managed to escape unhurt.
The injured were taken to Nong Chik hospital and were reported to be making a swift recovery. Mr Ya was discharged yesterday.
The four dead people were buried yesterday at a Muslim cemetery in a funeral ceremony attended by many local Muslims.
The incident caused outrage among residents and relatives of the dead and injured, who said the military had overreacted and tried to brand innocent people as insurgents.
Mr Maruding, one of the injured, said his group was coming back from prayers at a funeral at Ban Thung Pho in tambon Lipa Sa-ngo in Non Chik district. He said it was very dark when the pickup truck reached the scene where the vehicle was called to stop. Mr Maruding said a burst of gunfire broke out as the pickup slowed down.
"I had no idea who shot us and we did not shoot back because we did not carry any firearms," he said. "I had to run for my life. I don't know why they had to shoot us."
Maj Gen Akara Thiprojana, deputy director of the forward command of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4, said yesterday armed suspected militants fired three M79 grenades at the military ranger base around 8.30pm on Sunday.
The assailants fled in a pickup truck, prompting military rangers to send forces to try to intercept the vehicle, Maj Gen Akara said.
Around 8.50pm, a pickup reached the scene, with two motorcycles riding alongside. When the rangers waved them down, the pickup truck was moving backwards from the checkpoint until it went off the road and into a roadside ditch, Maj Gen Akara said. The two motorcycles turned back and managed to escape.
He said when the rangers tried to search the pickup, one of the passengers opened fire, prompting the rangers to return fire. After the gunfight ended, the rangers found four people dead and four injured.
Two firearms, an AK-47 and a 11mm pistol, were discovered in the vehicle, Maj Gen Akara said.
He said the firearms and the vehicle could serve as evidence to find its owners and those involved.
He said it has not yet been confirmed if all of those in the vehicle were linked with the insurgency, pending the results of forensic tests.
However, he said those in the pickup truck might have been used by insurgents as human shields. Maj Gen Akara said the insurgents who attacked the military base might have used the vehicle to escape and innocent people could have been victims of the insurgents' subterfuge.
Areas in Nong Chik district have been dominated by insurgent groups led by Masore Dueraman and Lukman Ustasae, Maj Gen Akara said.
Maj Gen Akara said the rangers had now been sent to meet local people, particularly the angry relatives of the dead and the injured, to try to explain the situation to them.
Deputy Prime Minister Gen Yutthasak Sasiprapa, who oversees national security, said the four dead people were not civilians. Gen Yutthasak said the rangers were attacked first by assailants with an M79 grenade launcher.
"The suspects claimed they were on their way to a religious ceremony. That was just an excuse. Why would you need to bring so many weapons to a religious event?" he said.
bangkokpost.
Defence volunteer slain in Narathiwat
29/01/2012 at 10:27 AM
A defence volunteer was killed in an ambush in front of the mosque in Bacho district of Narathiwat late Saturday night, Pol Lt Phakinai Sricharoen, duty officer at Bacho police station, said on Sunday.
Witnesses told police investigators that Arsae Kade, 45, a defence volunteer of the district, was returning home from prayers at the village mosque when gunmen hidden in roadside forest fired on him with M16 assault rifle. The assailants then fled.
Arsae took three bullets in his torso and died instantly at the spot.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
District chief escapes Narathiwat bomb
26/01/2012 at 02:01 PM
The Rangae district chief escaped unhurt from a bomb intended to take his life in Narathiwat province on Thursday morning.
The bomb went off about 9am on a road along the railway track near Ban Hulu Pare in tambon Tanyongmas while Supawaris Phetkarn, the Rangae district chief, and four defence volunteers were travelling on a pick-up truck to Chulabhorn Pattana village in tambon Bongo.
The district chief was to chair the opening of a civic programme at the village.
Mr Supawaris said as his vehicle was approaching Ban Hulu Pare a bomb buried on the road was detonated, apparently by radio.
The explosion damaged the district officer's vehicle and a car which was coming in a different direction, leaving a big hole on the road.
The district chief and the defence volunteers were not hurt.
bangkokpost.
Village guard slain in Yala
26/01/2012 at 11:06 AM
A village defence volunteer was shot dead in Yala’s Yaha district on Thursday morning, said Pol Lt Piyasak Srimuang, duty officer at Yaha police station.
Pol Lt Piyasak said he received a report from Yaha hospital that one man, shot and seriously injured, was taken to the hospital and died soon after admission.
Police investigators went to the hospital and viewed the dead body. The victim, who took two bullets, in his head and torso, was laying in an emergency room. He was identified as Hama Nicha, 52, a village guard of Ban Kela in tambon Baroh of Yaha district.
Witnesses told police that Hama was driving his motorcycle back home from prayers at the village mosque when two men on another motorcycle asked him to stop for a talk.
While they were talking the man riding pillion drew out a handgun and shot at him twice. The assailants then fled.
Villagers alerted by the sound of gunfire found Hama lying on the road. They took him to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Shooting, bombing in Pattani
19/01/2012 at 05:03 PM
A state employee was shot dead on the Manang Dalam-Kapho road near a village in tambon Karubi in Pattani's Kapho district this afternoon.
He was identified as Vorasit Phuenpha, 39, a local state employee,.
Eyewitnesses told police the man was travelling on a motorcycle and was attacked by two men on another motorcyle and shot by the pillion rider with a pistol.
He was hit three times in the body. The attack happened about 1pm.
About 2.30pm, a bomb exploded at the parking area for motorcycles in front of Pattana Islam School in Muang district of Pattani, damaging three motorcycles but inflicting no casualties.
Pol Col Somporn Meesuk, the Muang district police chief, said Mustopa Matrudin, 26, a teacher at the school and the owner of one of the damaged motorcycles, told police that some people saw two young men arrive on a motorcycle, put an object under his vehicle's seat and leave shortly before the bomb went off.
bangkokpost.
Policeman, young son slain in Pattani
17/01/2012 at 11:12 AM
A policeman and his teenage son were killed in a shooting in Pattani’s Saiburi district on Tuesday morning, Pol Col Arsis Ausmayi, chief of Saiburi police station, said.
Sen Sgt Maj Sathaporn Kongphut, 50, of Saiburi police station, was standing with his son, Patcharapol, 14, waiting for a school passenger van on Tha Sadej road in tambon Taluban when gunmen in a pickup truck fired at them with a 9mm pistol and M16 assault rifle.
The victims were hit in the head and torso and died on the spot.
The killers took the dead policeman's 9mm pistol and his motorcycle with them when they fled.
Police blamed separatist militants.
More than 5,000 people have been killed and about 9,000 injured in the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004.
bangkokpost.
Soldier wounded by Yala bomb
8/01/2012 at 12:17 PM
A soldier was seriously injured in a roadside bomb explosion in Yala’s Than To district on Sunday morning, police said.
Six soldiers on three motorcycles were patrolling on the local road in Ban Bor Hin of Than To when the roadside bomb was detonated.
Private Suwit Kanmuang, 22, was hit in his torso by shrapnel and taken to Than To hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
South's seemingly lost cause
8/01/2012 at 12:00 AM
More than 160 billion baht has been spent to deal with violence in the southermost provinces since it flared up eight years ago with little success to show for it, a security expert said.
Chaiyong Maneerungsakul, a member of the Advisory Council for Peace Building in the Southern Border Provinces, said successive governments, through the armed forces and security agencies, have spent 161.2 billion baht on resolving the southern conflict. The largest budget, more than 27 billion baht, was allocated in 2009.
Mr Chaiyong said more than 16 billion baht has been set aside for security operations this year in the restive South, while more than one billion baht has been spent on compensation and remedial measures for victims of the violent conflict.
The insurgency flared on Jan 4, 2004, when a group of armed militants raided an armoury of the 4th development battalion in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district of and made off with a huge cache of war weapons.
The raid marked the renewal of insurgent violence in the southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and some districts of Songkhla. The violence has continued ever since with few signs of abating. Mr Chaiyong said the southern violence has claimed more than 5,000 lives and resulted in more than 10,000 injuries. The death toll includes ordinary citizens, religious leaders, Buddhist monks, local government officers, teachers, policemen and soldiers.
The southern conflict has also left more than 2,000 women widowed and more than 4,000 children orphaned.
A total of 1,629 firearms have been stolen and used against state authorities and civilians since the raid. Only 484 have been retrieved so far, Mr Chaiyong said.
He said various agencies have been set up to cope with the southern insurgency. But it appears there is little they can do to contain the violence.
He also noted that state authorities have been given authority under the emergency rule imposed in the region to carry out raids and arrest and investigate people suspected of being involved in insurgency.
However, 75% of the cases brought against suspects have been dismissed by the courts because of a lack of evidence.
Over the past eight years, only one case has been fought through to the Supreme Court. The court eventually acquitted the suspect.
The state had to spend about 1.5 million baht to pursue the case, Mr Chaiyong said.
A government source said Pol Col Thawee Sodsong, the newly-appointed secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, plans to pay compensation to all victims of violence in the southernmost provinces and to give amnesty to those charged in connection with political cases.
bangkokpost.
Three killed in Narathiwat attacks
6/01/2012 at 05:48 PM Online news: Security
Three people were killed in two separate attacks in the southern border province of Narathiwat on Friday morning.
Sungai Kolok police chief Chakkraporn Thaengthong said a man was killed and his wife wounded in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok district this morning.
The victims were identified as Rohaya Cheteh, 32, a teacher of Ban Lalae school in tambon Puyoh of the district, and her husband Abdul Arwae Cheteh, 51.
They were travelling in a pickup truck to Sungai Kolok municipality about 5am when a man riding pillion on a motorcycle fired at them with an 11mm handgun. The assailants fled.
Rohaya was shot in her right hand while Abdul Arwae took several bullets in his torso.
The victims were taken to Sungai Kolok hospital, where Abdul was later pronounced dead.
In another incident, two defence volunteers were killed and three others seriously injured in an attack by gunmen in Narathiwat’s Rueso district, reports said.
The volunteers were guarding a garment factory in Ban Yalae Boh in Rueso when the gunmen opened fire at them, the reports said.
Joint military and police force were inspecting the spot, according to the reports.
More than 4,800 people have been killed and about 9,000 hurt in the three southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004
bangkokpost.
Defence volunteers killed in South
6/01/2012 at 10:46 AM
Two defence volunteers were killed and three others seriously injured in an attack by gunmen in Narathiwat’s Rueso district on Friday morning, reports said.
The volunteers were guarding a garment factory in Ban Yalae Boh in Rueso when the gunmen opened fire at them, the reports said.
Joint military and police force were inspecting the spot, according to the reports.
bangkokpost.
Soldiers, rangers hurt in gunfights, bomb blasts
31/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
Seven soldiers and paramilitary rangers were injured in bomb, grenade and gunfire attacks in Pattani and Yala provinces yesterday.
The bomb squad inspects a crater caused by an explosion in tambon Thathong of Raman district, Yala, yesterday. The blast slightly injured an army private. MUHAMMAD AYUB PATHAN
At 1am, a company of paramilitary rangers was attacked with gunfire and grenades in Moo 1 village of tambon Talo Maena of Thung Yang Daeng district in Pattani province.
Four paramilitary rangers were slightly injured. They were identified as Lt Sathian Chamnan, 51, Sgt Thaweesak Thipkongla, 26, Sgt Seni Pongsombat, 29, and Private Thongkham Nilnart, 26.
At 8am, a bomb was detonated in front of Thairath Witthaya 52 School on Highway 410 in Moo 1 village of tambon Moh Mawee of Yarang district, Pattani, when six soldiers arrived on motorcycles to provide security.
Two soldiers were seriously injured by shrapnel. They were identified as Sgt Maj Somsak Boonkaeo, 33, and Sgt Maj Kittisak Sakulthai, 33. Both come from Khon Kaen province.
In tambon Tathong of Raman district in Yala province, a buried bomb was detonated on Ban Samor-Ban Jalangtadong Road at 7.25am.
Police say the intended target was a convoy of two motorcycles and a six-wheeled truck of eight soldiers returning from a trip escorting staff from a royally initiated farm.
The buried bomb went off too early and shrapnel slightly injured the right hand of Private Sathaporn Phetchuay.
The bombs in Pattani and Yala were homemade and packed in steel boxes.
Late on Thursday night, a man was severely injured by gunshots in Ban Kameng village of tambon Asong in Raman district of Yala.
The man was identified as Kasaman Sadeemae, 23, who is from the village. He was shot in the head and body.
Mr Kasaman was taken to Raman Hospital and later referred to Yala provincial hospital. Police say they believe the gunman had approached the victim on a motorcycle.
bangkokpost.
Soldiers wounded by Pattani bomb
30/12/2011 at 10:47 AM Online news:
Two soldiers providing security for teachers were seriously injured by a roadside explosion in front of Thai Rath Witthaya 52 school in Pattani’s Yarang district on Friday morning, police said.
Four soldiers of Pattani No 21special force were patrolling on Pattani-Yala road in front of the school in Ban Ton Phai of tambon Moh Wawee when a five kilogramme home-made bomb placed near a roadside tree exploded.
Staff Sgt Kittisak Sakulthai, 33, and Staff Sgt Somsak Boonkaew, also 33, were seriously wounded and taken to Pattani hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Ranger murdered in Yala
17/12/2011 at 12:05 PM
A paramilitary ranger was killed in a drive-by shooting in Yala’s Muang district on Saturday morning, police said.
Ranger Banpot Meebun, 35, was riding motorcycle on Siroros road in Talat Kao area when gunman riding pillion on another motorcycle fired on him three times with a pistol. The assailants then fled, according to police.
The victim took three bullets in his back and was taken to Yala hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Wanted men killed after drive-by attack
17/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : The leader of the Prachatham Party was shot dead in Rangae district on Thursday night, but two of his attackers were killed soon after by village volunteers.
One of the dead assailants was a man wanted for the highly publicised abduction and fatal beating of teacher Juling Pongkanmoon in May 2006.
Muktar Keela, 47, Prachatham leader and former poll candidate in Narathiwat's Constituency 3, was shot dead opposite his house in tambon Chalerm about 10.45pm while he was walking home.
Police said four men drove up on two motorcycles and the two pillion riders opened fire at Muktar, killing him on the spot.
As the assailants were fleeing past a village security checkpoint, they were fired upon by defence volunteers.
The two pillion riders were hit and killed, and fell from their motorcycles.
The dead attackers were identified as Doro-o Piyo, 28, and Sahirun Wada, 24, both of Ban Kujing Lupa of tambon Chalerm.
An M16 and an AK-47 rifle were found next to their bodies. Doro-o faced arrest warrants for four cases including the death of Juling, who was held captive and beaten to death in May 19, 2006, and the murder of four railway police on June 21, 2008.
Sahirun was wanted for the murder of the assistant chief of Ruso district branch of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in 2007.
Police said the shooting of the Prachatham leader was probably related to the southern violence, which as a candidate he had campaigned against.
They are looking further into the possible motive.
About 50 soldiers from the 45th Rangers Regiment were sent to Kujing Lupa village in tambon Chalerm yesterday to look for the two other assailants.
Juling was one of two teachers taken hostage by angry villagers who burst into Ban Kujing Leupa School in May 2006. The villagers were demanding the release of two suspected Muslim militants arrested earlier the same day in connection with the brutal killings of two marines in 2005.
The abductors offered to free the teachers in return for the release of two suspects. Juling, beaten while held captive, fell into a coma and died eight months later at Prince of Songkhla Hospital in Hat Yai.
bangkokpost.
Political party leader slain in South
16/12/2011 at 12:02 PM
The leader of the Prachatham Party and candidate in the July 3 general election was slain by gunmen in Narathiwat's Rangae district on Thursday night, but two of his attackers were killed by village volunteers, police said.
The dead assailants included a man wanted for the high-publicity abduction and fatal bashing of woman teacher Juling Pongkanmoon in May 2006
Pol Col Suchart Asavachinda, the Rangae police chief, said the attack occurred about 10.40pm.
Muktar Keela, 47, leader of the Prachatham Party and former election candidate in Narathiwat's constituency 3, at Ban Lupo Kayo in tambon Chalerm was walking to his home from having tea with friends.
Four men arrived on two motorcycles and the two pillion riders opened fire at Muktar, killing him on spot.
As his assailants were fleeing past a village security checkpoint, they were fired at by defence volunteers. The two pillion riders were hit and killed, and fell from the motorcycles.
The two dead attackers were identified as Doro-o Piyo, 28, and Sahirun Wada, 24, both of Ban Kujing Lupa of tambon Chalerm. An M16 and an AK47 rifle were found with their bodies.
Doro-o was wanted under arrest warrants in four cases. They included the death of teacher Juling Pongkammoon who was held captive and fatally bashed in May 19, 2006, and the murder of four railway police on June 21, 2008.
Sahirun, the other attacker, was wanted for the murder of the assistant chief of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives of Ruso district branch in 2007.
On Friday morning, about 50 soldiers from the 45th Rangers Company led by Col Chalermchai Suthinual were dispatched to Kujing Lupa village in tambon Chalerm to look for the other two other assailants.
Juling was one of two teachers taken hostage by villagers in May 2006 at the Ban Kujing Leupa School.
Her abductors offered to free the teachers in return for the release of two suspects held for the murder of two marines in 2005.
Juling was beaten up while held captive. She fell into a coma and died eight months later.
bangkokpost.
Grenade blast at outpost wounds soldier
12/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
WAEDAO HARAI : A grenade was fired into a military outpost in Pattani's Yarang district yesterday, badly wounding a soldier.
The grenade fired from an M79 launcher was believed to be targeting soldiers from the Pattani Task Force 21 who were guarding their base around noon. It hit a tree in the compound and exploded. Sgt Katepon Khonkaen, 25, was taken to hospital with serious shrapnel wounds to the head.
Police believed militants fired the grenade about 100 metres from a riverbank behind the base.
A team of security forces combed the area to track down the attackers but did not find them.
In Narathiwat, security forces raided a suspected hideout of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil separatist movement in Rangae district yesterday, arresting two suspected militants and seizing a motorcycle bomb.
A 60-strong team comprising police, village defence volunteers and members of the 45th Rangers Regiment raided a house at Ban Kloo Ko village in tambon Ba-ngor where members of the insurgent group were thought to be hiding.
The operation was carried out after intelligence reports indicated the rebels were drawing up plans to commit acts of sabotage during the New Year holidays.
Two teenage males, whose names were not disclosed, were in the house when the team arrived. They were taken for questioning at an operations base of the 45th Rangers Regiment.
The team searched the house and found food supplies and about a dozen survival items, Col Chalermchai Sutthinuan, commander of the 45th Rangers Regiment, said.
They also spotted a motorcycle parked behind the house. A bomb disposal team was called in to examine the vehicle.
The bomb experts said five kilogrammes of explosives were packed in a metal box and hidden in the motorcycle's helmet compartment. The explosives were designed to be detonated by radio signal. The bomb squad took 10 minutes to defuse the device.
bangkokpost.
Using Islam to counter jihad in southern Thailand
In Thailand’s Pattani state, sectarian conflict has killed more than 4,800 people since 2004. To end the violence, the military and an imam are using Islam to counter jihadism among at-risk youths.
By Andrea Wenzel, Contributor / December 6, 2011
A group of men, most wearing Muslim prayer caps, stand at attention. At the front of the room, an imam leads the group as they shout, “I will sacrifice everything, even my own life, to protect the purity of Islam.”
This isn’t a hardcore Muslim political or terrorist group though. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Next, the imam has everyone shout, “I will not get involved with any separatist movement in any case at all.”
In the midst of southern Thailand’s Pattani state, where sectarian conflict has killed more than 4,800 people since violence escalated in 2004, these men are at the heart of an effort to stamp out Malay Muslim militancy by eliminating possible recruits.
Facing a growing insurgency fighting to separate from Thailand, the Thai military set up the Peacebuilding Center to target at-risk youths. Local imams recruit men from “red zones,” areas known to have militant cells and high rates of violence.
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“We are using Islam to solve the problem,” says Col. Chatchapon Sawangchote, director of the Peacebuilding Center. “Actually we don’t want them to side with the government or the state – we just want them to truly understand their religion.”
Colonel Sawangchote himself is new to Islam. He converted from Buddhism after working with Yeemae Pattalung, a local imam.
Mr. Pattalung is the regional head of Tablighi Jamaat, a rapidly growing global Islamic movement which eschews politics but is known for social conservatism. He admits he was skeptical when the colonel first asked for his help.
“I told him you cannot solve the problem with money or force because the problem is about the misunderstanding that has been accumulating systematically for a long long time,” says Pattalung, who now advises the Peacebuilding Center.
Both men say a small group of militants has distorted Islam for their personal gain. Pattalung compares the conflict to a car “which has been assembled, but needs one more thing to run — belief in jihad.” When young men at the center learn what Islam actually requires to justify jihad, he says they understand that Southern Thailand is not a jihadist war.
Since they began working in 2006, Pattalung says the center has now trained 4,000 people, and none of the project’s graduates have engaged in extremist or militant behavior.
Still, some observers worry the center will have little effect because the fuel of the conflict is not jihad, or anything to do with religion.
“It’s not like the Pakistan-Afghanistan border where madrassas are producing militants,” says Don Pathan, a journalist and security analyst based in Yala.
The fight is rooted in an ethno-nationalist narrative about restoring the historically Malay kingdom of Patani, says Mr. Pathan. Militant cells can come from secular origins. For example, a Malay soccer team once became a militant cell.
“It’s that narrative that you see every day, the minute you walk out of your home and see armed troops walking up and down your street. It radicalizes people,” he says.
Additionally, many Islamic leaders may be reticent to work with the government due to the militant threats. In the interest of self preservation, imams often find themselves supporting both the state and militants, depending on who is present at the moment. Nonetheless, they’re often targeted by both groups.
In this environment, some security analysts say its best to avoid a hearts-and-minds approach and allow communities to address the problems on their own.
“I think the better way for the military operations in local communities is trying to support communities to work on their own independently – and just step back,” says Srisompob Jitpiromsri, director of the Pattani-based think tank, Deep South Watch.
Back at the Peacebuilding Center, Sawangchote acknowledges religion is not the only issue.
“There are many layers of the problem you have to solve, and religion is one of them,” he says.
Both Sawangchote and Pattalung accept that peace is far off, but they hope the center offers a complementary approach to the military’s “surround, search, and seize” strategy. Still, there is no sign of the fortified checkpoint leading into the center disappearing anytime soon.
Peace “will not happen like the flip of the coin – it will happen gradually like the change of the season,” says Pattalung.
(Andrea Wenzel, who also reports for WAMU 88.5 in Washington, reported from Thailand on a fellowship with the International Reporting Project. Noi Thammasathien contributed to this story. )
csmonitor.
Using Islam to counter jihad in southern Thailand
CSMonitor.com 7 December 2011
By Andrea Wenzel
A group of men, most wearing Muslim prayer caps, stand at attention. At the front of the room, an imam leads the group as they shout, "I will sacrifice everything, even my own life, to protect the purity of Islam.”
This isn’t a hardcore Muslim political or terrorist group though. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Next, the imam has everyone shout, "I will not get involved with any separatist movement in any case at all.”
In the midst of southern Thailand’s Pattani state, where sectarian conflict has killed more than 4,800 people since violence escalated in 2004, these men are at the heart of an effort to stamp out Malay Muslim militancy by eliminating possible recruits.
Facing a growing insurgency fighting to separate from Thailand, the Thai military set up the Peacebuilding Center to target at-risk youths. Local imams recruit men from "red zones,” areas known to have militant cells and high rates of violence.
"We are using Islam to solve the problem,” says Col. Chatchapon Sawangchote, director of the Peacebuilding Center. "Actually we don’t want them to side with the government or the state – we just want them to truly understand their religion.”
Colonel Sawangchote himself is new to Islam. He converted from Buddhism after working with Yeemae Pattalung, a local imam.
Mr. Pattalung is the regional head of Tablighi Jamaat, a rapidly growing global Islamic movement which eschews politics but is known for social conservatism. He admits he was skeptical when the colonel first asked for his help.
"I told him you cannot solve the problem with money or force because the problem is about the misunderstanding that has been accumulating systematically for a long long time,” says Pattalung, who now advises the Peacebuilding Center. (...)
Posted December 7th, 2011 by pk
europenews.
14 CCTVs burnt in Pattani
8/12/2011 at 01:57 PM
A total of 14 closed-circuit television security cameras installed at seven different spots in Yaring district of Pattani province have burnt and damaged, police reported.
Pol Col Mana Nakthang, the Yaling police chief, said on Thursday most of the surveillance cameras were installed on power posts in the district town.
Police investigators reported that group of teenagers were hired to put pieces of cloth soaked with gasoline on the CCTVs and set them on fire.
The destroyed cameras were installed in southern border provinces for security by the Interior Ministry.
bangkokpost.
Policeman murdered in Pattani
7/12/2011 at 10:33 AM
A policeman was killed in a drive-by shooting on Pattani-Yala road at moo 7 in tambon Puyud of Pattani’s Muang district on Wednesday morning, said Pol Col Somporn Meesuk, chief of Muang Pattani police station.
Witnesses told police that Pol Snr Sgt Maj Tuan Hami Nihae, 42, of Rata Panyang police station in Yaring district was standing in front of a roti shop on the Pattani-Yala road, about 50 metres from his home, when a gunman riding pillion on a passing motorcycle shot him three times. The assailant fired another bullet into the air before fleeing.
The policeman took bullets in his head, neck and body. He died at the scene.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Two bombs rock Pattani, one hurt
6/12/2011 at 10:56 AM
Two bombs were detonated in the heart of Pattani province on Tuesday morning, injuring a local woman.
Pattani's Muang district police chief Somporn Meesuk said the bombs went off at two ATM booths about 6.30am.
A 29-year-old woman, Areesa Mumoh-aree, was injured in one of the explosions and was later admitted to Pattani hospital.
Police blamed southern insurgents.
About 4,800 people have been killed and around 9,000 hurt in the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala since the separatist violence erupted afresh in January 2004.
bangkokpost.
Soldier killed in bomb blast
2/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
YALA : A soldier was killed and another wounded when a bomb buried in a rural road in Yala's Than To district exploded yesterday morning.
Pvt Kriangkrai Promfai, 22, and eight other soldiers were patrolling on foot on the rural road to protect teachers when he stepped on a landmine, which instantly went off.
The explosion threw him high into the air, and severed his right leg. Pvt Siam sae Lao was slightly wounded in the blast. The soldiers were taken to Than To Hospital where Pvt Kriangkrai was later pronounced dead.
Police blamed sympathisers of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) movement in the deep South for the blast.
Meanwhile, vendors in Yala say a safety zone in Muang municipality is killing trade.
Prapai sae Lao, owner of a fried noodle shop, said the safety zone, in which one-way traffic was introduced on Ruammit Road, has badly hurt businesses on the road.
Previously, she could sell fried noodles worth 10,000 baht a day, but this had now dropped to 1,000 baht. Other shops also suffered a plunge in sales.
The safety zone was introduced after a spate of bomb blasts at more than 30 locations in downtown Yala and nearby areas on Oct 25. The explosions killed two people and wounded many others.
Meanwhile, Makorseng E-pong, 39, a deputy chairman of Pitumudee Tambon Administration Organisation, was gunned down near a mosque in tambon Pitumudee while riding a motorcycle home on Wednesday night.
bangkokpost.
Soldier killed, 1 hurt by Yala bomb
1/12/2011 at 11:31 AM
A soldier was killed when he triggered a bomb buried in a rural road in Ban Buathong of Yala’s Than To district on Thursday morning, and another slightly injured, Pol Col Wichai Chaengsakul, chief of Than To police station, said.
Pvt Kriangkrai Promsai, 22, and other eight soldiers were patrolling on foot on the rural road to ensure safety of local teachers when he stepped on a landmine, which instantly went off. The explosion blew off his right leg and threw him in the air before he fell to the ground.
Pvt Siam Sae Lao was slightly wounded by the explosion. The two victims were taken to Than To hospital, where Pvt Kriangkrai was later pronounced dead, said Pol Col Wichai.
Police blamed sympathisers of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) movement in the far South.
bangkokpost.
Nine injured as bomb explodes at uni
22/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
PATTANI : Nine people were injured in a bomb attack which apparently targetted security forces providing safety for Buddhist monks in Muang district yesterday.
The bomb exploded outside a laundry shop about 7am on the busy Charoen Pradit Road leading to Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, injuring three policemen, three monks and three members of the public. The device was detonated remotely by a radio signal.
The blast went off as six members of Pattani Provincial Police Division's special operations company were escorting a group of monks from Wat Kajorn Pracharam in Muang district during the morning alms round.
The three injured officers were Cpl Thanorm Konwai, 29, Cpl Kampanart Malawan, 28, and Cpl Prakarn Chedipeng, 26. The other victims were three monks, Phra Jin Panichkul, 52, Phra Yongyuth Khaoborisoot, 35, and Phra Worapong Sutthipong, 54, and three civilians who are the owners of the laundry, Chat Sookubol, 72, Chid Sookubol and Yuan Sukonkate, 72.
Meanwhile, two power poles on Moo 2 village road in Yala's Than To district were brought down by explosives late on Sunday might.
Villagers told police they heard two explosions about midnight but no one dared to go out to see what was happening.
Police were called to the scene the next morning. They said it appeared 5kg time bombs were attached to each power pole and then detonated.
Meanwhile, Fourth Army Region commander Lt Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat yesterday expressed his views on the current situation of the southern insurgency. He said he was satisfied with the Fourth Army's performance in the three southern border provinces. He said, although some problems remained, a lot of progress has been made in easing the situation.
Lt Gen Udomchai denied allegations that teachers working in the south were recently targetted by militants because some army personnel whose jobs were to guard schools and provide safety for students and teachers were ordered to leave.
He said although soldiers were not seen at some schools, their bases were still very close to the schools. And according to international practice, soldiers were not supposed to stay in schools where there are many little children, he said.
bangkokpost.
New key players in the Deep South and prospect for peace talk
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 17 พฤศจิกายน 2011
The governors of two southernmost provinces of Yala and Narathiwat are among 34 high-ranking interior officials reshuffled as endorsed by the cabinet on November 15.
Narathiwat governor Thanon Vechakornkanont is to become governor of Samut Songkram while Yala governor Krisda Boonrach is to be moved to neighbouring Songkhla. Pattani governor Niphon Narapitakkul has already retired from the service as of September 30.
Although the cabinet has not appointed replacements for the governor’s posts in Yala and Narathiwat, it was speculated that the vacancies would be filled up the incumbent deputy governors. As for Pattani, the new governor is Mr Thira Mintharasak, the current governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Mr Thira is not regarded as a stranger for the strife-torn Deep South. He used to serve as the governor Yala before Mr Krisda and he is also a native of Pattani.
Widely known among the locals as Governor Day, Mr Thira used to serve as assistant district chief of several districts of Pattani, namely Muang, Mai Kaen, Sai Buri, Yaring, Panareh, Yarang and Thung Yang Daeng. In 1998, he was named director of the Security Coordination Department of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre.
Three years afterward, he was appointed district chief officer of Ra-ngae district of Narathiwat, district chief officer of Betong district of Yala for a year before he was named assistant governor of Pattani. Two years later, he served as deputy governor Narathiwat, then deputy governor of Pattani and became Yala governor in 2006 before he was transferred to Nakhon Si Thammarat as the governor.
Mr Thira became the first Muslim governor for the Deep South when he was named governor of Yala. Later on, another Muslim official, Mr Niphon Narapitakkul, was named governor of Pattani.
Besides the change of governors for the three southernmost provinces, the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre also recently had its new secretary-general, Pol Col Thavee Sodsong who formerly served as head of the Department of Special Investigation during the Thaksin administration.
On the separatist movement’s side, the Pattani United Liberation Organisation or Pulo also has recently named a new leader, Mr Kasturi Mahkota, former spokesman of the organization who played a key role in secret peace talks with someThai security authorities – a claim that the Thai government and Thai military have officially denied.
However, an informed source said that the forward command of the Fourth Army Region’s Internal Security Operations Command branch office believed that Mr Kasturi’s appointment as Pulo president might have been pressured by the government of a neighbouring country as it has wanted a peaceful settlement to end the conflict.
The source said that the local Isoc office was more receptive to the change at Pulo and might be more willing to have talks with the organization although it still believes that Pulo has no control over the new breed of insurgents such as the RKK Cordinate which has been blamed for most of the violence in the region.
The same source said that it was belived by local security officers that the recent surge of bombing attacks in the region were meant to draw the attention of the Pheu Thai-led government which has been criticized of being ignorant to the problem in the Deep South. Also, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has not yet set foot in the region after three months in the office and there is no sign yet about when she will visit the region.
There seems to be a sign, at least, that talk with the separatists, Pulo in particular, may be possible in the future, said the source, adding that Pol Col Thavee, the new secretary-general of SBPAC, recently met at an undisclosed location with Lt-Gen Kanit Muensawat, former chief of Thai-Malaysian coordinating committee who used to play a role in peace talk with Pulo.
Peace talk with Pulo may put pressure with the RKK insurgents to scale down their violent activities, said the source.
However, former deputy commander of 4th Army Region Lt-Gen Samret Srirai said that from his past experiences of having talked with several defected separatists and insurgents, there have been no clear sign that their leaders have wanted peace talk with the Thai government or military.
isranews.
5 bombs rock Pattani
17/11/2011 at 12:13 PM
Five home-made bombs went off at many different locations in Pattani province on Wednesday night but caused no casualties, Muang district police chief Pol Col Somporn Meesuk said.
The first bomb exploded at about 10pm in a toilet on the second floor of a building behind the Pattani Municipality office, shattering the ventilators and causing damage to the ceiling, walls and toilet bowls.
The second went off in a toilet on the ground floor of the CAT Telecom Plc office on Phiphit road, causing extensive damage.
Deputy governor Seri Sihatrai went to the scenes for inspection.
The incidents prompted a deployment of police and military units to set up check-points at intersections and provide security for important government offices.
At about the same time, three other bombs exploded at three post offices of Panare, Yarang, and Yaring districts but inflicted no casualties.
Shortly afterwards, an M79 round landed and exploded in front of the office of Panare district. Nobody was hurt.
bangkokpost.
2 local officials killed in Pattani
16/11/2011 at 03:04 PM
Two officials of the Nam Dam tambon administration organisation (TOA) in Thung Yang Daeng district of Pattani province were shot dead by assailants on Wednesday morning.
The killed were identified as Sakda Kaewsri, chief of the public works section, and Pensri Pongrat, chief of the treasury section, of the Nam Dam TOA.
Police said the two were travelling in a car to the TOA office when attacked by four men who followed them on two motorcycles. They opened fire with war weapons, killing both of them.
Also in Pattani, a police office was slightly wounded by a bomb explosion on a road leading to a village in tambon Makrut in Khok Pho district.
Pol Snr Sgt-Maj Sombat Withayapol of Khok Pho police station was patrolling on a motorcycle when the bomb was detonated.
bangkokpost.
Two soldiers wounded in roadside blast
4/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
Two soldiers were injured yesterday when a roadside bomb exploded in Narathiwat's Si Sakhon district, police said.
The injured men were travelling in a pickup truck on a patrol mission along the Si Sakhon-Ban Peeloh road when the bomb went off.
They were identified as Sgt Anchoen Imnualkamol and Pvt Wasant Kulrak, both of whom suffered broken legs. They were taken to Si Sakhon Hospital and later transferred to Narathiwat Rajanagarindra Hospital.
Three others who were also in the pickup truck were unharmed. All five were from Narathiwat Special Force No.37, assigned to protect teachers.
Police investigators said the attack was probably the work of insurgents.
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man was arrested for his alleged involvement in a foiled bomb attack in Sungai Padi district on Monday.
Asmadi Jehmoh had bought T-shirts and sat at a clothes shop shortly before a bomb was found and successfully defused.
The bomb attempt was part of coordinated bomb plots across five districts of Narathiwat. No one was injured.
In Yala's Muang municipality, authorities were drawing up a security plan to minimise attacks in the wake of multiple explosions on Oct 25.
Deputy provincial governor Apinant Suethanuwong said authorities are trying to limit access to Ruam Mit Road, which is the business district of the town.
He said certain sois and small roads may be closed to allow for more efficient checks on people passing the area.
It is possible entrances and exits to Ruam Mit Road will be limited to 5 and 11 respectively.
Five checkpoints will be set up and more security cameras installed. About 200 to 300 police will be deployed to tighten security.
Meanwhile, newly appointed secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre Thawee Sodsong yesterday visited authorities in Yala.
Pol Col Thawee said he was gathering information to improve efficiency in the government's response to the violence in the South.
bangkokpost.
Two officials shot dead in Pattani
วันศุกร์ ที่ 04 พ.ย. 2554
PATTANI, Nov 4 – Two Thai local government officials were killed Friday in this insurgency-impacted southern border province.
The chairman of a subdistrict administrative organization council and an assistant to a village head were shot dead in separate incidents here.
The first shooting was reported around noon on Friday in Kapho district. The victim was identified as Karim Dengto, 51, chairman of a subdistrict administrative organization council.
He was shot several times in the head and torso. According to investigators, Mr Karim was riding a motorcycle from his home to attend prayers at the mosque in Kapho district.
Two gunmen followed him on a motorcycle and shot him with an M-16 assault rifle. They also took the victim’s gun.
Two hours later, Mahamree Yeejewae, 32, assistant to a village head, was shot dead outside a mosque in Yaring district. The incident occurred after Friday prayers at the mosque when he was about to go to his wife’s family home.
mcot.
2 wounded by Narathiwat bomb
3/11/2011 at 02:24 PM
Two soldiers were injured when a roadside bomb exploded in Narathiwat’s Si Sakhon district on Thursday, police said.
Five soldiers of a military unit of Narathiwat special force No 37 were patrolling on Si Sakhon-Ban Peeloh road on a pickup when the bomb was detonated by mobile phone, said Pol Col Wutthipong Yenchit, chief of Si Sakhon police station.
Sgt Anchoen Imnaualkamol and Pvt Wasant Kulrak both suffered broken legs and were taken to Si Sakhon hospital. They were later transferred to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
6 die, 2 hurt in ambush by rebel suspects
3/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : Six people were killed and two badly injured following an ambush by suspected Islamic militants yesterday afternoon in Cho Airong district, police said.
The six dead were among a group of seven villagers returning from a hunting trip along the Cho Airong-Ba Ngo Kubo Road when a home-made bomb exploded on a stretch of the road running through tambon Bo Ngo.
The dead were named as Banhan Sangkaeo, Pricha Chaiong, Thiap Raksachum, Rut Sengsidaeng, Wathin Sengsidaeng and former border patrol police officer Ekkachai Mingkwan.
The only survivor, Manop Bunte, was thrown by the force of the blast into undergrowth near the road.
He was seriously injured.
According to investigators, the suspected militants, who were hidden in some trees, opened fire on the victims following the blast. Mr Manop survived because he was hidden in the undergrowth, they said.
Following the attack officers from the 45th Ranger Regiment rushed to the scene.
While conducting a search of the area one of the rangers, Alit Liwan, stepped on a mine sustaining severe injuries.
Earlier yesterday, security forces defused another homemade bomb, hidden in a PVC pipe, on a road used by teachers in Ban Kayumati in Rangae district. The bomb was found near the entrance to the village in a security sweep.
Elsewhere, in Yala's Bannang Sata district, five border patrol officers were wounded, one seriously, in another bomb blast yesterday morning as they were travelling in pickup trucks along the Kue Thong-Taling Chan road.
Police said the bomb was an improvised explosive device hidden in a gas container planted by the roadside.
The injured are being treated at Songklanagarind Hospital in Hat Yai, in Songkhla province.
Meanwhile, a security agency in the South has warned Bannang Sata officials of possible attacks as rebels are reportedly stockpiling bombs in the area.
According to Deep South Watch, there were 121 violent incidents recorded in the South last month, killing 46 people and injuring 110 others.
bangkokpost.
Six police hurt in Yala bomb attack
2/11/2011 at 03:31 PM
Six border patrol police were wounded by a bomb explosion while on teacher escort duty in Bannang Sata district of Yala province on Wednesday morning.
Pol Col Suwat Wongpaiboon, the Bannang Sata police chief, said the attacked occurred about 9am.
Six police are injured by a bomb blast while on teacher escort duty in Yala on Nov 2, 2011. (Photos by Muhammad Ayub Pathan)
The six members of the 44th BPP unit were travelling by pick-up truck along a road to Ban Polo Bata in tambon Taling Chan.
As the vehicle passed by a stream near the village, militants hiding on one side of the road detonated a 20kg home-made bomb planted in the road.
The explosion sent the pick-up truck careering into a ditch.
All six members of the escort team were injured, one seriously. They were admitted to Bannang Sata hospital.
The Prince of Songkla University's Deep South Watch centre today reported that 46 people had been killed in the violence in the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala in October 2011.
The fatalities included two policemen, one soldier and one school employee. The rest were villagers, farmers and other civilians.
Another 110 people were injured in the violence last month, Deep South Watch reported. Eight of them were police, 12 were soldiers and one was a school employee.
There were 121 violent incidents in the region during October - 52 bombings, 44 shootings and 25 attacks involving other means of violence.
About 4,800 people have been killed and around 9,000 hurt in the far South since the separatist violence erupted afresh in January 2004.
bangkokpost.
South bombings injure four
31/10/2011 at 03:10 PM
Three bombs went off in Yala and Narathiwat on Monday morning, injuring four people. Two of them each lost a limb.
In Narathiwat, Pol Col Saneh Janyasathit, the Waeng district police chief, said the first bomb went off about 6.30am at Ban Nam Khao in tambon Kayu Khlae in Waeng, severing the right leg of Surapong Srisuwanno, 35, a village defence volunteer.
Eyewitnesses said Mr Surapong was on duty at a village security booth. He walked out to examine the road leading to the village after being informed that it had been blocked by a tree trunk.
Mr Surapong stepped on a bomb laid under the branches of the tree.
Muhamad Pasudi Isosaha, 16, and Ruslan Yuso, 10, tripped a home-made bomb hidden in a rubber plantation near Ban Kolo Kawe, in tambon Sisakhon of Sisakhon district.
The older boy lost his left foot in the explosion. Ruslan was wounded in his body and both legs.
Later, at 9.50am, a bomb went off on a road in Ban Khalae in in Bacho district of Narathiwat, but inflicted no casualties.
A police corporal was wounded and a patrol car damaged by a bomb explosion in Yala's Bannang Sata district.
The attack occurred about 10am when a bomb buried on a curve on Highway 410 (Yala-Betong) exploded near Pa Wang Nok village.
Pol Cpl Ruangrit Rongthip, 27, of Bannang Sata police station, one of the two policemen in the police vehicle, was wounded in the face and admitted to the district hospital. Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Thirasak Wattanakul, the patrol leader, was not hurt.
The patrol vehicle and radio equipment were badly damaged.
Meanwhile, Maj-Gen Acra Thiproj, the Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command deputy chief, said at a press conference that pictures from closed-circuit cameras of the string of incidents at 14 spots in Narathiwat between 6pm and 9pm yesterday showed they were the work of youths who had just been recruited into the insurgency movement.
Their apparent intention was to divert police attention from drugs and contraband.
Maj-Gen Acra said there were nine explosions and four cases of arson in Yingo, Sungai Padi, Ruso, Bacho, Muang and Sungai Kolok districts. Someone also shot at a power transformer.
About 4,800 people have been killed and around 9,000 hurt in the southern border provinces since the separatist violence erupted afresh in January 2004, according to the latest figures from Deep South Watch.
bangkokpost.
Bombs wound 3 in Narathiwat
31/10/2011 at 01:20 PM
Three people were wounded, two of them seriously, in two bomb explosions in Narathiwat province on Monday morning.
Pol Col Saneh Janyasathit, the Waeng district police chief, said the first bomb went off about 6.30am at Ban Nam Khao in tambon Kayu Khlae in Waeng district, severing the right leg of Surapong Srisuwanno, 35, a village defence volunteer.
Eyewitnesses said Mr Surapong was on duty at a village security booth. He walked out to examine the road leading to the village on being informed that it had been blocked by a tree trunk.
Surapong stepped on a bomb laid under the branches of the tree trunk.
Muhamad Pasudi Isosaha, 16, and Ruslan Yuso, 10, tripped a home-made bomb hidden in a rubber plantation near Ban Kolo Kawe, in tambon Sisakhon of Sisakhon district.
The older boy lost his left foot in the explosion. Ruslan was wounded in his body and both legs.
Later, at 9.50am, a bomb went off on a road in Ban Khalae in in Bacho district of Narathiwat, but inflicted no casualties.
bangkokpost.
Policeman hurt in Yala explosion
31/10/2011 at 12:32 PM
A police corporal was wounded and a patrol car damaged by a bomb explosion in Yala's Bannang Sata district on Monday.
The attack occurred about 10am when a bomb buried on a curve on Highway 410 (Yala-Betong) exploded near Pa Wang Nok village.
Pol Cpl Ruangrit Rongthip, 27, of Bannang Sata police station, one of the two policemen in the police vehicle, was wounded in the face and admitted to the district hospital. Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Thirasak Wattanakul, the patrol leader, was not hurt.
The patrol vehicle and radio equipment were badly damaged.
In Narathiwat, Maj-Gen Acra Thiproj, deputy chief of Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command, said at a press conference that from pictures from closed-circuit cameras of the string of incidents at 14 spots in Narathiwat province between 6pm-9pm yesterday showed they were the work of youths who had just been recruited into the insurgency movement.
Their apparent intention was to divert police attention from drugs and contraband.
Maj-Gen Acra said there were nine explosions and four cases of arson in Yingo, Sungai Padi, Ruso, Bacho, Muang and Sungai Kolok districts. Someone also shot at a power transformer
bangkokpost.
Ten bombs go off in Narathiwat
No one hurt in blasts, but 3 others shot dead
31/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
Ten coordinated bomb attacks occurred across five districts of Narathiwat yesterday. No one was injured.
The bombings took place in Sungai Padi, Sungai Kolok, Yi-ngo, Tak Bai and Rueso districts between 5.50pm and 6.20pm.
The bombs used were mostly improvised devices.
Two attacks took place in Sungai Padi district. A bomb inside a soft drink can weighing about 1kg went off at a shoe shop in tambon Paluru municipality. The blast damaged the shop. Another explosion occurred behind Sungai Padi railway station.
In Sungai Kolok, a home-made bomb damaged a gift shop close to Inter Tower Hotel in the municipal area.
In Yi-ngo, a grenade was hurled into a house owned by Kanuengnit Chusing, a teacher at Ban Ku Wae school.
In Tak Bai, two bombs exploded, one at a grocery store in tambon Jehe and the other near the fence of Anuban Som Thawil school in the central area.
In Rueso, four explosions went off, caused by home-made bombs. The first went off a 7-Eleven store, the second at the Yong Huad store belonging to Prasert Sae Ung, the third at a hawker outlet and a fourth at a grocery store. The blasts took place in tambon Rueso.
The explosions caused fires at the 7-Eleven and Yong Huad stores. No one was hurt.
Also in Narathiwat, three people were earlier shot dead in Muang district.
Police said two men, identified as Srithong Masi, 75, and Theeerapong Sae Lim, 42, were gunned down at a petrol station tambon Bang Por. Nearby, Mr Srithong's daughter-in-law, Mali Masi, was also found dead with bullet wounds to her head in a grocery shop.
Police said two gunmen on a motorcycle pulled over and shot dead Mr Srithong. They went around the station and shot dead Mr Theerapong.
Another two men on a motorcycle then stopped at the grocery shop and shot dead Ms Mali. Police suspect the four gunmen might be the same group.
In Bacho district, two motorcycle gunmen shot and injured a mobile phone shop owner, Bulan Srikongpetch, 20.
Elsewhere in Narathiwat, three people were injured in separate attacks.
The first incident took place on the Rueso-Narathiwat road around 10.30am when two men on a motorcycle overtook a rubbish truck, and a gunman riding pillion fired four shots into the vehicle's front window.
The attack left the driver, Somporn Srivarom, 53, in critical condition.
Sorn Srithongthet, a rubbish collector who was sitting next to Mr Somporn, was slightly wounded by shards of glass.
Two other rubbish collectors on board the back of the truck asked a passerby to take the injured to hospital.
The second attack occurred less than an hour later in Rangae district.
A homemade bomb went off near a group of 10 rangers attached to the 45th Ranger Regiment, wounding volunteer Raattikarn Praeyai, 23. Mr Rattikarn was taken to Rangae Hospital with minor shrapnel wounds to his legs.
bangkokpost.
Militants die transporting bomb during Yala attacks
60 rebels involved in coordinated blasts
27/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
Two of the three men who died in a series of coordinated bomb attacks in central Yala on Tuesday were suspected Islamic militants, the military says.
They are thought to have set off the bomb which killed them by accident.
Maj Gen Akara Tiproj, deputy director of Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4, which oversees security in the lower South, said an investigation found that 21 bombs were planted in different locations in Muang Yala municipality, with 16 devices going off between 6.30pm and 9pm.
The first bomb went off on Soi Sri Putra (Yala's old market), killing Humdee Morsu, 23, and Sakareeya Sanoryarnya, 21, from Pattani's Yarang district. The two were transporting the device by motorcycle.
The bomb is thought to gone off by accident after they hit a speed hump, killing them instantly.
The last batch of bombs exploded continuously within one to 10 minutes of each other.
The final blast destroyed a power pole at Ban Prama village in tambon Sateng Nok, causing a blackout in the area for 10 minutes.
Bomb experts were able to defuse five of the 21 bombs.
Security officials believe the attack was the work of insurgents looking to mark the seventh anniversary of the Tak Bai tragedy on Oct 25, 2004, which resulted in 85 deaths.
About 60 rebels are thought to have been involved in the explosions.
A suspected insurgent identified as Riswarn Lae-ha, who lives near the old market area, is alleged to have coordinated the bomb blasts.
Maj Gen Akara said the militants used small anti-personnel devices hooked up to timers. Some were hidden in soft drink and insect repellant cans.
The third victim was identified as Settawut Thongjeen, 17.
Witnesses said he was eating at a food shop when a bomb hidden in a motorcycle that was parked in front of the shop exploded.
Settawut succumbed to his wounds and died in the Yala Central Hospital.
Forty four people were wounded, 13 of whom are in critical condition. They are being treated at the same hospital.
Isoc believes separatist groups are trying to launch a fresh round of violence as the government attempts to restore order in the South after many suspected insurgents surrendered to authorities in the past few months.
This has enabled officials to hinder terrorist attacks and acquire information on the whereabouts of several key rebels operating in the three southern border provinces, which has led to their arrest.
An investigation is under way to identify those involved in the Yala bombings on Tuesday.
bangkokpost.
Ten bombs shatter Yala, killing two
26/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
More than 10 bombs rocked the heart of Yala town yesterday evening, killing at least two people and wounding more than 40 others.
The bombs started exploding one after another in different locations at 6.50pm.
The blasts prompted officials to cut phone signals to all cellphone systems.
The first bomb went off on Sri Putra Road near an old market, killing two people.
Shortly after, a second explosion near the Park View Hotel on Ruammit Road, left scores injured. The third bomb went off near Yala Ram Hotel, followed by a fourth near the Rama Cafe restaurant. A fifth device later exploded near the Saeb Isarn food shop, a sixth at a fruit stall at the Muang Mai market, a seventh at an Esso petrol station, an eighth in front of an education office, a ninth at stationery shop, the 10th behind a municipality school and the 11th on Tha Sap road. About 10 bombs had been found and defused, police said.
The bomb blasts caused a widespread blackout in Yala Muang municipality.
A source said several suspicious objects had also been placed in other locations.
Police believe the attack was the work of insurgents looking to mark the seventh anniversary of the Tak Bai tragedy on Oct 25, 2004, which resulted in 85 deaths.
The infamous Tak Bai tragedy took place when seven Muslim men were killed during attempts to disperse a protest in Tak Bai district and 78 more men died of suffocation after they were forced to lie face down on top of one another aboard military trucks as they were transported from the protest site to a military unit in Pattani.
Earlier in the day, a soldier was wounded when his patrol was ambushed in Pattani's Sai Buri district.
An unknown number of assailants hiding on Narathiwat-Pattani Road in Sai Buri district fired on the patrol at around 7am.
Sgt Maj Kriangkrai Ruamthong was slightly wounded above his left eyebrow.
bangkokpost.
Rebel suspects kill 7 in attacks
Narathiwat hit by two bomb blasts, shooting
25/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : Seven people have been killed and eight injured in two bomb blasts and a shooting attack in Muang district on Sunday, police said yesterday.
The first bomb exploded inside the four-storey Jintai Junior convenience store on Phichit Bamrung Road in Muang Narathiwat municipality around 7pm.
Ten minutes later, another bomb went off outside the two-storey Sui Hua Panich convenience store on Chamroon Nara Road _ about 400 metres away from the Jintai Junior shop.
The bombs were set off when the stores were crowded with shoppers.
The blasts also started fires that badly damaged the shophouses in which the convenience stores were located.
At the Jintai Junior store, three people who were burned to death were identified as Suwit Wilaiwan, Wilasinee Wilaiwan, 32, who was four months pregnant, and her three-year-old son Pitakpong Wilaiwan.
At Sui Hua Panich, store owner Pichayuth Thanakitwat, 45, and Nanthana Binma, a teacher from Yi-ngo district, died in the blaze.
The seven people who were injured in the two bomb blasts were sent to Naradhiwasrajanagarindha Hospital in Narathiwat.
They were identified as Maroki Dolae, 30; Asikim Duerae, 14; Natthaphut Thanachitrat, 78; Sureeyanee Podae, 17; Oranit Amnuaypanich, 38; Ruseena Jaewae, 18; and Usman Sanita, 46.
Police investigators said the assailants posed as customers and planted the bombs on product shelves at each of the two convenience stores.
Narathiwat deputy police chief Banlue Chuwet said inspectors had concluded that the blasts in the two stores were caused by incendiary devices.
Police were gathering further evidence including video footage from surveillance cameras to try to identify the bombers.
The bomb blasts occurred shortly after a gunfight at a security post in Kasoh village in Narathiwat's Muang district.
At least 10 suspected militants in the back of three pickups sprayed bullets at the post, killing two defence volunteers _ Veerachai Sae Phu and Cholchart Prommoon _ and injuring one soldier, Pitak Phetchnok.
Pol Col Banlue said an assailant was also killed and at least three others injured in the gunfight.
Security officials told hospitals in downtown Narathiwat and in other districts to be on alert for injured assailants, who might try to disguise themselves to seek treatment.
bangkokpost.
Govt concedes Isoc Region 4 lacks unity
19/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
The government has conceded the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 lacks unity because its current structure comprises different working entities.
The Isoc Region 4, whose core duties are to tackle the southern unrest, consists of members of the military, police and other state agencies, Deputy Prime Minister Pol Gen Kowit Wattana said yesterday.
It had been noted that the staff answer to their respective agencies and not to the Isoc, a structure which has failed to unify the command's work.
The Isoc Region 4 also has to work with other centres and units to combat the southern unrest, said army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Other key parties are a number of state agencies responsible for ensuring security and the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC), Gen Prayuth said.
The separatist violence was not a problem that could simply be resolved with the use of force because several criminal groups were involved including those operating illegal businesses, he said.
"If the deep South is secure enough, the military would be ready to withdraw its troops from the region. But who would be able to guarantee the violence does not return?" Gen Prayuth said.
He was responding to previous calls by critics for a withdrawal of military forces from the restive South and for more reconciliatory measures.
Meanwhile, police investigating the Monday shooting attack on three police officers in Pattani confirmed yesterday that the stolen car used by the attackers was the same one used in several previous insurgent attacks.
The car is believed to have been driven by the attackers who shot and killed a former president of Lubo Yirai tambon administration organisation and two bystanders on Oct 13 in Mayo district.
Monday's attack left Pol Sub Lt Wit Sitthitrakul, 56, deputy inspector of Panare station, dead and his two subordinates seriously injured.
Doctors said yesterday the officers' injuries were no longer life threatening.
A man identified by security authorities only as Se and a resident of Yaha district in neighbouring Yala province has been detained for questioning after it was found his name was used as the beneficiary of the car's insurance.
He is being questioned at the Ingkhayutthaborihan military camp in Pattani's Nong Chik district.
bangkokpost.
Narathiwat defence volunteer slain
14/10/2011 at 04:46 PM
A defence volunteer was killed in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat’s Bacho district on Friday afternoon, police said.
Abdulloh Mansani, 40, was returning home from prayer at a mosque in Ban Yatoh on his motorcycle when a gunman riding pillion on another motorcycle fired on him with a .38 caliber pistol. He was shot twice in his body and fell down on the local road, according to police.
He was taken to Bacho hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Three killed by Pattani gunmen
13/10/2011 at 04:15 PM
The deputy president of a tambon administration organisation, his driver and a passing teenager were killed by gunmen in broad daylight in Mayo district of Pattani province on Thursday, police said.
Pol Col Adul Pinae-bango, the Mayo district police chief, said the killers attacked shortly before noon when a pick-up truck in which Hami Umar, 43, was travelling stopped at an intersection near Ban Ping in tambon Lubo Yirai.
Four men on the back of a pick-up truck that had followed Hami from his office opened fire on them with M16 and AK47 rifles, killing Hami and his driver Rose Jehlong, 47, on the spot.
Hami was deputy president of Lubo Yirai tambon administration organisation.
Saifu Panarin, 16, who was driving past on a motorcycle at the time was hit by several AK47 shots and died immediately.
The shooting occurred before many horrified onlookers.
Police were investigating to establish whether it was a political murder or a terrorist attack.
bangkokpost.
Police shot dead in Narathiwat
8/10/2011 at 03:35 PM
A Cho Irong policeman was killed in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat’s Cho Irong district on Saturday, said Pol Lt-Col Somchai Singkliang, duty officer at Cho Irong police station.
Sgt Jiraphan Leeyanond, 26, was driving his motorcycle on the Cho Irong-Pa Phai road about 11.45am when a gunman on another motorcycle fired on him with AK47 assault rifle, he said.
Sgt Jiraphan was shot four times in his back and fell down from his bike. The assailants followed to shot him one more time in his head and then fled. The police died at the spot, he added.
Pol-Col Somchai blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
488 marines ship out of Sattahip for troubled south
Friday, 07 October 2011
Nearly 500 Royal Thai Marines departed Sattahip for Thailand’s strife-torn southern provinces last month as the military shuffles its personnel in the area.
Marine Corps commander Rear Adm. Sompong Sungsuwan addressed the 488 troops slated for duty in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat at Prince Jetsada Camp Sept. 27. The soldiers are relieving marines on duty for the past year in a region of Thailand where nearly 4,800 people have been killed since 2004 in a Muslim separatist insurgency.
Marine Corps commander Rear Adm. Sompong Sungsuwan addresses 488 troops slated for duty in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. Marine Corps commander Rear Adm. Sompong Sungsuwan addresses 488 troops slated for duty in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
Sompong said the troops from the 1st Infantry Battalion and 3rd Infantry Battalion King’s Regiment, patrol officers, technicians and medical officers have been trained in languages, culture and tradition, as well as for guerilla warfare.
He urged the troops to take care and not be lulled into complacency by the recent downturn in violence. He said they also must realize the importance of language, communication and understanding with citizens who speak more Malay than Thai. Traditions, he stressed, are a very sensitive issue and urged them to be patient.
Before departing, monks blessed the troops and handed out amulets while family and friends offered flowers as they said their goodbyes.
pattayamail.
1 killed, 5 wounded in Narathiwat
6/10/2011 at 12:21 PM
One woman was killed, her neighbour seriously wounded and four soldiers injured in a series of attacks by militants in Cho Airong district of Narathiwat province on Wednesday night.
Pol Lt-Col Somjai Singkliang, deputy chief of Cho Airong police, said the attacks were conducted by three teams of insurgents.
In the first attack, men armed with M16 and AK47 rifles broke into the house of Jintana sae Tiew, 46, a Buddhist, at Ban To Leng in tambon Bukit about 9.30pm. They shot Ms Jintana many times in the body, killing her.
The militants also shot her neighbour, Abdulkarim Masae, 46, a former provincial council member, who opened the window of his house to take a look on hearing the gunshots. The man was hit in the head and seriously wounded. He was later admitted to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin hospital.
A team of four soldiers was then attacked on the way to the scene of the shooting. They were dispatched from an outpost of Narathiwat Task Force 31 in tambon Bukit and led by Lt Rangsan Arkornnak.
Their pick-up truck was hit by a home-made bomb detonated by militants near Ban Tapase. All four of them were wounded and the vehicle damaged.
In the third attack, militants detonated a bomb as Masakri Sali, an assistant Cho Airong district chief, and a number of defence volunteers were also heading to the scene of the first shooting. The bomb exploded just after their vehicle ran past the spot where it was planted. Nobody was hurt.
bangkokpost.
Yala defence volunteer shot, wounded
6/10/2011 at 11:07 AM
A defence volunteer was shot and seriously injured in an ambush in Yala’s Bannang Sata district on Thursday morning, said Pol Col Suwat Wongphaibul, chief of Bannang Sata police station.
Abdulloh Muyadeng, 27, was attacked on the local road in Ban Kulapong of Moo 4, tambon Tanoh Puteh about 10am by gunmen hiding in roadside forest, according the local police chief.
He took bullets in his face and was taken to Bannang Sata hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Volunteer wounded in Yala
5/10/2011 at 01:03 PM
A village defence volunteer was seriously wounded in an ambush on a local road in Yala's Bannang Sata district on Wednesday morning.
Police said Abdulloh Muyading, 27, was driving a motorcycle from an outpost to Kurapong village in tambon Tano Pute when he was shot by men hiding on the roadside.
The defence volunteer sustained a serious wound in his right cheek.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Village chief killed in Narathiwat
1/10/2011 at 01:17 PM
A village headman of Ban Irzo in tambon Chang Phuag of Narathiwat’s Chanae district was shot dead in Chanae late Saturday morning, Pol Sub Lt Angkul Aiampho, duty officer at Chanae police station, said.
Witnesses told police that Waepayunan Sideh, 50, went to Ban Ipeasae in tambon Padungmat of Chanane to follow the progress of a construction of the village mosque by his pickup truck. When he arrived at the being-built-mosque and got off his car, a gunman riding pillion of a motorcycle shot at him three times by a pistol. The assailants then fled, Pol Sub Lt Angkul said.
The village chief took three bullets in his head, body, left arm and died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
51 killed, 157 injured by southern insurgency last month: Deep South Watch
The Nation October 1, 2011 2:07 am
Last month saw 51 people killed and 157 others injured in violence in the southern border provinces, the Deep South Watch announced Saturday.
The center for monitoring violence in the deep South of Prince Songkhla University announced that 67 violent incidents took place in the provinces from September 1 to 30.
It said 37 of the 67 incidents were shootings, seven were bomb attacks and the rest were arsons.
Of the slain victims, 24 were civilians, 11 were troops and two others were policemen.
Of the injured, 68 are foreigners, 52 civilians and 20 troops.
nationmultimedia.
Soldier wounded by Yala bomb
29/09/2011 at 10:29 AM
The head of a military unit providing protection for teachers was seriously injured when a roadside bomb exploded in Yala’s Muang district on Thursday morning, police said.
The bomb victim was identified as Sgt Suthep Kongchuay of No 5011 Yala 11 special unit. He was hit in his body by shrapnel and admitted to Yala hospital.
Witnesses told Pol Col Phumpetch Pipatpetchphum, deputy Yala police chief, that the bomb was hidden in dense grass on the side of the Yala-Lam Mai road and was detonated as Sgt Suthep led his eight-soldier patrol by the spot, near the village mosque, about 7am.
The deputy police chief of Yala blamed militants of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil movement.
bangkokpost.
4 troops killed in Narathiwat school attack
Malaysian man hurt in Sungai Kolok blast dies
29/09/2011 at 12:00 AM
Four soldiers were killed while one other and a student were wounded when they came under attack in front of a school in Narathiwat province yesterday.
Six soldiers attached to the Narathiwat task force 30 were on security duty at Ban Lamoh school in Narathiwat's Rueso district when they were ambushed at noon by militants armed with assault rifles.
The dead soldiers were identified as Sgt Niti Aree, Sgt Suppachai Kaewnunual, Pvt Nujarin Surakanr and Pvt Noppasin Chusri.
Pvt Kraiwit Suk-on, who was wounded in the attack and Al-ameen Poleeka, a seven-year-old pupil who was injured by a stray bullet, were taken to hospital.
Pvt Witthaya Naratchote, who escaped unhurt, said at least 18 assailants wearing paramilitary ranger uniforms opened fire on the soldiers as they were taking a short break outside the school.
The assailants fled with five rifles and bullet-proof vests belonging to the soldiers, he said.
Meanwhile, a Malaysian man who was injured in the Sungai Kolok bombing on Sept 16 was pronounced dead at Songklanakarind Hospital in Songkhla yesterday morning, bringing the death toll to seven.
Chan Yee Son, 63, succumbed to septicaemia while being treated at the hospital. On Sept 20, doctors decided to amputate both of his legs due to the severity of his injuries.
In Pattani, a man was shot dead at a village market in Nong Chik district yesterday morning.
Eyewitnesses said a man shot Khampong Ngok-ngam, 45, two times in the head at a market in Paka Jino village of tambon Don Rak.
About the same time, assailants set fire to 29 closed-circuit television cameras in front of Talupo health station and a mosque at Ban Ro Rajang in Muang district.
Pattani provincial police chief Pichet said footage from surveillance cameras showed the assailants belonged to the same group as those who recently set fire to security cameras in Nong Chik district.
They were linked to drug networks and separatist movements, Pol Maj Gen Pichet said.
He said police had arrested a man who set fire to security cameras in Yarang district. The man, whose name was not given, admitted he was hired by people involved in the drug trade, the police officer said.
Meanwhile, a security source said Yase Pateh, a suspected key member of the Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo), is expected to give himself up to authorities.
Mr Yase has arrived in the South from exile overseas. His precise whereabouts are not known, although sources say that he is likely to bring 20 to 30 separatists with him when he hands himself in. The other separatist members living in exile in Europe will arrive in Thailand later. They will join state efforts to solve the southern conflict and promote development in the southern border provinces.
Previously, Chaiyong Maneerungsakul, a member of the Advisory Council for Peace Building in the Southern Border Provinces, said the expected return of Pulo members followed secret talks early this year between Phanu Uthairat, secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, and Mr Yase.
He said Sapae-ing Basor, believed to be the leader of the Barisan Resolusi Nasional Coordinate, and Masae Useng, another suspected key member of the group, would also surrender.
bangkokpost.
Thai Government Shelves Autonomy for Deep South as Violence Continues
Wednesday 28th September 2011
The Thai government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has back-tracked on a campaign pledge to establish a special administration zone in its troubled southern provinces.
Political analysts say a simmering insurgency in the majority-Muslim Malay region can only be resolved by allowing some form of self-rule. But, the government has little incentive to challenge the status quo.
When Thailand's Pheu Thai party was campaigning for votes earlier this year, they tried to gain support in Thailand's deep south among people who have not traditionally supported them.
The party offered to make the three southern border provinces a special administrative zone. Thailand's Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala provinces were part of a Muslim sultanate that was annexed by Thailand, more than a century ago.
Since 2004, insurgents have waged a violent campaign against a dominant Thai Buddhist culture in the majority ethnic Malay Muslim region.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the government has no plan to grant special status to the provinces.
"This is partly because that the government did not, Pheu Thai party, did not get a single seat in the Deep South," saidRungrawee Chalermsripinyorat, the Thailand analyst for the International Crisis Group. "And, they probably don't see any political points they would gain by pushing forward this policy."
Yingluck Shinawatra's party was unpopular in the south before the election, partly because of violent crackdowns that occurred during her brother's rule several years ago.
But, although it may not be politically advantageous for Pheu Thai, analysts say allowing the south more say in running its own affairs would help quell the seven-year insurgency that has cost nearly 5,000 lives.
Tens of thousands of soldiers in the south maintain security through emergency laws that give them immunity from prosecution.
Rights groups say this allows for official abuses that stoke the insurgency.
Donna Guest is Amnesty International's deputy Asia program director. She told the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand Tuesday that security forces still commit torture and other human rights violations.
"Amnesty's 2009 report noted that not a single individual has been held accountable for torturing suspects," she said. "And, more than two-and-a-half years on, this remains the case."
This week, Amnesty said two-thirds of victims in the southern violence are civilians, the majority of them Muslims viewed as cooperating with the government or not supporting the insurgency.
Guest says, in the last five years, insurgent attacks have concentrated on soft targets such as farmers, schools, merchants, monks and civil servants.
"As the insurgents have never clearly articulated their grievances, aims or demands, these targeted attacks seem aimed primarily at spreading terror among the civilian population. These attacks constitute war crimes," said Guest.
Analysts say that part of the problem with the government's response to the southern violence is a lack of coherent and coordinated efforts.
Earlier this month, police blamed bomb attacks that killed seven people, including five Malaysians, on a government campaign against drug dealers. However the Interior Ministry rejects that connection and says the violence was related to feelings of injustice, inequality and economic difficulties.
In what may be an attempt to address these differences, the government is planning a new center for coordinating and integrating policies and operations in the south.
Government spokeswoman Thitima Chaisang says the two main agencies responsible for security and development, the Internal Security Operations Command and the Southern Border Provinces Administration Center, never talk to each other. She says the center will promote better cooperation.
"The government [is] concerned about security and also the development and to make the fairness to the people in the Deep South," she said. "This is the way that the government wants to do."
Thai authorities are quick to point out that annual deaths are going down, indicating that, despite the ongoing violence, the situation is at least better than before.
But analyst Rungrawee says the efforts at improving coordination among various agencies will do little to end the violence because the government's overall policy remains the same.
"If the government continues to use the same approach, it doesn't matter how they restructure the bureaucratic system, if they don't initiate new policy there's no way that we're going to see a permanent end to the conflict in the deep south," said Rungrawee.
Rungrawee says any hopes for peace rest on some form of decentralized power and holding formal dialogue with the insurgents.
thailandnews.
Four troops killed in attack on Thai school
AFP September 28, 2011, 11:59 pm
NARATHIWAT, Thailand (AFP) - More than a dozen suspected Muslim insurgents attacked a school in southern Thailand on Wednesday, killing four soldiers and seriously wounding one child, police said.
About 18 gunmen dressed as paramilitaries opened fire on soldiers waiting to escort teachers home in Narathiwat, one of three southern provinces near the border with Malaysia that have suffered nearly eight years of conflict.
Police said one Muslim student, believed to be aged seven, was hit by a stray bullet in the incident, the latest in a series of increasingly brazen attacks by the shadowy militants.
"By firing into an army base inside a school, insurgents knew they could also harm students and teachers," said Human Rights Watch senior researcher Sunai Phasuk. "Such brutality is sickening."
The attackers seized five guns and bullet proof vests from the dead soldiers before fleeing the 400-student school, whose director was shot dead three years ago while boarding a train home.
Teachers working in state schools in the region are frequently targeted because they are seen as a symbol of government authority and an education system perceived as an effort by Bangkok to impose Buddhist culture.
Many schools have armed guards based in the grounds and soldiers provide protection for teachers on their daily commute.
New York-based Human Rights Watch says that the presence of soldiers in schools puts civilians at risk.
More than 140 teachers have been killed in near daily attacks since insurgents launched an uprising in early 2004, claiming the lives of more than 4,800 people, both Muslims and Buddhists.
In July three young children and 15 adults were wounded when a bomb hidden in a parked motorcycle exploded at a school in neighbouring Yala province.
Earlier this month a teacher was shot dead and his body set on fire.
Amnesty International on Tuesday called on insurgents to halt attacks on civilians, a practice that it said was on the rise and in many cases amounted to a war crime.
Malaysian tourists were among four killed and 110 wounded in multiple blasts in the popular border town of Sungai Golok earlier this month.
People in the region complain there is discrimination against ethnic Malay Muslims by authorities in the Buddhist-majority nation, including alleged abuses by the armed forces.
In a separate attack, 16 militants in two pick up trucks and motorcycles opened fire on a military outpost in another area of Narathiwat on Tuesday, killing a 21-year-old private and injuring two other troops.
A 47-year-old Muslim man was gunned down in a drive-by attack the same day.
yahoo.
Insurgents commit "war crimes" in Thai south: Amnesty
27 September 2011
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Amnesty International on Tuesday condemned the indiscriminate murder of civilians by insurgents in Thailand's southern border provinces, saying the killings amounted to war crimes.
A report issued by the London-based human rights group also said security forces were guilty of excesses, including extrajudicial killings, that endangered civilians.
Nearly 4,800 people, mostly civilians, have been killed and thousands injured in the southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, plus parts of neighboring Songkhla since a long-running insurgency flared up in 2004.
"(The insurgents) have committed -- and are continuing to commit -- what amount to acts aimed at spreading terror among the civilian population, and which constitute war crimes," the report said.
Ethnic Malay Muslims form the majority of the population in the area, which was mostly part of a Malay sultanate until annexed by predominantly Buddhist Thailand a century ago.
The insurgents are thought to be pursuing separatist aims, but the various shadowy groups have rarely put forward demands or shown any interest in negotiating with the state.
On September 16, a triple bomb attack in Narathiwat killed six people and wounded scores.
The Amnesty report, entitled "They Took Nothing but his Life," detailed the deaths of 82 people in 66 insurgent attacks between November 2006 and June 2011 in three districts.
Most victims were Muslim, but Amnesty said the insurgents killed both Muslims and Buddhists from all walks of life.
Many killings occurred at night, but some took place in broad daylight and in front of witnesses. Yet few witnesses came forward due to fears of retaliation.
"The quality of attacks has increased, as has the brutality, the targeting and the size of the bombs and number of casualties," Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty's Thailand researcher and author of the report, told a news conference.
But he said the number of attacks had decreased.
ECONOMY AFFECTED
The attacks, some of which are blamed on criminal elements, have prompted many Buddhists to relocate. Since 2004, at least 200,000 people are estimated to have moved to Hat Yai, capital of Songkhla, doubling the size of the city, Amnesty said.
The economy has suffered in the rubber-rich region, with a drop in tourist numbers and a fall in consumer spending.
"The government of Thailand has not been able to assert and exercise lawful control over these provinces," Amnesty said. Security forces, it said, had engaged in torture, disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
The climate of fear was compounded by easy access to guns, with permission frequently granted to anyone employed by a state body on grounds of self defense.
Amnesty said more than 31,000 members of the armed forces could now be in the area, plus tens of thousands of people in militias set up to protect isolated settlements.
It urged the authorities to tighten up on gun ownership, investigate crimes committed by security forces and move beyond a counter-insurgency strategy to address local grievances.
(Reporting By Thin Lei Win; Editing by Alan Raybould and Ron Popeski)
yahoo.
Two police wounded in Pattani
26/09/2011 at 04:54 PM
Two police officers on patrol duty were seriously wounded in a bomb explosion on a road in Pattani's Yarang district on Monday afternoon, police said.
The bomb exploded when a pick-up truck used by the two officers ran over it near a village in tambon Yarang on Highway 410 between Pattani and Yala.
Pol Sgt Worapol Chaipak and Pol Cpl Boonsong Songfai were seriously wounded. They were admitted to Yarang hospital.
On Sunday night, two unmanned army operational bases in Bacho district of Narathiwat provinces were set on fire. The first base, of a special operation unit, was at Ban Suwo in tambon Bare and the other, of a development unit of the 46th Rangers Regiment, in tambon Bacho.
The arson attacks were launched simultaneously by militants at about 9pm.
The two bases were, however, empty as troops withdrew from the first one on Sept 22 and from the other on Sept 19 and no replacements had been made.
Wooden structures roofed with thatch at the two bases were burnt to ashes.
bangkokpost.
Sungai Kolok blasts claim sixth victim as reporter dies
SCHOOL BOMBING SUSPECTS QUESTIONED, TWO KILLED IN MARKET ATTACK
25/09/2011 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : A reporter who was injured in the Sungai Kolok bombing last week was pronounced dead yesterday, bringing the death toll to six.
NIGHT OF TERROR: A rescue worker, left, with a civilian injured in the Sungai Kolok blasts.
Two car bombs and one motorcycle bomb exploded in downtown Sungai Kolok district on Sept 16, killing three Malaysians and one Thai and wounding at least 110 others. The fifth victim, also a Malaysian, was pronounced dead last week.
Phamon Phonphanit, 61, a reporter for local newspaper Sue Samut Atyakam succumbed to severe burns sustained in the third explosion while he was covering the attack. Phamon was pronounced dead at Yala Central Hospital.
Narathiwat police have identified two suspects allegedly involved in the bomb attacks by using footage from surveillance cameras.
One of them was Suhaidee Kubaru, of Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district. The other was Muhammadsakri Saising.
Police have sought an arrest warrant from the Criminal Court for Mr Suhaidee and will soon seek arrest warrants for other suspects.
Meanwhile, authorities from the Narathiwat special task force 38 yesterday interrogated two suspects in a bombing inside the compound of Prachabamrung School in Rangae district on Friday.
BETTER SAFE: Motorbikes with their seats open at a boat race festival on the Sungai Kolok River.
One soldier was injured in the attack.
The two, whose names were withheld, were apprehended as they drove a black pickup truck past the school shortly after the bomb exploded.
The suspects denied any involvement, but the authorities were not convinced as they gave conflicting statements, said Lt Col Satipong Artharn, the task force commander.
He said investigators were also looking for links between the school bombing and the Sungai Kolok attacks.
A 33-year-old man was seriously injured in Narathiwat's Rangae district after he was shot in his left arm and shoulder by suspected insurgents.
The victim, Kudeng Rayeekae, was riding his motorcycle to his para rubber plantation when he was attacked by two attackers on a motorcycles.
The pillion rider fired a 9mm pistol at Mr Kudeng three times. Two bullets hit him, said Rangae police.
In Narathiwat's Bacho district, an armed man stormed the main fresh market in tambon Ton Sai and killed two vendors and seriously injured two others yesterday.
The gunman approached a group of Buddhist vendors at the Muslim-dominated market and shot Wichai Suaphan, 50; an unidentified female vendor in her 70s; Wilailak Suaphan, 52, the wife of Wichai; and Phanni Arunrat, 67.
The gunman, who arrived on the back of a motorcycle, sped away after the attack.
He was believed to be a close aide of a key figure of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) separatist movement named Maro Zo, police said.
Wichai and the female vendor died at the scene, while Mrs Wilailak and Mrs Phanni sustained severe injuries.
bangkokpost.
Thai south needs peace
The Brunei Times
Publication Date : 19-09-2011
It's really shocking and frustrating to see the latest blasts in Thailand's deep south in which four persons, including three Malaysian tourists, losing their lives in Sungai Golok town in Narathiwat province last Friday night. It is this mindless violence, claiming lives and causing injuries to hundreds, makes us sad and disappointed.
It seems that violence has become a routine, if not a daily, occurrence in the three Thai Muslim dominated provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani since the famous 2004 Tak Bai tragedy in which 78 Malay Muslim men died of suffocation in military transport trucks.
More than 4,800 people have died in an endless string of violence since then.
The failure of the then Thaksin Shinawatra regime and several successive governments to solve the strife and bring peace and justice to the Malay-speaking provinces has made the conflict even more complicated like an endless spiral. The Friday night's blasts occurred just a few hours after Deputy Prime Minister Kowit Wattana voiced concern over the escalating violence in the restive region.
While Wattana's concern might reflect the frustration of the government as to what is best to do to bring an end to the conflict, Defence Minister General Yuthasak Sasiprapha and Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 deputy chief Maj-General Akkhara Thiproj have raised questions as to who were behind the bombings.
General Yuthasak and Maj Gen Akkhara shared the view that the bombing of the commercial and tourist area was the work of insurgent sympathisers who had joined with illicit drug syndicates for monetary gains and discrediting the government.
Finger pointing, actually, will not solve the problem and could, even, make it worse. What is most appropriate to do now is to identify the nature of the conflict, create an implementation plan, carry out the plan seriously and sincerely and, most importantly, stop the practice of discrimination and injustice towards the people of the region. Premier Yingluck Shinawatra, who has promised to bring peace to the region in a year's time, must promptly do something to save the region and the people.
asianewsnet.
Adul ordered to settle unrest in South
17/09/2011 at 01:04 PM
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Saturday that she had ordered deputy police chief Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew to go down to the deep South to resolve unrest problem there.
Ms Yingluck said she will this afternoon discuss with Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit and army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha to find ways to rapidly bring about peace and order in the three southernmost provinces.
She insisted that the government will use peaceful means in settling the problem of southern violence.
bangkokpost.
Bombings in southern Thailand kill 3, wound dozens
16-09-2011 11:25 AM
Bombs concealed in a car and two motorcycles killed at least three people and wounded several dozen Friday evening in a town in Thailand's insurgency-plagued south, the government said.
The attack in Sungai Kolok, which is near the border with Malaysia, was one of the biggest since Thailand's new government was installed in August. The bombs wounded at least 30 people, the government's Internal Security Operations Command information center said.
More than 4,700 people have been killed in the Muslim-dominated southernmost provinces of Thailand since an Islamist insurgency erupted in 2004. A massive military effort has failed to stop the violence, attributed to the secretive insurgents who advocate separatism.
On Thursday, suspected Muslim insurgents killed five soldiers and severely wounded another in a roadside bombing in neighboring Pattani province.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for Friday's attack.
Thai TV networks showed several small fires set off by the explosions. Authorities cut off mobile phone service in the area to prevent possible detonations of more bombs, and traffic was snarled by army roadblocks.
Sungai Kolok attracts tourists from neighboring Malaysia for shopping and nightlife, including prostitution, which is less tolerated in their home country. But attacks in recent years have discouraged visitors.
Unconfirmed reports on Thai television said Malaysian tourists may have been among Friday's victims.
The previous most dramatic attack in the town came during celebrations of the 2008 New Year, when suspected Muslim insurgents set off five bombs in its hotel and nightlife area, wounding 27 people.
washingtonexaminer.
Police station bombed in Narathiwat
15/09/2011 at 02:55 PM
An empty, just-built police station has been bombed and set alight in Narathiwat, only two weeks before it was due to open, police said on Thursday.
Explosives planted in a cooking-gas tank were detonated on the ground floor and a fire was lit, damaging walls and stairs, but police said they had not yet moved any furniture into the station, which was due to open on Oct 1.
Narathiwat police colonel Apirak Sangkhao said he had no reports of injuries.
"An attack on an unmanned station has never happened before," Pol Col Apirak said.
Police will now have to check whether the structure is safe before they can move into the building.
Around 4,800 people have been killed in near-daily attacks since shadowy rebels launched an uprising in January 2004 in the southern border provinces, according to the latest figures from Deep South Watch, an independent research group that monitors the conflict.
bangkokpost.
Ranger killed, 2 wounded in Pattani
15/09/2011 at 01:25 PM
A para-military ranger was killed and two others seriously wounded by a bomb explosion in Pattani's Kapho district on Thursday, police said.
A team of rangers from Task Force 44 was patrolling along a road near Ban Chan Kapho in tambon Kaburi when the bomb went off.
The wounded were admitted to Pattani hospital.
bangkokpost.
5 soldiers killed in Thailand's violent south
15-09-2011 12:49:54 AM PDT
PATTANI, Thailand—Police say suspected Muslim insurgents have killed five soldiers and severely wounded another in a roadside bombing in Thailand's violence-plagued south.
Pol. Col. Kong-att Suwannaka says the explosive device was buried on a road in Pattani province and was detonated Thursday as the soldiers were passing by in a pickup truck.
He says five soldiers died at the scene and a sixth was taken to a hospital with serious wounds.
He says the insurgents felled trees to slow rescue vehicles trying to get to the scene of the attack.
More than 4,700 people have been killed in Thailand's three Muslim-dominated southernmost provinces since an Islamist insurgency flared in 2004.
mercurynews.
Five injured in teashop attack in South
6/09/2011 at 02:46 PM
Five people including a nine-year-old boy were wounded in a shooting at a teashop in Moo 3 tambon Bang Por of Narathiwat’s Muang district on Tuesday morning, police said.
Police in Muang Narathiwat learned of the attack about 11.30am and a colmbined police and military team was sent tothe area.
They found 14 spent 9mm cartridges in front of and inside the teashop and were told that the injured people were taken to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin hospital, police said.
The victims were named as Arong Muya, Jeso Jenu, Madyuso Sama-air, Nuseng Mameng and the nine-year-old boy Saiful Mama.
Dorrormae Bugoh, 56, the teashop’s owner, told police that eight people including the boy were having tea when two men arrived on a motorcycle. The man riding pillion stepped walked toward them and fired at each of them with a 9mm pistol.
The victims fell from their chairs and the assailants then fled.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Muslim separatists in southern Thailand continue guerrilla attacks
Aug 31, 2011
Here in southern Thailand, the Muslim insurgents seem to be committing more gruesome acts of violence, putting a spotlight on one of Asia’s most opaque conflicts.
Separatists have been mounting attacks in this jungle-covered region, near the Malaysian border, since 2004, killing more than 4,700 people. During the past six months, attacks have been “better planned and targeted, more sophisticated, and professional than earlier in the conflict,” says Anthony Davis, a Thailand-based analyst at global security consulting firm IHS-Jane's.
But now insurgents are increasingly using IEDs, and have stepped up the type of violence. Buddhist monks are beheaded. Schools, the symbols of the Buddhist Thai state, are burned down. Drive-by shootings leave teachers and rubber tappers dead. Car bombs kill soldiers and bystanders. Davis notes that all of 2010 saw three car bomb attacks in the deep south, but since January there have been six such attacks in 2011.
“The fact is there is a war going on and it appears to be getting increasingly vicious and intense,” says Davis.
The violence is believed to be perpetrated by a small group of hard-core insurgent operatives, some of whom claim to be battling for greater autonomy from the Thai state. But these shadowy groups rarely claim responsibility for their attacks, and the movement seems to lack a coherent political front –or even, perhaps, a common goal. Many local Muslims, in fact, say they do not support the groups’ supposed separatist aims.
Most security experts agree that the groups are largely focused on driving out authorities from Bangkok, which annexed the area in 1902. Thai officials say Al Qaeda has inspired, but not assisted, militants in the south.
Marc Askew, a senior fellow in the anthropology program at the University of Melbourne who is based in Southern Thailand, says that meanwhile, though the exact numbers are difficult to nail down, statistics seem to show that the number of monthly violent events has actually declined as of late.
“But the difference,” he says, “is that casualties seem to be greater per event.” The conflict may not have brought a lot of international attention overall, but attacks are getting more deadly, signaling that the insurgents are getting better at targeting "gaps in the security net," such as teachers who cannot be protected by troops 24/7. Despite the Thai military in the area the insurgents are not losing ground.
In an effort to attract votes by addressing the violence, Yingluck Shinawatra visited the deep south ahead of her July 3 election as prime minister. Donning a red hijab, Ms. Shinawatra, who is Buddhist, proposed granting the region more autonomy.
She suggested that the three southern provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Naratiwat be grouped into one “special administrative zone," with one elected governor. The proposal was supported by academics and nonprofit groups in the deep south that favor decentralization and more economic independence from Bangkok.
But her party failed to take any seats in the region, and last week, when pressed before parliament to provide details on the plan, Yingluck's deputy prime minister appeared to distance himself and the administration from the proposal. This has led to speculation that the plan could ultimately be abandoned.
“It’s not a good start in terms of building trust between the new government and people in the South,” says Sunai Phasuk, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. He notes that while some in the south may yearn for more control of the region, residents will now see the proposal as a political ploy.
Still, is some form autonomy an option in the months or years ahead? “The end game will almost inevitably involve a degree of power devolution,” says Davis. “The question is what form and how long that will take.”
However, “there are obviously powerful institutions, notably the Interior Ministry and the Royal Thai Army, that at this stage do not see the granting of anything approaching self-government as a good thing.”
Others say heavy-handed security forces are to blame for inciting the ongoing violence by mistreating locals and suspects. A solution is “very straightforward,” Mr. Sunai says. The government must “end the abuses by state officials and hold them to account."
Muslim separatists in southern Thailand continue guerrilla attacks - Page 2
Aug 31, 2011
Addressing journalists in Pattani one evening last week, Udomchai Thammasarorat, the Thai Army commander in charge of the restive provinces, denied that the violence is becoming more bloody.
He said that the Army is sticking to its plan of trying to promote “understanding” between the government and locals, and argued that economic development will help win hearts and minds.
He pointed to one government outreach programs such as one in which, medics at an Army base provide local Muslims with free medical services. But on a recent visit, there were no speakers of Pattani Malay, the local language on hand, so locals who don’t speak Thai must bring a relative who can when seeking treatment.
The government is also working to help eliminate “injustices” perpetrated against innocent people, according to the Director of the Justice Ministry's Central Institute of Forensic Science Pornthip Rojanasunand. She noted the use of new forensic DNA techniques.
But one of the tools she touted was the scandal-plagued GT200 bomb detector, which was revealed in early 2010 to be bogus. The Thai government's own tests revealed that the devices work only 20 percent of the time.
Among the detainees at the army base was a 30-something Muslim man who gave his name as Amatsydee. Sitting on a bed in his cell, he patiently explained, in passable Thai, that he had been detained because the authorities accuse him of assisting a “group of bad people.”
Asked about the reason for insurgent attacks in the region, “I don’t know how to say it,” he said, looking up at a burly guard standing beside him. “My Thai isn’t very good.”
With the autonomy proposal now in question, it appears unlikely that any new political policies will be undertaken or that the Army will alter its tactics.
The danger of not changing the strategy in the south, says Davis, is that there is a sense of complacency in Bangkok, the conviction that things are getting better in the deep south.
“But it’s a real mess down there,” Davis says, “and arguably it’s getting worse.”
alaskadispatch.
Rubber planter killed in Pattani
28/08/2011 at 11:34 AM
A rubber planter was killed in a bomb explosion in a rubber plantation in Panare district of Pattani province early Sunday morning, police said.
Police said the planter, Im Srichotiyakul, 66, stepped on the home-made bomb while he was tapping rubber in his plantation near Ban Dan in tambon Khuan.
He was killed instantly.
His wife, who was tapping rubber about 5m away, was not hurt.
A police bomb disposal team, which was dispatched to the scene for examination, found two more bombs buried near the first spot. The bombs were subsequently destroyed
bangkokpost.
Bomb trap kills 5 volunteers in South
26/08/2011 at 01:07 PM
Five defence volunteers were killed and many others injured when they were lured into a bomb trap in Narathiwat’s Rueso district on Friday morning, reports said.
The defence volunteers had responded to a report that the last Thai-Buddhist in Ban Jarolibong in Rueso was shot dead while working in his rubber plantation.
They rushed to village and were killed and wounded when a bomb buried in the dirt road exploded under their vehicle.
The injured victims, including an assistant district officer, were admitted to Rueso hospital.
Further details of the dead and injured were not immediately available.
Police blamed separatist militants.
Earlier this morning, four garbage collectors were injured, two seriously, by a bomb explosion in Mae Wad of Yala’s Tharnto district.
bangkokpost.
2 die, 10 hurt in gunfight at house in Yala
26/08/2011 at 12:00 AM
YALA : Two people have been killed and 10 others injured after at least 30 armed assailants attacked the house of a former village headman in Yaha district.
Police said a number of assailants armed with war weapons attacked the house of Doloh Sengmasu, a former village headman in Talohwae village at 2.30am yesterday.
Mr Doloh lost his son, Nisulaiman Sengmasu, and grand-daughter, four-year-old Rasmee Sengmasu, who was Nisulaiman's child.
Those injured were defence and ranger volunteers. They were gathered in front of Mr Doloh's house when at least 30 black-clad assailants stormed in, firing weapons at them.
The two groups exchanged fire for two hours while members of the Sengmasu family were still in the house.
The assailants surrounded the two-storey house, while some of them poured fuel on it and set it ablaze. The house burnt to the ground. The attackers retreated around 4.30am.
Police investigators later found casings from several kinds of bullet and two unexploded grenades from an M-79 launcher.
An intelligence source said the attackers could be a group of Runda Kumpalan Kecil (RKK) militants who might have wanted to take revenge on Mr Doloh, because of his initiative in joining security task forces to hunt down RKK militants.
In a separate incident, a village headman was shot dead late on Wednesday night in Pattani's Sai Buri district.
Hami Kuemi, 60, was gunned down in front of a village mosque in Moo 5 of tambon Lahan. He was shot six times.
In Songkhla's Thepha district, police yesterday found two bombs hidden in metal boxes placed near a power pylon at Koh Lae Nang village in tambon Pakbang.
Earlier, on Wednesday night, assailants also attacked two security outposts in Thepha district, killing two defence volunteers and injuring one.
Slain were Rahem Chae and Manaree Ahama. Slightly injured was Nuddin Nae.
bangkokpost.
Workers wounded by Yala bomb
26/08/2011 at 10:21 AM
Four garbage collectors were injured, two seriously, by a bomb explosion in Mae Wad of Yala’s Tharnto district on Friday morning, police said.
Pol Lt Pisan Bucharam of Mae Wad police station said he and other policemen patrolling in tambon Mae Wad heard an explosion about 7.30am and reported it to deputy Yala police chief Pol Col Phumpetch Pipatpetchphum.
A team sent to the scene found a bomb-damaged trash collection pickup truck parked on the side of Khok Chang-Iyaweng road. Witnesses told police that two trash collectors were seriously wounded and taken to Tharnto hospital before the police arrived.Two others received lesser injuries.
The two seriously injured men were identified as Somsak Sae Ueng, 40, and Surat Fa-arun, 30. They were latr transferred to Yala hospital.
Police found parts of iron box and watch on the truck. They believed a 5kg homemade time-bomb was put inside a trash bin. The unaware workers collected the trash bin and put it in the trash truck. The bomb went off about 7am as set.
They blamed members of the separatist Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) movement.
bangkokpost.
Two slain in Yala, one killed in Pattani
25/08/2011 at 03:49 PM
Two people were slain, including a four-year-old, when an estimated 30 gunmen attacked a former vilage chief's house in Yala early Thursday morning, sparking a two-hour gunfight with defence volunters that left 10 other people wounded.
The attack was launched about 2.30am in tambon Patae of Yala’s Yaha district, Yala police chief Pol Maj Gen Chote Chavalwiwat said.
About 30 armed men surrounded the house of Dorloh Sengmasu, headman of Ban Talohwae, widely called "Loh Talohwae”, and opened fire on defence volunteers guarding the residence, Pol Maj Gen Chote said.
The defence volunteers and Dorloh fired back. The gun battle lasted about two hours. Before fleeing, the attackers set fire to Dorloh’s home, he said.
Joint police and military force swept the area.
They reported finding two bodies - Dorloh's son Nisulaiman Sengmasu, and Rassami Sengmasu, 4, Nisulaiman's daughter.
A total of 10 people - rangers and villagers - were wounded in the attack and taken to hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
In Pattani's Saiburi district, Hami Kuemi, 60, village headman of Moo 5 in tambon Lahan, was shot dead late last night, Saiburi deputy police chief Narawee Binwae-arrong said.
Pol Lt Col Narawee said witnesses told police that Hami was returning to his home after prayer at the village mosque when gunmen fire at him with pistols.
He took six bullets in his body and died at the spot.
Police were investigating.
Over 4,500 people have been killed and about 9,000 injured in the southernmost provinces since separatist militants started violence afresh in January 2004.
bangkokpost.
Military ranger killed, 14 hurt in 2 separate bombing attacks
24/08/2011 at 12:00 AM
A military ranger was killed and 14 other people, including a monk, were wounded in two separate bomb attacks in Yala and Pattani provinces yesterday.
The first attack took place in tambon Lidol in Yala's Muang district about 12.30am when two rangers - Jenkawi Kanchanaprom, 24, and Nisai Chalit, 24 - left their military outpost to conduct a routine patrol.
The home-made bomb, hidden under a roadside bridge, exploded when the two rangers arrived in the area. Jenkawi died instantly while Mr Nisai sustained serious injuries. The explosion left a small hole in the road and scattered metal shards around the area.
Police blamed southern separatists for the attack.
In nearby Pattani province, a Buddhist monk, three women and nine soldiers, were wounded when a bomb exploded in Muang district yesterday morning. Of the nine soldiers, two were seriously wounded.
The bomb went off at 7.15 am on Pak Nam Road in tambon Sabarang of Muang municipality in Pattani province while a team of soldiers was escorting Buddhist monks during their morning alms collection.
The bomb was hidden inside a 15-kg cooking gas container on a pushcart parked on a footpath. It was triggered by a remote control device.
Pvt Sathit Chanlao, 22, and Pvt Khaokhom Paipod, 22 were seriously wounded in the explosion which also slightly injured the other soldiers, a 21-year-old monk and the three women.
The blast badly damaged a military pickup truck. The impact of the explosion shattered the glass doors and windows of about 20 houses along the roads and partly damaged three motorcycles parked in the area. Police said downtown, community areas and nightspot venues in Pattani were targets of insurgent bomb attacks.
bangkokpost.
No let up in southern violence
23/08/2011 at 04:14 PM
Insurgent attacks in the southernmost border provinces overnight and on Tuesday morning killed a policeman and a para-military ranger, and injured civilians, a monk and soldiers.
Nine soldiers, one monk and three civilians were wounded by a bomb explosion on Pak Nam road in Pattani's Muang district on Tuesday morning, police said.
The attack occurred about 7.15am as 15 soldiers from Pattani Task Force 25 were escorting Buddhist monks and novices returning to Lak Muang temple after collecting alms.
As they walked past an untended push cart which had been used for selling fried chicken during the Muslim fasting period, a home-made bomb built into a 5kg cooking gas cylinder was detonated remotely by a radio.
Two soldiers were seriously wounded in the explosion. Pvt Sathit Chanlao, 22, was injured in the head and body, and Pvt Kaokhom Paipod, 22, in both legs and the body. They were admitted to Yala hospital.
Seven soldiers and a monk sustained minor injuries.
Three nearby women - Prom Na Rangsi, 46, Wandee sae Nguan, 46, and Roseyati Makasem, 25 - also received minor wounds.
In Yala province, one para-military ranger was killed and another seriously wounded by a bomb explosion about 12.20am in Muang district.
Police said the two rangers were on a routine night patrol on a motorcycle in tambon Lam Mai. The bomb was detonated as they passed a bridge near Talo village in tambon Lidon.
The explosion killed Jenkawi Kanchanaprom, 24, and seriously wounded Nisai Chalit, 24. Both were attached to Ranger Company 4712.
Late on Monday night in Narathiwat province, a policeman was shot dead while at prayer in a mosque in Ruso district.
Police said the murder occurred about 9.55pm. Two men arrived on a motorcycle and the pillion rider walked into the mosque, mingling with other villagers, and fired two shots with an 11mm pistol into the head and body of Pol Snr Sgt-Maj Wirat Theprin, 52, of Ruso police station, killing him instantly.
The attackers fled on the waiting motorcycle.
More than 4,500 people have been killed and about 9,000 hurt in the deep South since separatist militants started violence afresh in January 2004.
bangkokpost.
Ranger killed in Narathiwat
22/08/2011 at 01:29 PM
A para-military ranger was shot dead at his family's rubber plantation in Rangae district of Narathiwat province on Monday morning, police said.
Eyewitnesses told police that two men arrived on a motorcycle and the pillion rider walked up to Nirosuenan Jehnu, 31, of the 46th Ranger Company, and pulled out a handgun and shot him three times before fleeing.
The ranger was on leave and working in his family's rubber plantation. He died on the spot.
bangkokpost.
Man gunned down in Yala
21/08/2011 at 02:26 PM
A former army recruit was shot to death in Muang district of Yala in broad daylight on Sunday, police said.
Police said while Pvt Isma-ae Yala, 23, a former draftee who had just completed his military service, was standing at the mouth of Soi Kokaew in front of Somwang Apartment on Tuebo-Para Mitae road two men arrived on a motorcycle and one of them opened fire at him with an M16 rifle before fleeing.
Pvt Isma-ae was hit in the body and the head. He was killed instantly.
Police recovered nine spent shells of M16 ammunition at the scene.
Police were investigating the killing to find out if it was an act of insurgency.
bangkokpost.
Army willing to adopt govt's special administrative zone plan
19/08/2011 at 12:00 AM
The army is ready to cooperate with the Pheu Thai-led government's plan to make the three southern border provinces a special administrative zone, the army chief said yesterday.
Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said the government had been discussing details of the special zone. The army has not opposed the plan and it would abide by all the policies of the executive branch.
"But we need to discuss the rationale behind it and how we would do it," said Gen Prayuth.
Setting up an administrative zone in the three southernmost provinces was one of the Pheu Thai Party's election campaign promises.
Now the army will present the government with its views on the consequences.
"If it can improve the situation, we must do it," added Gen Prayuth.
Gen Prayuth yesterday accompanied a Defence Ministry delegation, led by Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa, to inspect the operations of the joint security task force in the three southern border provinces.
It was Gen Yutthasak's first trip to the restive South since he was appointed as defence minister last week.
Gen Yutthasak said that after listening to a briefing from local authorities, he believed the state was on the right track in quelling the southern violence.
The minister yesterday held a meeting with 4th Army chief Udomchai Thammasarorat, Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre secretary-general Panu Uthairat and the governors of Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Satun at Sirindhorn Camp in Pattani's Yarang district.
The defence minister said he would consult further on the special zone before pushing ahead with the idea.
"Political parties might have different views from authorities working in the field. We need to patch up the differences first before implementing the policy. We can't move forward with the idea if the local authorities disagree with it," Gen Yutthasak said.
He was confident that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, as director of the Internal Security Operations Command and Gen Prayuth, who is the Isoc's deputy director, would work closely to solve the southern unrest.
Meanwhile, in Narathiwat's Rueso district, a cosmetics delivery man was shot dead yesterday in a pickup truck loaded with his company's products.
Seri Rakphan, 38, a Phatthalung native, was found dead with several M-16 bullet wounds to his torso in a pickup truck at about 11.30am.
Rueso police inspecting the scene also found a 20kg home-made bomb in the truck.
It was assumed the bomb was intended as a booby trap for security officers who were expected to examine the pickup. They defused it.
bangkokpost.
Bomb wounds 2 Yala policemen
8/08/2011 at 12:22 PM
Two policemen were wounded by a bomb explosion in front of a convenience store in Muang district of Yala province on Monday morning.
They were identified as Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Somwong Niraro and Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Pipacharaporn Kosuma.
Police said the explosion happened about 6.50am when a four-member patrol stopped their vehicle in front of the store.
A home-made bomb planted on the road was detonated by remote control. The two policemen were walking from the vehicle to the store to buy drinking water and were wounded in the explosion.
bangkokpost.
Four Muslims shot dead in restive Thai south
04 Augusti 2011
YALA, Thailand (Reuters) - Four Muslims were shot dead in three separate attacks in Thailand's rebellious deep south Thursday, police said, the latest killings in a region plagued by seven years of separatist violence.
A former Islamic school teacher was shot dead in his home before dawn in Pattani, and about two hours later in the same province, a man and his wife were gunned down as they rode on a motorcycle.
In neighboring Yala, the body of another Muslim man was found by the side of the road with two gunshot wounds to his head, police said.
Muslims form the majority of the population in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces bordering Malaysia. Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country.
More than 4,600 people have been killed and 9,000 wounded since a decades-old rebellion against the Thai state resurfaced in 2004. No credible group has claimed responsibility for the near-daily gun and bomb attacks in the rubber producing region, where more than 40,000 police and troops are deployed.
Police suspected the killings may have been retribution for that of a Buddhist school teacher who was shot while riding a motorcycle in Pattani Wednesday.
More than 140 teachers have been killed in the region since 2004. Experts say they are targeted by militants because they symbolize the Thai state's influence in an ethnic Malay Muslim region that was independent until a century ago.
The authorities typically blame shadowy insurgents for most of the attacks, including those against Muslims. However, local Muslims blame many of the killings on Buddhist vigilantes or rogue police and soldiers.
The three provinces, and a small part of neighboring Songkhla, were part of a sultanate annexed by Thailand in 1909. Separatist tensions have simmered ever since.
yahoo.
Series of bombs target soldiers in Narathiwat
29/07/2011 at 04:03 PM
Four soldiers, including an army major, were injured by one of a series of co-ordinated bomb explosions in Narathiwat’s Cho Airong district on Friday, and five others were hurt in a grenade attack.
The first bomb went off about 8.40am in tambon Bukit of Cho Airong district, targeting a patrol vehicle. There were no injuries but the explosion left a 30cm deep crater in the road and scattered pieces of metal around the area.
Capt Nareucha Buntam, attached to Narathiwat’s 31 st Task Force, said his team was called in to inspect a military outpost in the area which was earlier attacked by a group of men armed with M79 grenade launchers. As his team left the outpost the bomb went off 20 metres up the road, he said.
Security personnel inspect a deep crater in the road caused by a bomb explosion in Narathiwat on July 29, 2011. (Photo by Waedao Harai)
Another roadside bomb exploded around 10.10am as a security forces team led by Maj Samatthachai Plaengsai, commander of the 31 st Task Force, was traveling in a patrol vehicle to inspect the military outpost and the first bomb blast site.
The impact of the explosion sent the vehicle plunging into a ditch. Maj Samatthachai and the three accompanying soldiers all sustained head injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Two hours later, a third bomb detonated nearby while a bomb disposal unit was inspecting the second blast scene.
The home-made bomb, weighing about five kilogrammes, went off just 200 metres from the spot. There were no casualties
In Pattani's Yarang district this morning, five soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously, by an exploding hand grenade thrown at a military outpost.
The grenade was hurled at Phuwiang military outpost on Pattani-Yala road in Yarang district around 10.30am, shortly after soldiers returned from their routine morning patrols.
The grenade damaged the soldiers' living quarters. Nobody was inside but five soldiers who were nearby sustained shrapnel wounds. Two of the injured - Sgt Natthapong Jullajerm, 27, and Pvt Niphon Homsaeng, 22 - suffered severe chest wounds. The two were rushed to Yala, while the other three soldiers were sent to Pattani Hospital.
It was believed the attackers may have infiltrated through Thai Rath Witthaya School 52, which is next to the outpost, to throw the grenade. The roofs and walls of houses near the outpost also received some damage.
The outpost had previously been attacked three times. As it is located near residential areas, several houses were damaged in each attack.
Meanwhile, train services to Sungai Kolok on the Malaysian border are due to resume tomorrow following track repairs after bombs damaged the line in Rangae disrtict, Narathiwat, on Wednesday morning.
Southern railway centre chief Thanongsak Pongprasert said all 14 scheduled services would resume on Saturday after a bomb disposal team completes a final examination of the repaired tracks.
Mr Thanongsak said a repair crew would complete the work later today. Security forces had already cleared the area to ensure their safety.
The tracks were damaged by two bombs on Wednesday. A track repairman lost his left foot in another bomb explosion on Thursday.
More than 4,500 people have been killed and 9,000 injured since separatist militants began their attacks in the far South in January 2004.
bangkokpost.
Grenade wounds 5 soldiers
29/07/2011 at 05:19 PM
Five soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously, by an exploding hand grenade thrown at a military outpost in Pattani’s Yarang district on Friday morning.
The grenade was thrown at Phuwiang military outpost on Pattani-Yala road in Yarang district around 10.30am, shortly after soldiers returned from their routine morning patrols.
The grenade damaged soldier's living quarters. Nobody was inside but five soldiers who were nearby sustained shrapnel wounds. Two of the injured - Sgt Natthapong Jullajerm, 27, and Pvt Niphon Homsaeng, 22 - suffered severe chest wounds. The two were rushed to Yala, while the other three soldiers were sent to Pattani Hospital.
It was believed the attackers may have infiltrated through Thai Rath Witthaya School 52, which is next to the outpost, to throw the grenade. The roofs and walls of houses near the outpost also received some damage.
The outpost had previously been attacked for three times. As it is located near residential areas, several houses were damaged in each attack.
bangkokpost.
Bombs disrupt train services in far South
27/07/2011 at 04:22 PM
Train services passing through Narathiwat's Rangae district were halted for much of Wednesday after two bomb explosions damaged the tracks, while in nearby Pattani two soldiers were injured and two policemen killed in separate attacks.
The explosions both occured about 5am at two spots on the train tracks between Salo Tradae and Marubo Tok railway stations. There were no casualties.
A police bomb disposal team and soldiers of the Narathiwat Task Force Company 38 were despatched to the scenes to investigate.
The first explosion was caused by a five-kilogramme home-made bomb laid in a steel box. The bomb was wired and detonated from the bush on one side of the rail track, which was damaged and closed to trains.
The bomb disposal team found a land mine buried on a dirt road three metres from the damaged rail track. It was destroyed with a water cannon.
The second explosion occurred about 200 metres from the first spot, also damaging the tracks. Another land mine was also found buried nearby and destroyed.
The explosions halted all trains to and from Sungai Kolok.
State Railway of Thailand governor Yuthana Thapcharoen announced the damage had been repaired and train services were resuming this afternoon.
Altogether 14 trains were halted as a result of the blasts, he said.
Mr Yuthana said the railway staff had been instructed to be more vigilant and coordinate more closely with security authorities to ensure safety for the trains and passengers.
In Pattani province, two soldiers from the Pattani Task Force 21 were wounded by a bomb explosion near the mosque of Basa Woseng village in tambon Pitu Mudi of Yarang district about 9am.
The Sgt-Maj Sorapol Yatyindee, 49, and Pvt Yuthasit Ratanapakdi, 22, were part of a six-member patrol on three motorcycles providing security for teachers.
Also in Pattani, two policemen from Nong Chik district police station were shot dead in a bold attack on the Pattani-Hat Yai highway on Wednesday afternoon.
Pol Col Chonvee Chavarerk, the Nong Chik police chief, said the attack occurred about 1pm when Pol Sgt-Maj Narin Hatre, 39, and Pol Sgt-Maj Noppadol Man-ah, 39, were riding a motorcycle along the Pattani-Hat Yai highway.
They were followed by a pick-up truck.
As they passed a village in tambon Tuyong, the pick-up truck overtook them and gunmen in the rear of the vehicle opened fire with M16 rifles.
Pol Sgt-Maj Narin died on the spot. Pol Sgt-Maj Noppadol died later in hospital.
The shooting was witnessed by many people.
bangkokpost.
16 injured in motorbike bomb in Southern Thailand
Jul 19, 2011
SIXTEEN people including three students were injured when a motorcycle bomb exploded in front of a school in Thailand's southern province of Yala on Tuesday morning.
The police have apprehended one suspect.
Police arrived at the scene and found a pick-up truck wrecked by the impact and a GMC military truck in a roadside ditch.
They collected pieces of a motorcycle and bomb fragments at the scene. The school building's glass panes were shattered and several motorbikes belonging to teachers were damaged by the impact.
The initial investigation revealed that a 10kg home-made bomb had been hidden in the motorcycle parked at the scene and that the suspected insurgents had detonated the bomb as a military soldier truck drove by.
The bomb injured nine soldiers, as well as four villagers and three students who were following the army truck. -- THE NATION/ANN
straitstimes.
Southern violence claims three lives, injures 10 others
12/07/2011 at 12:00 AM
Three people were gunned down in the deep South and 10 people, including nine security officers, were injured in two separate bomb attacks yesterday in Yala.
Members of a bomb disposal unit of the Border Patrol Police inspect the scene of an explosion in Yala’s Muang district where a pickup truck was torn apart by a roadside bomb yesterday morning. MUHAMMAD AYUB PATHAN
Obervers said the violent attacks were in reaction to the Pheu Thai Party winning the election and the right to lead the new government.
In Narathiwat, Mama Samoh, 49, chairman of the Imam Club in Rangae district, and his 32-year-old wife Tuayya Naliya Samoh were killed in Rangae district around 5.45am while they were riding a motorcycle to a rubber plantation.
About 100 metres from their home, gunmen ambushed them, opening fire with two M16 and one AK47 rifles, riddling their bodies with bullets.
More than 30 spent shells were found at the scene.
Police suspect the murder was the work of southern militants. In mid-2009 Mama was shot and wounded in a similar incident.
Meanwhile, in Pattani's Mayo district, former village head Yuso Adae, 62, was shot dead on his way home after praying at a mosque. A gunman shot him with a handgun after he had stopped by a store to buy cigarettes, police said.
And in Yala province, 10 people were injured in two apparently coordinated bomb explosions in Raman district yesterday morning, police said.
Police received a report that a bomb wounded a rubber tree farmer in Raman around 7am.
The bomb went off while Sunthorn Maneesangkha, 41, was tapping rubber. He suffered an injury to his leg and was taken to Yala Hospital.
About 9am, a second explosion occurred when a team of police and bomb disposal team were investigating the blast site.
Nine officers were injured, three of them seriously. They were admitted to Songklanagarind Hospital.
In another attack, this one in Yala, a pickup was torn apart by a roadside bomb in Muang district yesterday morning. There were no casualties, police said.
The explosion occurred when Chawat Kongsak, 48, was parking his truck near a rubber plantation after he had driven a number of students to school.
Mr Chawat escaped unhurt but the vehicle was heavily damaged.
The explosion left a one metre deep crater in the road and scattered metal shards around the area.
Police blamed southern separatists for the attack.
More than 4,500 people have been killed and about 9,000 hurt in the deep South since violence erupted anew in January 2004.
bangkokpost.
Four bombs wound 12 in Thailand
Published: 7:25PM Monday July 11, 2011 Source: Reuters
Four bombs laid by suspected Muslim insurgents wounded 12 people in Thailand's deep south on Monday, in what one analyst said could be an attempt to draw the attention of the incoming administration of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to the problems of the region.
Police said three booby traps went off in quick succession at a rubber plantation in Yala province, the first blowing off the leg of a rubber tapper and the other two wounding security and bomb disposal officers sent to the scene.
They said the last bomb planted in a parked rubber plantation truck in another district of the same province destroyed the vehicle without causing any injury.
"This could be an attempt to draw the attention of the new government to problems in the south, especially to the long-standing Muslim demand for autonomy," said political science lecturer Srisompob Jitpiromsri of Srinakharin University in nearby Pattani Province.
"Violent incidents tend to rise when there is a change of government. I would not be surprised if these incidents rise in the next month above the monthly average of 70-80 seen in the first half of this year," he said.
Even before the election, there was a spike in the number and scale of attacks in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces, with Muslim villagers, soldiers and police among the victims of roadside blasts and ambushes.
Ethnic Malay Muslims represent the majority of the population in the southernmost provinces of predominantly Buddhist Thailand. About 4,600 people have been killed and nearly 9,000 wounded in violence since 2004.
Srisompob said Muslims wanted to see if Yingluck would fulfil her campaign pledge to create a special administrative zone in the region, annexed by Thailand about a century ago.
"The Muslims should respond well to any peace talk initiative or a move to create a special administrative zone, although I don't expect that to take place for at least five to six months while Yingluck's government deals with more immediate political problems in Bangkok," he said.
Yingluck's Puea Thai Party scored a landslide victory in the July 3 general election, winning 265 of 500 lower house seats, but its candidates failed to secure any of the 11 seats available in the three restive provinces.
tvnz.
Address of H.E. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, OIC Secretary General, to the 38th session of the council of foreign ministersASTANA, REPUBLIC OF AZAKHSTAN
28-30 JUNE 2011
(26-28 RAJAB 1432H
Your Excellency
Honorable Ministers,
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am deeply honored to address the opening session of the 38th session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers taking place in this beautiful and charming city of Astana. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the government and people of Kazakhstan for the warm welcome and hospitality. I wish to commend Kazakhstan under the able leadership of H.E President Nursultan Nazarbayev for hosting and successfully organizing this conference. I would also like to thank H.E the President for his inspiring and stimulating inaugural speech. I further wish to avail myself of this opportunity to salute the great people of Kazakhstan for their warm reception. This is yet another sign of Kazakhstan’s preparedness to lead the Ummah in this difficult time of our history.
My deep thanks and gratitude also go to the Republic of Tajikistan, Chairman of the 37th CFM for its sincere and dedicated efforts throughout the past year in assuming its Chairmanship of the CFM and for its positive contributions to the promotion of the joint Islamic action and for the major achievements accomplished during that Chairmanship.
Excellencies
It will be observed from my reports on the work of the Organisation that the OIC has been able, thanks to your support, to achieve many targets in favour of our Ummah and its causes.
The OIC has come a long way to make its impact felt not only within its Member States but internationally as well. Many circles at the regional and international levels have expressed their continued interest in nurturing a sustained dialogue and in opening lines of communication with our Organization.
Inspired by the new vision and lofty objectives of the Charter and the TYPOA we have managed to elevate the OIC profile that have endowed the OIC with greater significance which engender respect and trust. I can confidently say that the OIC now enjoy greater visibility at the international scene and has become more active and an indispensible actor among international institutions.
As we gather here in Astana to begin our deliberations, I seek your indulgence to make a few remarks about the situation in the Muslim World within the context of the current international climate. Today, as we speak, the Muslim World is confronted with some dangerous unrest with direct impact on its stability, unity, prosperity and development. Unfortunately, the Ummah still lacks the necessary internal cohesion, strength, solidarity and capacity that are required in order to overcome these daunting challenges.
The Muslim world is today going through a defining moment in its history, which further affirms the dire need to speed up the process of concretizing the peoples’ aspiration to good governance, the rule of law, human rights consolidation, broader political participation and dedicated national dialogue.
Fortunately, we have in the Muslim world a roadmap established for us by the Ten-Year Programme of Action which tackles today’s problems and charts for us the way towards the achievement of healthy political, economic, and social conditions. The said roadmap is based on a perceptive vision that scouts the horizon and anticipates the world conditions in the new millennium, a vision that carries in its folds appropriate solutions for such unrest as we are witnessing today in the Islamic world. This is an opportune occasion for me to renew my appeal to all our Member States to kindly see to the implementation of the Ten-Year Programme of Action, particularly as many among them have indeed already made significant strides in that direction.
Honourable Ministers
Developments in Palestine remain of great concern for us. Israel’s practices in occupied Al-Quds continue to pose a serious threat to the sanctities and interests of the Ummah. Settlement activities, attempts to Judaize Al-Quds, uprooting its indigenous Palestinian population and confiscating their homes and properties have escalated and reached alarming rates in the past few months.
Israel’s violations and refusal to honor agreements with the Palestinians, and its flouting of international law and conventions have resulted in a stalemate of the peace process. It is our duty and firm position, therefore, to support the Palestinian decision to resort to the United Nations and have its say in the solution of this protracted conflict. As I speak here, 116 countries so far have recognized the State of Palestine including 55 from OIC Member States.
The borders of the Palestinian State should be defined according to the lines of 4 June 1967, and should not be dictated by Israel’s de facto actions. In this context, we have welcomed the recent recognition of several countries of Palestine on the 1967 borders, and at the same time, we urge all countries to recognize Palestine on the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Referring to the recent events in North Africa, I would like to welcome the democratic changes in Tunisia and Egypt as a result of an internal popular revolution in these countries. During my recent visits to these two countries I express the hope that these changes would strengthen good governance, rule of law, democracy and economic development.
On the situation in Libya, I participated in all international meetings aiming at finding a political solution to the Libyan crisis based on the recognition of the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people for democracy, justice, rule of law and political reforms. I would like to reaffirm the strong commitment of the OIC to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya. I have dispatched a high level delegation to Tripoli last week. The delegation met Libyan officials and called for ending violence against civilians as well as providing unhindered access for humanitarian relief.
The OIC was following with deep concern the violent events witnessed in a number of cities in Syria .We have called for national dialogue to implement the reforms declared by the Syrian leadership in order to stop violence targeting both civilians and security forces.
The recent developments in Yemen confirm our reiterated appeals to all the parties for self-restraint and the need to solve the current crisis through dialogue and understanding to guarantee security and stability of Yemen and peaceful transition of power in this country.
The OIC has continued to maintain its strong position in supporting the Government and people of Afghanistan. The Organization has come to be accepted as a major player in all international and regional initiatives on Afghanistan. The establishment of the new OIC Permanent Representative’s Office in Kabul will further enhance the role of the Organization along with other partners in contributing to the ongoing peace-building process in Afghanistan. Consistent with our strong commitment to Afghanistan, the OIC General Secretariat hosted the ICG meeting on Afghanistan in its headquarters in Jeddah on 3 March 2011. We are also looking forward to the Regional Conference on Afghanistan which will be organized by Turkey later this year.
We welcomed the recent positive developments in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations following the latest visit by President Karzai to Islamabad. I congratulated the leaders of the both countries for their resolve to work closely together for reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan.
I paid an official visit to Iraq and had important talks with the high level Iraqi officials on ways and means to strengthen the cooperation between Iraq and OIC. We agreed on engaging a more comprehensive initiative on the strengthening of the Sunni-Shia relations on the basis of the Makkah Declaration of 2006 which helped the Iraqi national reconciliation.
Sudan is facing new challenges especially those resulting from the outcome of the January 2011 referendum. . I urged both parties to negotiate in good faith pre and post-referendum arrangements related to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA.) In this regard, we welcomed the recent agreement between the parties to demilitarize the disputed area of Abyei and urged self restraint in Southern Kordofan. I also welcomed the adoption of the Doha Document by the conference of the stakeholders on Darfur, which met in Doha on 27-31 May 2011. I wish to seize this opportunity to thank the State of Qatar for its continuous efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive and lasting peace in Darfur.
Despite the renewed strong engagement by the OIC and indeed the larger international community which produced the Djibouti Peace Agreement currently under implementation, lasting peace has sadly continued to elude Somalia. I have consistently condemned the violence targeting the government and innocent people in Somalia. I have also condemned the incessant acts of piracy off the coasts of Somalia. As part of the support to the Transitional Federal Government, I have continued to mobilize the Member States to extend all forms of assistance to Somalia and to contribute troops to beef up African Union Peace Keeping Mission to Somalia. As we approached the end of the transitional period, we urged the Transitional Federal Government to remain focus on the national reconciliation process so as to complete the remaining important tasks under the transitional period.
I would like to seize this opprtuntiy to reitertate my call to Member States as well as OIC Specialized Institutions to render their valuable assistance to the Comoros.
As for Sub-Saharan Africa, I am pleased to inform you that I have just completed a week-long tour in early June 2011 which took me to seven countries: Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Senegal and Niger. My accompanying delegation and I were afforded during this fruitful trip to measure the growing interest of African leaders and decision makers to be more involved with the OIC activities and intra-OIC cooperation. I also seized this opportunity to raise issues related to joint cooperation with the OIC on the political, economic, social, scientific, educational and cultural fields. I have also noticed that African leaders are very much interested in fostering closer ties with the organization along with its programme and projects. In the same vein, I would like to welcome the positive developments which took place in Côte d’Ivoire on 11th April 2011 following the restoration of constitutional normalcy which allowed H.E. Dr. Alassane Dramane Ouattara, the democratically elected President to assume the office.
The political situation in Guinea and Niger has hopefully evolved in a positive direction. The active engagement of the OIC and other partners in the international community has borne fruits and the two countries are on the way to restoring durable democracy.
The situation in the Indian occupied Kashmir, Turkish Cypriot, Kosovo, occupied Azerbaijani territories including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and Bosnia Herzegovina have continued to be a matter of concern to the OIC.
In a bid to better serve the interests of Muslims and the Muslim Ummah, we have been keen to develop channels of communications with the world leaders and fora where the global and important issues are taken. It is in this context that I take from time to time some missions to achieve this objective. During my official visit to Washington DC last April I was received by US President Obama and senior officials of the U.S. administration as well as members of the American Congress. Our discussions touched upon a number of issues of concern to the Islamic world. In my recent visit to London, I was received by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. We agreed to develop a joint framework of dialogue and cooperation between the OIC and the UK on some selected areas such as development aid, humanitarian assistance, science and technology, interfaith dialogue and combating intolerance. I also discussed in my recent visit to Brussels possible ways and means to further strengthening the bilateral relations including joint cooperation with European Union in development fields.
Excellencies,
I need to point out that over the past few years I have deployed extensive endeavors to ease the situation of Muslim minorities and communities throughout the world. Within this perspective, the OIC was keen to set the ground for a peaceful resolution to the political conflict between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), just as we have strived to build greater momentum to enhance coordination and unity of purpose between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front MILF for the sake of peace and development of the Bangsamoro people.
The plight of Muslims in Myanmar figures high on our Muslim minorities’ agenda. Indeed, a convention was held at the OIC General Secretariat last May with the participation of senior leaders representing many Rohingya Associations. The convention reached a consensual and milestone agreement to set up the Arakan Rohingya Union (ARU), which pools together 25 associations that will collaboratively seek a political solution to the problems faced by the Rohingya people.
We have also been closely monitoring the developments of the situation of Muslims in Southern Thailand, and we do hope that the new Thai Government will make good on the pledges taken by its predecessor government to work out a fair and feasible political solution to the conflict in Southern Thailand in line the communiqué I jointly signed with the Thai Foreign Minister back in 2007.
On a brighter note, I should highlight that our relations with both the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Thailand have been recently tangibly fostered in the wake of a highly successful visit I undertook to both countries.
In a similar vein, we are pursuing our efforts to improve the conditions of Muslims in other parts of the world, notably in Greece and Bulgaria, with the objective of boosting our relations with these countries while shying away from any interference in their internal affairs.
We have emphasized , on many occasions , that combating terrorism should be dealt with through providing proper education and better social conditions for relatively backward societies, it would have yielded far better results by means of eradication of its root causes. The OIC is closely cooperating with other relevant international organizations as UN and OSCE in this domain.
Your Excellencies
In the area of economic cooperation, you are well aware of the progress made in the domain of trade financing and execution of our various poverty alleviation strategies. The implementation of our Executive Programme for Enhancing intra-OIC trade has brought out total financing package of US$ 36 billion through the respective activities of Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) and Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group.
However, the rates of OIC international trade and intra-OIC trade have remained 10.2 % and 16.65% respectively. This is a modest achievement, considering the economic potentials of the OIC member States and given the fact that OIC accounts for 22.5% of world population.
It is in this regard I am glad to convey to this august gathering that the protocol on the Rules of Origin for the OIC Trade Preferential System entered into force after getting the required number of ratifications which signifies the beginning of new era of the creation of OIC trade preferential system for a strong OIC market of US$ 1.3 trillion.
Within the same context of increasing competitiveness and productive capacity development for OIC Member States, the series of activities in the area of poverty alleviation have been accorded desired attention. In addition to scaling up of interventions under the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development and Special Programme for the Development of Africa, the issues of mobilizing resources for these programmes are high on the agenda of OIC General Secretariat. It is my sincere hope that the proposed mission of OIC Eminent Persons Group will receive your kind support.
Very soon, our Ministers of Agriculture will be considering a comprehensive Executive Framework for Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Security in OIC Member States, which will represent the beginning of an action-oriented plan to foster economic growth and achieve poverty alleviation and socio-economic empowerment of the poor and vulnerable segments of our community. I am convinced that the Member States will lend their full weight to the need for ownership of the proposed quick-win actions, through their inclusion in their national priority programmes.
At this juncture, let me seize this opportunity to express due appreciation to our international partners, particularly UN Agencies, for their laudable efforts in ensuring the success of our recent initiative to develop a comprehensive partnership for the execution of OIC programmes. In this regard, the work of COMCEC Task Force on Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Security has received valuable contribution from FAO.
Similarly, regional collaboration for increased intra-OIC economic cooperation has also been intensified with such organisations as African Union/NEPAD, WAEMU, BADEA, and ECO. This collaboration has been effective for the implementation of our projects on Dakar-Port Sudan Railway; the OIC Cotton Action Plan, and Cross Border Parks and Protected Areas in West Africa, to mention a few. More significantly, I wish to commend the work of our senior officials, who have produced the OIC Plan of Action for Cooperation with Central Asia, within such a relatively short period and in line with your relevant resolution adopted in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, last year.
I, therefore, wish to seize this occasion to urge the distinguished members of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers for concerted efforts so that all these programmes can find a suitable place within your national priorities. It is our intention that OIC Trade Preferential System should come into effect as soon as the remaining ratification on TPS-OIC Rules of Origin is obtained. In addition, your support for the recommended target on intra-OIC trade and thresholds for budgetary expenditures on agriculture and tourism can be realized in no distant time.
Accordingly, it is also appropriate that our efforts at resource mobilization should be scaled up in the next phase. Much as it is gladdening to note that the various financial releases, which had taken place under the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development and Special Programme for the Development of Africa have reached US$ 3.4 billion. Inadequate funds on these two windows have constrained the ability to make far-reaching interventions in the area of micro-finance, capacity building, women empowerment, education and vocational training, health and sanitation. It is to this effect that my next appeal is to seek your kind interventions in order to redeem the various pledges made on these two initiatives, while requesting for new pledges to create needed impacts in this direction. In this regard, I wish to assure you that our performances under these two poverty alleviation mechanisms would be reviewed in detail to ensure that they continue to meet with the objectives set out in the OIC Ten Year Programme of Action.
As we seek to attain our set goals on poverty reduction, the problem of food and nutrition insecurity has continued to pose enormous constraints. The global food crisis and the dwindling resources created by the attendant Balance of Payment disequilibrium have created a situation whereby the number of undernourished people in the world has increased to an alarming number of 1.02 billion. This is worsened by the new prediction of another food crisis in the coming months, owing to uncontrolled climate change and persistent environmental degradation.
In order to address this growing phenomenon of food insecurity, a host of OIC institutions have begun to mobilize national responses for a collective intra-OIC action in this connection. Consequently, the 5th OIC Ministerial Conference on Food Security and Agricultural Development held in Khartoum, Sudan, on 26-28 October 2010 has endorsed the series of recommendations culminating in the proposed elaboration of an OIC Executive Framework for Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Security. The import of this exercise is to ensure a multi-stakeholder partnership to developing food security projects in OIC Member States, such that would involve the participation of international organisations as well as all relevant sub-regional and regional institutions in OIC countries.
I must, therefore, express our appreciation to the Chairman of COMCEC and the President of the Republic of Turkey, His Excellency Abdullah Gul for his continued support for this and other activities under the purview of COMCEC. My sincere appreciation also goes to all OIC institutions as well as the Food and Agricultural Organisation for their support for the expeditious take-off of the project.
In the months ahead and subject to your approbation on recommendations with regard to the review of mid-term review of the Ten Year Programme Action, the economic activities of the OIC would address those economic activities, which are aimed at mitigating the effects of the global economic crisis. Cooperation in the domain of energy, communication, industrial development, investment and joint venture is germane to the task of building a more prosperous OIC economic community, which will promote collective economic security and peoples’ welfare.
Honorable Ministers, Excellencies
The combat against Islamophobia constitutes a matter of extreme priority for the OIC. Islamophobia represents a contemporary manifestation of racism and the phenomenon must be addressed in that context. It threatens the multicultural fabric of societies and poses a clear danger to international efforts geared towards peace, stability and security. There is an urgent need to initiate and sustain what I would like to term as ‘preventive cultural diplomacy’ geared towards peaceful coexistence in a globalized world characterized by diversity.
The OIC’s strategy toward combating Islamophobia is essentially composed of monitoring, diplomatic and operational aspects. The Islamophobia Observatory at the General Secretariat continues to monitor Islamophobic acts and events on a daily basis analyzing and cataloging them into Annual Reports presented to the CFMs. The fourth report of the Observatory being released today catalogues and analyses events from June 2010 to May 2011. I have been consistently warning against grave consequences of ominous developments like the Swiss ban on constructions of minarets in the mosques and the increasing trend towards using Islamophobia as an instrument of electoral politics. I suggest that we look beyond the confines of multilateral diplomacy to ensure that the call to address Islamophobia forms part of the agenda during bilateral contacts of the Member States – particularly with their interlocutors in the West.
The OIC sponsored resolution and discourse on ‘defamation of religions’ signifies the operational aspect of the strategy towards combating Islamophobia. I must commend the efforts of the OIC Ambassadors’ Groups in New York and Geneva towards sustaining support for this resolution in the wake of diminishing returns indicated by the voting pattern. Let it be clear that this issue carries more than just political significance for the OIC. Entrusted with the responsibility of active engagement in the matter, I took the initiative of organizing a brainstorming session with a panel of eminent jurists from the Muslim World. It was based on the outcome of this brainstorming that I presented– at the 15th Session of the UN Human Rights Council- an eight point approach for action, at the national and the international levels. I am glad that this alternative approach found resonance with all negotiating partners and formed the basis of a new OIC sponsored resolution 16/18 on Combating Intolerance adopted by consensus
at the 16th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The consensual adoption of the resolution 16/18 vindicated OIC’s demonstrated ability to address sensitive matters through meaningful and result oriented discourse. This is a major step forward in dealing with Islamophobia and the whole package of interrelated issues that continues to form a matter of vital concern for the OIC.
OIC pioneered the call for inter-cultural dialogue in 1998 and we have since been sincere and consistent in our endeavors in this area. Our religion provides us with the inspiration in this regard. Inherent in the universality of Islam is the acknowledgement of diversity and rejection of division or split along ethnic, religious or cultural lines. The OIC is guided by the inter-faith initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
As we speak today, the OIC is on the verge of establishing an Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights (IPCHR). A decision in this regard taken at the Third Extra-ordinary Summit in Makkah in 2005 was accorded a statutory status at the 11th Summit in Dakar in 2008.We have since been acting swiftly in taking concrete steps toward establishing the IPCHR. In terms of the understanding reached at the SOM in Jeddah, this session of CFM would adopt the statute and hold elections of the experts to the Commission. It must be seen as a landmark exercise that would make the Astana CFM stand out in the history of OIC. It would enable us to launch the Commission and hold its first session later this year. It needs to be appreciated that what was envisaged to be achieved over a period of ten years, is on the verge of being accomplished in half the stipulated time period. This reflects the strong political will on the part of OIC Member States. I salute the commitment shown and action taken by the Member States in this important area.
Inspired by the vision of Moderation and Modernization, the OIC endeavors in the area of Human Rights are not restricted to the establishment of the Commission. We are actually working on an integrated approach aimed at mainstreaming the Human Rights perspective across the activities of the Organization .Women, children and youth are among the vulnerable sectors of the society. Our efforts are accordingly focused on eliminating discrimination, violence and other injustices and protection of their rights. We have also adopted the OIC Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women (OPAAW). I urge the Member States to expedite the signing and ratification procedures to facilitate the operationalization of the statute of the Cairo Center, to be established in connection with OPAAW. Creation of a new Department of Family Affairs in the OIC General Secretariat would contribute towards further strengthening the family as the fundamental institution in the society, within the framework of the TYPOA.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
Progress in science and technology is crucial for the socio-economic development of the Muslim world and for enabling the Member States to deal with the contemporary challenges of climate change, energy, food and water security and the threat of diseases and pandemics.
The General Secretariat has steadily expanded the scope of its activities in the domains of science and technology, higher education, health and environment. The important ongoing OIC projects in these fields include the Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation, the Mega Project on Communication satellites, preparation of a document on “Key Performance Indicators for Universities in the Islamic World”, cooperative action involving international partners such as the WHO, Global Polio Eradication Initiative and Global Fund to fight diseases and epidemics, OIC-US mother and child health projects in Mali and Bangladesh and the preparation of OIC Water Vision. Details about these projects are available in my report submitted for your consideration. On my recent visit to some Member States in Africa I was informed about the interest of countries like Sierra Leonne to have mother-child health projects along the lines of the projects in Mali and Bangladesh. We hope to initiate discussions with our international partners in this regard.
I would like to take this opportunity to focus specifically on two issues.
Firstly, in the domain of higher education we need to examine new initiatives for utilizing the existing institutions and platforms for promoting cultural exchange and sharing of knowledge and experience through more structured interaction. For this purpose, I would invite the Member States to consider the initiation of an OIC Educational Exchange Programme.
Such an exchange programme would provide for short duration (6-10 weeks) exchange of students, researchers and teachers between higher education institutions of Member States on reciprocal basis. Similar student exchange programmes are being pursued by other regional and inter-governmental organizations to promote greater understanding and collaboration among the youths of the concerned countries.
Secondly, I would urge the esteemed Member States to focus more closely on the challenge of climate change. While historically the share of the OIC countries in green house gas emissions and global warming has been negligible, these countries are unfortunately among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The Special Committee during this session will be considering a ground-breaking draft resolution on Climate Change based on the discussions of the Open-ended meeting of climate change experts which was held at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah on 7-8 May 2011. Among other things, the draft resolution identifies opportunities for cooperation among OIC countries in the area such as Clean Development Mechanism, renewable energies, green technologies etc. It also underscores the need for regular consultations among climate change experts of OIC Member States for better coordination of OIC positions in relation to the international climate change negotiations and the Ri0 + 20 Earth Summit.
The Ten-Year Programme of Action (TYPOA) which was adopted by the 3rd Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah on 5-7 December 2005 set the agenda for the OIC to address the contemporary challenges facing the Muslim Ummah. This historic document emphasized, among other things, the need for the OIC and its institutions to carry out far reaching reforms and implement programmes so as to change their approaches and work methods in accordance with the realities of the time.
I am happy to report that significant progress has been made in this regard as well as in implementing other provisions of the Programme.
During the preceding year and in accordance with the TYPOA itself and the relevant resolutions of the Council of Foreign Ministers, we had the opportunity to carry out a Mid-Term Review of the TYPOA. This exercise was conducted by the three OIC Standing Committees namely: Standing Committee for Commercial and Economic Cooperation (COMCEC), Standing Committee for Information and Cultural Cooperation (COMIAC) and Standing Committee for Scientific and Technical Cooperation (COMSTECH) as well as OIC Departments and Institutions. The review exercise revealed that while remarkable progress had been made in the implementation of TYPOA, more efforts were still needed to meet all the targets of the Programme during the remaining period of five years. Recommendations concerning increased sense of ownership on the part of Member States, funding and implementation mechanisms were made and compiled in a synthesis report which I will present to the 12 Islamic Summit Conference for consideration and guidance.
I wish to reiterate our determination to continue using the Ten-Year Programme as a blue print in all our operations and to ensure full and effective implementation of all its provisions.
Excellencies
In the area of Dawa, we have managed to bring all major Islamic institutions and Organizations under OIC unifying banner within the framework of the Joint Islamic Action in the Field of Dawa. In so doing, we have managed to enhance coordination and cooperation in the Dawa-related spheres in alignment with the new OIC vision as reflected in the motto of “solidarity in action”. We have indeed started to elaborate executive programmes for many projects including the setting up of radio stations broadcasting on FM frequencies in the African continent and catering for African affairs in the areas of education, health, social issues, environment and Dawa, in both international and local African languages, in addition to the setting up of Arabic language teaching centers.
In today’s world of globalization, information has come to form a key part of the whole outfit of fundamental freedoms, democracy, accountability and anti-corruption work. This media power is well evidenced by the rise of the phenomenon of Islamophobia which is spread through the media hate-campaigns against Islam, inciting people to segregate Muslims on the basis of their faith. We, on our part, have always made a point of keeping in touch with the media and journalists in all fields, and we still insist on the need for greater efforts in this area in engaging with the contemporary Western media community in their own language and in an approach that accommodates their logic and cultural perspective. We also wish to pay tribute here to the idea of Maitre Abdulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal and Chairman of COMIAC, underlining the need to launch a broadcasting medium to project our voice, reach out to the other and spread our Islamic values, through an international TV channel, similar to t
he African Radio and TV Authority, in many languages, both international and local.
Within the framework of our information undertakings, we have produced a number of books and publications, in addition to the issue of documentary and information films which highlight the major historical landmarks of the OIC and its achievements.
In the area of humanitarian action, the General Secretariat has put in significant efforts in offering relief to the victims of the natural catastrophes that hit a number of our Member States and observers including, Palestine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Indonesia, Sudan, Somalia, Niger, Burkina Faso, the Comoro Islands, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Bosnia Herzegovina and Pakistan.
As for the area of legal affairs, the number of Member States that have thus far signed the OIC Charter has reached 44, out of whom 18 have also ratified it. And I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to urge those among our Member States that have not yet signed or ratified it, to kindly do so as soon as possible. I also urge them all to sign and ratify the other agreements and conventions.
I am also honored to inform you that after years of deliberations at the level of senior officials, consensus has been attained on the draft rules governing the Observer Status at the OIC. It is currently under review for adoption by this esteemed Council. The implementation of these rules will certainly widen the political horizon of the OIC and enhance its weight in international relations.
Another area of great concern is reaching an appropriate framework allowing interaction between the OIC and certain NGO’s. In today’s world, with globalization, technology, it is unconceivable that the OIC deprives itself from the significant additional weight of its rich and vibrant civil society. The Voice of the OIC in the world will benefit enormously from its two “missing wings”. All OIC Member States accept the consultative status of NGOs within the ECOSOC at the UN. At the same time, all legal and political guarantees are achievable to ensure that NGOs participation within the OIC constitutes’ an enrichment and not an obstacle to the realization of the purposes and objectives of the OIC Charter.
In implementation of the requisites of the TYPOA, I have the honour to inform you that the senior officials meeting preparatory to this esteemed council recommended for approval of the new logo and proposed name which reads “Organisation of Islamic Cooperation”. This name has the advantage of preserving of the Organisation acronym OIC. The new logo bears all the symbols of Islamic Ummah. I hope that both the new name and logo will get your valuable endorsement.
In concluding my statement, let me entertain the hope that the deliberations of this historic session of the CFM will not go down in the record as mere expectations and wishful thinking of expressions of good intention. That is not why we have gathered for. Let us translate the words into deeds, the intentions into meaningful actions and the premises into facts of history. Our organization derives its power from the devotion and support of its Member States .It can be an effective instrument of peace, stability and economic development to the extent its Members want it to be. So let us back it with all our force in unshakable conviction and genuine sincerity.
I thank you for your kind attention.
Post Published: 28 June 2011
Author: Patanipost
Found in section: فطاني
patanipost.
Thai insurgency edges into election debate
By Didier Lauras (AFP)
27 JUNE 2011
YALA, Thailand — After seven years of near-daily attacks that have left thousands dead, a long-overlooked insurgency in southern Thailand is slowly creeping up the political agenda ahead of looming elections.
The raging conflict exposes the Muslim-majority region near the border with Malaysia to relentless shootings, bombings and other incidents blamed on shadowy insurgents with no public face and whose exact aims are unclear.
Critics accuse the government of failing to address the grievances of Thailand's Malay Muslim minority, including alleged abuses by the military and a perceived lack of respect for their ethnic identity, language and religion.
While the main contenders in Thailand's July 3 election have included the far south on their campaign trails, few in the troubled region are optimistic the vote will herald a better future for them.
"All the parties are pretty much the same: some a little better, some a little worse. But they all treat us badly," said a 48-year-old Muslim man who came to hear Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjaijva address voters.
"I'm going to vote 'No'," said Peng, a 50-year-old Muslim, throwing his weight behind a campaign to leave the ballot sheet blank. "People in the government have never kept their campaign promises. I'm fed up with politics."
The government however insists that things are gradually improving.
"There has been a clear move towards peace and stability," Abhisit told AFP during a short visit to the region last week.
"There's now greater trust between people and local officials. Of course some violence continues but we won't go back into a cycle of violence from the state," he added.
About 4,500 people have died since the uprising erupted in 2004 under the premiership of controversial former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, including ethnic Malay Muslims who make up about 80 percent of the local population.
The insurgents are not thought to be part of a global jihad movement but rather are rebelling against a long history of perceived discrimination against ethnic Malay Muslims by governments in the Buddhist-majority nation.
The two main insurgent groups, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Coordinate and the Patani United Liberation Organisation, make no concrete public demands but are believed to favour greater autonomy or independence.
On average there are about 80-100 incidents linked to the insurgency each month in the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
But foreigners have not been targeted and the violence is confined to a relatively small part of the country, allowing the conflict to fall outside the priorities of the Bangkok-based elite in government and palace circles.
"They've lost interest very rapidly after 2004. They just quietly hope the problem will go away," said Professor Duncan McCargo, an expert on the insurgency at Britain's University of Leeds.
For them, "nothing that happens outside Bangkok is of any significance."
When questioned by AFP about their three top electoral priorities, none of the six main political parties named the southern conflict -- instead they remain focused on the years of national crisis that followed the 2006 coup which ejected Thaksin.
The insurgency also receives minimal coverage in national media. Slain Buddhist monks do sometimes make the front page, but imams only get a brief mention.
According to Deep South Watch, which closely monitors the conflict, more than half of the victims are Muslims, many apparently targeted because they are seen as traitors for cooperating with the local authorities.
But on the ground, some efforts are underway by the parties to persuade voters they are serious about the issue.
Irfan Sulong, a candidate for the main opposition Puea Thai Party which is closely aligned with Thaksin, vigorously defended his party's proposal to give some degree of autonomy to the region.
Thaksin has been accused by critics of worsening the conflict while in office by encouraging security forces to use heavy handed tactics.
But Irfan told AFP: "This problem of the south is already targeted in the policy of Puea Thai."
Until now the idea of autonomy has been firmly ruled out, staunchly opposed by the ruling Democrats.
But Deep South Watch director Srisompob Jitpiromsri sees some signs of political change in the current election campaign, and believes the ruling elite cannot turn a blind eye to the conflict forever.
After a drop in attacks in 2008, the violence has escalated once again. The militants are now younger, more dispersed and harder to arrest.
"The southern violence has developed to a level that Thai politics can't ignore. It has become a critical issue for the Thai elite," said Srisompob, who sees the issue moving to "the forefront of the political agenda" in the future.
In the meantime, the local population adapts to the daily dangers, by avoiding short cuts at night, steering clear of obvious targets such as soldiers or police and, in many cases, buying a gun.
Pranee Chindaphet, 46, lost her brother to an attack in May. The policeman was killed in an ambush and she has received no information since about the investigation into his death.
"Right now I'm not sure who I'm going to vote for because I feel that the campaign hasn't really come to me. No one has come to see me," she said.
With a picture of her smiling brother in his uniform resting on her knees, she says timidly: "It seems like they can't do it. They can't solve the situation."
google.
2 die, 11 hurt in 3 explosions in southern Thailand
24 Jun 2011 08:25 AM US/Eastern
BANGKOK, June 24 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Two people are dead and 11 others were wounded in three explosions Friday in Thailand's restive south, police said.
The first blast killed two construction workers and wounded five others at the Takbai Irrigation Project in Narathiwat Province while they were having lunch near their work site.
A second explosion followed when the soldiers arrived in an armored car to inspect the scene and carried the wounded to hospital.
The blast hit the armored car, but no one was hurt.
But while bomb disposal personnel were clearing up the blast site later, a third bomb went off, wounding six of the bomb squad members.
More than 4,500 people have been killed in the insurgency that began in early 2004 mainly in the Muslim-majority provinces Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat in southern Thailand.
breitbart.
Suspected militants kill 3 in southern Thailand
2011-06-20 07:25 PM
A policeman and two Muslim villagers have been killed by suspected Muslim militants in Thailand's restive south.
Police Col. Rapeepong Sukpaiboon says two men shot the policeman Monday as he rode his motorcycle to work in Pattani province.
In two other incidents in Pattani, four assailants on two motorcycles fatally shot a 37-year-old Muslim man, and four other attackers shot a 54-year-old village defense volunteer, also a Muslim.
The militants often target fellow Muslims whom they consider collaborators with the government.
More than 4,500 people have been killed in Thailand's three southernmost provinces since an Islamist insurgency flared in 2004. The provinces are the only Muslim-majority areas in the predominantly Buddhist country.
taiwannews.
Thailand refuses offers from 'mediators' in the deep South
By Don Pathan
The Nation
Published on June 15, 2011
At the end of this month foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) will gather in Kazakhstan to discuss issues pertaining to the Muslim world.
OIC special envoy for southern Thailand, Syed Qasim al-Masri has been tasked with putting together a report on the southern conflict for the upcoming meeting.
Thailand is concerned that its repeated explanation to the OIC and international community will no longer hold water.
The current insurgency began in 2000 in Thailand's deep South but was not officially recognised until January 2004 when scores of insurgents raided an Army battalion and made off with more than 350 weapons. Since then violence has become an everyday reality and so far claimed more than 4,600 lives. The end is nowhere in sight.
Hardly a day goes by without a roadside bomb or ambush on security forces. About 30,000 security officials have been dispatched to this restive region comprised of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat and four Malay-speaking districts of Songkhla.
Over the last year, the Thai government has been sending diplomats and Thai Muslim leaders to convince the OIC and others that the problem is internal and that Bangkok is not neglecting Muslims in the deep South. The same outdated line will be employd at the OIC ministerial meeting in Kazakhstan. Bangkok doesn't want to talk about the legitimacy of the Thai state in the Malay-speaking South. It's easier to blame rebellious youth who embrace "false" Islam and distorted history.
The Foreign Ministry, at least once a year, flies in Bangkok-based Muslim diplomats and Arab reporters from abroad to the restive region and shows them flag-waving Malays in yellow shirts to demonstrate that there is much love for the government. But the daily killings, bombs and ambushes never stop. Often, these attacks are planned out in front of local residents who the Thai government often insists are on their side.
Since 2004, leaders of the long-standing Malay Muslim separatist groups of the 1960s have presented themselves as possible mediators. They also bill themselves as de facto leaders and representatives of the Malay people in the deep South in spite of the fact that few people in the region actually know who they are. They include members of the Patani United Liberation Organisation; Coordinate and Congress branches of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN); Barisan Islam Pembangunan Pattani (BIPP) elders; Gerakan Mujahideen Islam Pattani (GMIP) militants; and a number of individuals wanting to get back into the action.
Local and international peace-brokers have also surfaced to accommodate the mission of the old guard. These include Thai politicians such as former premier Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, officials from the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, the Army, a secretive team from the National Security Council (NSC) and a handful of foreign and local think tanks and NGOs with some experience in mitigating conflict in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
Former Army chief General Chettha Thanajaro was in the race for a while but gave up after he became a laughing stock for turning up with a video tape of men in fake beards declaring an end to the conflict. Mid-ranking police officers are said to be crossing the southern border back and forth to meet the old guard, but are mainly looking for clues to their ongoing cases. Indonesia and Malaysia are said to be interested in working with the Thai government.
Some in Thai academic circles appear to be throwing their weight behind the NSC, but the Army says the Council and other agencies are fooling themselves if they think they can deliver on promises made with old separatist leaders, much less come to the deep South and order soldiers around.
Unlike the 1970s and 1980s when the Army dominated the negotiating process, today there are many tables to come to, and a lot of trees for "peace-makers" to bark up. The Army may not be happy with civilians moving into territory it holds to be exclusively its own. But judging from the proliferation of peace-brokers and facilitators, there isn't much the Army can do about it.
While all this is taking place, without any coordination or consultation, the OIC has popped up on the radar screen and jolted a lot of people. Last year the OIC brought together leaders of the long-standing separatist groups and urged them to unite under the United Patani People Council (UPPC), a proposed umbrella organisation. As for the question of legitimacy, the OIC urged these groups to create the Patani People's Congress (PPC). Participants at the gathering said the OIC's proposals read like a textbook and don't reflect the reality on the ground. Theoretically, a congress is a forum of elected representatives. But in Thailand's Malay-speaking South, it's hard for Muslims to get together without looking over their back for government spooks.
As for the UPPC, uniting all the separatist groups will not be easy, given the bickering among them. This was tried before in the 1980s when they created Bersatu. But the umbrella organisation never evolved into an entity powerful enough for the Thai state or international community to take seriously.
One BRN-Coordinate member was blunt about the OIC initiaitve. "It was like a slap in the face," he said. "The OIC granted Thailand permanent observer status in 1997. And now they want to help?"
Nevertheless, some of the old guard give the OIC the benefit of the doubt.
Two names that have surfaced as possible leaders of the OIC-proposed UPPC are Samsudin Khan and Rushdee Yingor, both in exile in Europe. Whether the UPPC gets off the ground is anybody's guess.
Besides the lack of unity among the old guard, there is also a trust gap between them and the new generation of militants.
"We have interviewed hundreds of insurgents over seven years and there doesn't seem much connection between the militants and the exiled groups," said a senior police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The trust gap is everywhere, indeed. A cadre from the BRN-Coordinate agreed with the officer's assessment. He said the BRN-Coordinate's regular dialogue with cell leaders has yet to translate into a shared command, and added that "the longer it takes, the harder it will be".
His assessment contradicts Thai intelligence, which likes to paint a neat organisational chart of the BRN-Coordinate having full control of the situation on the ground.
Even if the BRN-Coordinate succeeded in constructing a shared command with all cells on the ground, there is no guarantee that a meaningful peace or negotiation process will get off the ground. The organic nature of the cells makes it difficult to bring everybody in line and, Thai security agencies don't like the idea of talking to the enemy in an official capacity or formal process. They prefer hush-hush arrangements as in the 1970s and 80s.
Complicating matters is that younger militants are selling their trades to local crime syndicates with an axe to grind with the authorities. A BRN-Coordinate source, and later the Fourth Army commander, General Udomchai Thammasarojrat, said February 13 and April 18 car bombs were the work of petrol smuggle.
The old guard are concerned that if the militants on the ground drift too far away from their influence, they will lose the only card they have to play.
nationmultimedia.
Official intransigence leads to stalemate in deep South
By Don Pathan
The Nation
Published on June 16, 2011
Besides the criminalisation of the Malay-Muslim insurgent movement in Thailand's deep South, there is also the problem of ongoing brutality by both sides that undermines mediation efforts by the old guard of Malay separatists. It's not easy claiming to have command and control of the new generation of militants and then have to face up to the kind of violence that takes place on the ground, exiled leaders say.
With regard to the lack of unity among the long-standing separatist groups, the same can be said of the Thai side. No official agency can really claim a sole mandate to carry out a peace process, not even the Army, because a significant number of hardliners in the military do not like the idea of talking to the enemy.
During the Surayud administration, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, as well as European countries were asked to help. They were seen as credible partners and were asked to take a direct role in facilitating meetings with the separatists. Surayud thought it made sense to work with the international community, especially countries where many of the old guard were exiled.
The Abhisit government retreated from Surayud's hands-on approach and told the rest of the world that the deep South was an internal matter. The idea of negotiating peace was just too controversial and the government needed what one officer at the PM's Office called "deniability".
That doesn't mean that Abhisit Vejjajiva wasn't aware that various security and intelligence agencies were talking to the separatist groups. The PM just couldn't be seen as sanctioning these initiatives because it was too sensitive politically.
Surayud, on the other hand, headed a military-appointed government that didn't have opposition in Parliament to contend with. Unfortunately, the vision Surayud put forth never materialised as mediators and the exiled groups became territorial. Then the following administrations - from Samak Sundaravej to Abhisit - pushed foreign governments and international bodies away.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya may have publicly thanked Kuala Lumpur for supposedly informing Thailand about the Organisation of Islamic Conference's (OIC) initiatives on Thailand's deep South, after news about their meeting with the old guard went public late last year. But no one who followed the issue closely believed what he said. They saw his statement as a face-saving measure. This is because the Thai government does not want outsiders to get involved in the deep South.
Like others, Kuala Lumpur is concerned that the violence could either spill over to its side of the border or lure Malaysian citizens into the conflict. After all, the Thai-Malaysian border is as artificial as any other. Today, what concerns the international community is the idea that the political context of the conflict will change - from a Patani Malay nationalist cause to a global jihadist cause where the fight becomes one for Islam.
There is nothing to suggest that the conflict is moving in that direction, however. One of the reasons is that the new militants, locally referred to as juwae, or "fighters" in the local Malay dialect, see themselves as winning, as they are able to attack anyone, any place, at any time. The juwae share the same resentment toward the Thai state as local Malay villagers. This explains why so few people help Thai security officials with their investigations.
Thailand will be hard pressed by the OIC members to explain the culture of impunity among its officials in the deep South. Thailand's unwillingness to crack down on pro-government death squads or its own people accused of torturing suspects continues to drive a deeper wedge between the Malays in the deep South and the state. The June 2009 Ai Bayae massacre in Narathiwat and a May 2011 shooting spree in Bannang Sata in Yala are just two incidents that come to mind.
Both incidents were carried out by former paramilitary rangers with an axe to grind with local insurgents but decided to take it out on ordinary villagers. And the fact that the Bannang Sata shooting took place just 200 metres from an Army outpost, and that none of the soldiers bothered to come to check the five locations that gunmen hit, reinforced the perception that the Army turns a blind eye or that soldiers had colluded with Buddhist gunmen. Warrants were issued and the suspects sent home after turning themselves in. If the Ai Bayae massacre is any indication, the suspects are likely to walk free.
Still, the Army is convinced it is the most suitable negotiator and determined to be at the head of any negotiations with the insurgents. The Army believes that with help from Indonesia and Malaysia, the old guard will come to the table - assuming they can get over their grudges - and that will serve as an entry point to the new militants. It is not clear what kind of concession the Army could make to the old guard to gain the attention of the insurgents who, seeing themselves as winning, don't seem to be interested in talking.
Another thing that is unclear is why the Army is assured that it has the right to engineer any peace process given the fact that it talked to the old guard in the 1970s and 80s but failed to achieve any breakthrough. A retired senior officer in the Malaysian government who helped facilitate some of the meetings in the 1980s said the Thai Army was never serious about moving talks beyond an informal setting.
In the coming months, it is likely that Thai soldiers and the Patani Malay old guard will come face to face again for a round of talks. Meanwhile violence continues and there doesn't seem to be much anybody can do to stop it. Some people believe that sooner or later the militants will get tired of fighting and look for a way out. But this end game the old guard hope for might not materialise.
The problem with the new generation of militants is that there will always be a new crop of young fighters to replace them. Judging from the recent past, especially the conduct of the post-Tak Bai generation, the replacements will be just as vicious and brutal, if not more so.
nationmultimedia.
Insurers facing cash-flow problems: OIC
By Sucheera Pinijparakarn
The Nation
Published on June 11, 2011
Tougher competition among insurance businesses has put pressure on small and medium-sized insurers to shoulder higher operating costs, leading to cash-flow problems, the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) says.
Early this year the OIC implemented an "early warning system" to ensure the financial stability of insurance firms in a bid to prevent losses for policyholders.
Under the system, insurance companies with cash-flow shortages will have to meet with the OIC to solve the problem urgently.
Amnart Wongpinitwarodoma, a senior director of the examination, planning and development department of the OIC, said the OIC had ordered some companies to improve their financial status after they were found to have unusual expenses making them unable to maintain their insurance reserves. As a result, they could not pay indemnities to customers.
"The OIC is keeping a close eye on those troubled companies. If they fail to solve the problems, their operations will be suspended until they can solve the cash-flow problems," he said.
Recently, Liberty Insurance had its licence revoked and will have to cease operations, otherwise the OIC will file a lawsuit against the company. Liberty has to pay compensation worth Bt232.05 million to more than 1,000 customers.
If the company does not pay the amount within 90 days, the company will allow an auditor to examine its assets and debts.
Policyholders will be compensated if total asset value is higher than liabilities and the rest of the assets will be directly repaid to the company's shareholders.
In addition, the company will be filed under bankruptcy law.
"The process has been shortened from an average of three years to 12-18 months now," Amnart said.
Some companies had ignored good governance practices, which was another factor leading to the cash flow shortage, he said.
nationmultimedia.
Two insurers lose licences over insufficent reserves, rules violation
By The Nation
Published on June 8, 2011
The licences of Liberty Insurance and Victory Insurance were revoked on Monday by the Finance Ministry after they failed to maintain required reserves and breached regulations that could lead to losses for policyholders.
Customers of the two insurers will be serviced by Bangkok Insurance, Krungthai Panich Insurance, Road Accident Victims Protection, Tokio Marine Sri Muang Insurance, Deves Insurance, Siam Commercial Samaggi Insurance, Thaisri Insurance, Navakij Insurance, New Hampshire Insurance Thailand, Thai Vivat Insurance, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Thailand, Mittare Insurance, Viriyah Insurance, Sinmunkong Insurance and LMG Insurance.
Customers of Liberty and Victory, whose risk coverage is still in force, can buy a new insurance policy with those companies at a reduced price or extend the coverage period to equal their existing policy with the two companies as compensation.
The Office of the Insurance Commission (OIC) said in a statement that Liberty Insurance was unable to maintain its insurance reserve. Its liabilities as of September 30, 2009 were Bt65.78 million greater than its total assets. The OIC had ordered the company to solve its cashflow problem for a while but when it could not, the office instructed the company to stop accepting new business in April last year even though its assets had come up with a higher appraisal. However, its cashflow shortage remained unsolved.
The company has to shoulder higher compensation totalling Bt232.05 million. If the company was allowed to continue operating, it would have created a loss for policyholders.
In the case of Victory Insurance, the OIC reported that the company had violated regulations by illegally transferring the company's assets worth Bt116.86 million to outsiders. This illegal practice had also directly affected policyholders.
OIC ordered the company to suspend its operations on January 28.
The company could not meet the OIC's requirement to maintain its insurance reserve to ensure its debt payment.
Its debt was Bt24.61 million higher than assets. Despite given a longer period, the company could not solve the problem, which led to the final penalty.
nationmultimedia.
4 soldiers slain in Thailand's restive south
2011-06-17 12:26 AM
Suspected Muslim militants have killed four Thai soldiers in the country's south, plagued by a separatist insurgency.
Police Maj. Gen. Pichet Pitisetthaphan said the soldiers were at a local market in Pattani province just 200 meters (yards) from their base when several gunmen opened fire on them Thursday evening. The gunmen took three assault rifles and a grenade launcher from the victims before fleeing in trucks.
Police said a bombing Thursday morning wounded a policeman and another man across from a school in neighboring Yala province.
More than 4,500 people have been killed in predominantly Buddhist Thailand's three Muslim-dominated southern provinces since the insurgency erupted in 2004.
taiwannews.
Two injured in Yala bombing
16/06/2011 at 10:35 AM
A policeman and one Muslim man were slightly wounded when a improvised bomb exploded in front of a house opposite Nibong Chanupatham primary school in Yala’s Muang district on Thursday morning, police said.
Chief of Muang Yala police station Pol Col Krisda Kaewchandee said Snr Sgt Yuenyong Dulyaseri, 54, was walking back to his motorcycle from traffic duty in front of the school when a home-made bomb buried beside a a tree in front of the house was detonated.
The policeman was hit in the right wrist by shrapnel and taken to Yala hospital.
The rear window of a nearby car was also shattered and a Muslim man, Mahama Daiden Kasong, sitting inside the vehicle was stunned by the explosion and was also taken to the provincial hospital.
Pol Col Krisna said luckily all the students had already gone into classes when the bomb went off, otherwise a number of them would have been injured.
Pol Maj Gen Chote Chavalwiwat, chief of Yala police, had ordered police to check footage from security cameras in the area as he believed the militants who set off the bomb must have be hiding somewhere nearby at the time.
bangkokpost.
Thailand Will Remove Emergency Law In Southern Thailand Soon - Army
From Ibnu Khusairi Ibnu Aris
June 15, 2011 15:20 PM
PATTANI, Thailand, June 15 (Bernama) -- The Emergency Law, issued in the three Southern Thai provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala since 2004, would be removed soon, said Internal Security Operations Command Fourth Army Region 4 Deputy Commander Major-General Acra Tiproch
He said this would be based on the positive progress in cooperation of the people and government officials in resolving local issues.
He said, this in turn, would enable government officials such as army and police personnel, teachers and health officers to carry out their respective jobs smoothly when dealing with villages in the region.
"We believe the people now have confidence in the government. Currently, there is no village which government officers cannot enter.
"In total, there are more than 1,900 villages in Southern Thailand and they (villages) allow us to enter (without any hassle)," noted Acra.
Speaking to reporters after attending a dinner in conjunction with the Media Familiarisation Trip Thailand 2011 here last night, he said the government would seek the opinion of the people in the three provinces before making any decision on the Emergency Law.
"We will ask the people whether they are ready to have the law removed...if the people say, 'yes', the Emergency Law will be removed, according to district level," he said.
Asked why it would be removed soon, Acra said the people in Southern Thailand were happy with the government, knowing it was doing its best to protect them from harm.
He said the government was using the "understand, reach and develop approach" to resolve all issues and conflicts involving Southern Thailand since 2004.
"We try to use this policy. For the time being, we are now in the process of development which the Government of Thailand is focusing seriously on, in improving the people's health.
"We practice love and peace for the ordinary community here, but for the insurgents whom we refer to as the violent group, we use strong laws to stop them from creating unrest and problems in the region.
"The government is trying hard to improve the economic status here, with new projects and development in the South," said Acra.
On Jan 18, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that the Emergency Law would continue at the three districts until April 14, but that it would be removed, depending on the situation.
Since the campaign for autonomy from the Thai Government, about seven years ago in the Southern province, more than 4,500 people have been killed.
Meanwhile, beginning June 12, 16 representative from Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Singapore, Pakistan, India and Brunei gathered in Bangkok and Southern Thailand to view the current situation in the conflict areas.
Malaysia is represented by the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), TV3 and Utusan Malaysia.
bernama.
One killed in Yala drive-by shooting
10/06/2011
A border defence volunteer was killed in a drive-by shooting in Yala’s Krong Penang district late Thursday night, police said.
Mustafa Yamuding, 27, a border defence volunteer of Bannang Sata district, and Rusdee Damusaw, 24, a village defence volunteer in Banang Sata, were attacked at about 10.45pm, according to police.
They were on a Toyota sedan heading to Yala's Muang district on a small lane, about 100 metre from Yala-Betong road and 300 metre from a security checkpoint, when four men on two motorcycles drove by. Two gunmen opened fire at the two victims and fled.
Mustafa was shot in the head and Rusdi slightly injured. They were taken to Yala hospital but Mustafa died before arriving there.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Two killed, five wounded in separatist attacks in southern Thailand
8 June 2011
NARATHIWAT, THAILAND (BNO NEWS) -- Two people were killed and five others were wounded on Wednesday in restive southern Thailand, MCOT Online news reported.
According to local authorities, a 54-year-old grocery owner was killed after two presumed insurgents fired three times at him in Cho Ai Rong district of restive Narathiwat. When police and other personnel came to the scene to investigate, accomplices hidden nearby detonated a 10kg homemade bomb in a metal box placed under a shelf using a mobile phone signal. A local government official, a security volunteer and three police officers were wounded.
The second incident also occurred at a grocery in Cho Ai Rong district. The 72-year-old owner was sitting outside his shop when two attackers parked their motorcycle pretending to be customers and killed him. Soon after, five police officers came to the shop to investigate the shooting. As their truck passed, a remote-controlled bomb hidden in a motorcycle was triggered, but no one was wounded.
According to police, the incidents may be the work of persons intending to expel ethnic Thai Buddhists from the areas.
Since 2004, around 4,500 people have been killed in Thailand's southern regions of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat, as local insurgent groups renewed their fighting efforts against the government. More than 7,000 people have been injured in violent incidents launched by separatist militants.
channel6newsonline.
2 killed, 6 injured in Yala triple explosions
The Nation/Asia News Network
Wed, Jun 01, 2011
Yala, Thailand - Asman Haomahsa-ae, 33, the assistant chief of Kabang district, were travelling with defence volunteers, police and troops in several vehicles to check an explosion in a rubber plantation in Luboh Banyang village in Tambon Kabang when insurgents detonated a road-side bomb to ambush them.
Asman and Usaman Jehni, a defence volunteer, were killed in the explosion. Four defence volunteers were also injured.
The explosion in the rubber plantation also injured a villager.
When a bomb disposal officer was checking the road-side explosion scene, he stepped on a bomb trap and was injured.
The first explosion occurred inside the rubber plantation at 3:30 am. Rangsi Supassorn, 34, stepped on a bomb trap while he was tapping rubber trees. The bomb was hidden under a tree.
He blast nearly cut off his left leg. He was rushed to the Kabang district hospital and was forwarded to the Yala provincial hospital.
At 6:30 am, the assistant district chief and his entourage rushed to the first explosion scene but the second explosion occurred about two kilometres before they reached the plantation.
The four injured volunteers were identified as Mayusoh Ahdae, Hama Luabaekasaeng, Sakariya Mubimalen and Abdulmahni Muso.
They were rushed to the Kabang hospital.
Later on at 8 am, a bomb disposal checked the scene and followed a wire into the a road-side rubber plantation. The officer, Pol Sgt Niyom Panenarin stepped on a bomb trap, triggering an explosion that injured him.
Kabang district chief Boonterm Rongluen said local officials were sorry over the death of the assistant district chief.
Boonterm said Asman was very good official who devoted himself to serve local people and was well loved by local people, especially residents of Tambon Kabang.
Boonterm said Asman played a key role in developing the district.
-The Nation/Asia News Network
asiaone.
5 soldiers wounded by Yala bomb
30/05/2011 at 11:19 AM
Five soldiers were wounded in a bomb explosion while on patrol in Muang district of Yala early Monday morning, police said.
The five were part of a team of eight soldiers from Yala Task Force Company 4034 led by Sgt Suphan Wongsupha. They were patrolling along a road running parallel with a rail track.
The soldiers stopped their motorcycles and walked across to examine a string attached to the footpath. One soldier stepped on the string, detonating a home-made bomb buried in the road.
Five soldiers were wounded in the explosion - Sgt Suphan Wongsupha, Sgt Wichit Hongsawong, Pvt Noy Promthong, Pvt Lee sae Thao and Pvt Narongkorn Krachan.
Two villagers passing by the spot were slightly wounded.
bangkokpost.
Thai politicians should talk about real issues in the south
Date : 27-05-2011
With at least seven political parties running for parliamentary seats in the violence-plagued three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, one would think that the platforms would be much more interesting and innovative than the rhetoric and speculation that has been circulating.
There has been a lot of hot air from the various parties over the proposed semi-autonomous region dubbed the "Pattani Metropolitan Administration". The idea was tossed out last year by Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, then chairman of the Pheu Thai Party, who has now left both his post and the party.
To begin with, the veteran former prime minister, who always claimed to have a good working relationship with the Malay-speaking region, no longer has the needed political capital to push such an idea through. This will not happen with his backing now, nor would it have done when he threw out the idea during his tenure as Pheu Thai chairman. Others picked up on the proposal, but it simply didn't gain much traction. In the end it became a political slogan, a sales pitch for interested policy-makers and national leaders, without much real thought given as to how it could ever be accomplished.
There is no need to remind the public how important the issue of Southern autonomy is, and how seriously the ongoing conflict has affected the livelihood of the region's people and officials, regardless of their ethnicity or religion.
The idea of autonomy is not a bad one in itself, but it has to be understood in the national context. Any form of decentralisation, for any region of the country, should be carried out in a context of understanding. For too long, too much emphasis and responsibility has been placed on the central government. It's high time we empowered local communities and seriously considered the proposals made by the now-defunct National Reform Committee under the leadership of former prime minister Anand Panyarachun.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has repeatedly said over this past year that he is open to ideas on autonomy for the deep south, and that such a notion should not be confined to political or administrative entities. In this respect, the idea of greater cultural space for the Malays of the deep South should not be overlooked. After all, research after research supports the argument that the conflict is ethno-nationalist in nature because the Malays in the southernmost provinces do not embrace the state-constructed identity that Thailand has tried to impose on them for more than a century.
If history is any indication, the Malays of the deep south are willing to be part of Thailand, but it has to be on their terms - not the terms dictated by the state.
But it's far too hard for Thai politicians to address this sticky issue - that the Malays question the legitimacy of the Thai state in the region, and reject the state-constructed identity - because they know that it would be too hard a sell to their constituencies. And so they stick to the ambiguous rhetoric, hoping this will get them elected to Parliament.
In some strange way, many politicians even have the audacity to promote the idea of autonomy. Many were around and in power during the Tak Bai massacre in 2004, and none made any critical comments about the brutal treatment of the unarmed demonstrators at the hands of the military.
Instead of shouting slogans about autonomy, why not talk about real issues such as equality and justice? People in the deep south - both Malay Muslims and Thai Buddhists - want to know about the future prospects for their children.They want to know about social mobility and equality for themselves and their children.
The Malays who challenge the Thai identity want to know how the nation will treat their cultural heritage, their historical narrative and their different outlook. If these key issues are not addressed, the anger that fuels the resentment and has driven many young men to take up arms against the state will produce the next generation of militants.We owe it to future generations to get out of this vicious cycle.
asianewsnet.
1 soldier killed, 6 others injured in Thailand's south
May 25 08:53 AM US/Eastern
BANGKOK, May 25 (AP) - (Kyodo)—A Thai soldier was killed and six other soldiers were wounded in two separate attacks in the Thailand's insurgency-plagued south on Wednesday, local police said.
In the first attack, a soldier was shot dead by suspected Muslim insurgents in the morning while escorting teachers to local schools in Yala city, according to the police.
Later in the day, suspected insurgents detonated a bomb that injured six soldiers who were on patrol in an armored vehicle, the police said.
The two attacks occurred approximately 6 kilometers apart in the same district of Yala Province.
More than 4,500 people have been killed in the Muslim-majority provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat since the insurgency began in early 2004.
breitbart.
Bomb kills two police officers in Thai south
Afp, Narathiwat
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 02:39 AM GMT+06:00
Thai police said two officers were killed and another was wounded when a powerful bomb exploded beneath their truck in Thailand's violence-prone south yesterday.
Suspected Islamic militants detonated a device buried under the road as 10 officers drove past on their way to a function with villagers in Narathiwat, one of three provinces to have suffered more than seven years of insurgency.
The 38-year-old driver and a 33-year-old woman were killed instantly in the blast, police said. Another female officer sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital.
Thailand's southern provinces have been plagued by almost daily violence since shadowy insurgents launched an uprising in Thailand's southernmost region in early 2004.
More than 4,500 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, have died in the attacks, which have appeared to become more brazen in recent months, with car bombs and assaults on military bases or outposts.
thedailystar.
Four killed in Thai shootout
Friday May 20, 2011 Source: Reuters
Four insurgents have been killed in a shootout with government security forces in Thailand's rebellious Muslim south and 12 people were wounded in a truck bombing, police said, as separatist tensions intensify near the border with Malaysia.
Fighting erupted at dawn in a village in Yala province when security forces came under fire after surrounding the home of a suspected militant. Police said four rebels were killed in the gunfight.
Four hours later in Narathiwat province, 12 people, including a policemen, were wounded when a bomb exploded beneath a pickup truck close to a market.
The blast came nine minutes after a bomb hidden in a motorcycle went off outside a Muslim tea shop in the same district, although no injuries were reported.
The incidents follow a sharp rise in the scale and volume of attacks in the past three weeks, with Muslim villagers, soldiers, police and Buddhist monks among the victims of roadside blasts, a bombing during a soccer match and drive-by shooting at a packed tea shop.
Ethnic Malay Muslims represent the majority of the local population of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, the southernmost provinces of predominantly Buddhist Thailand. More than 4,500 people have been killed and nearly 9,000 wounded in violence since 2004.
tvnz.
Four militants killed as bombs injure 9 in South
20/05/2011 at 05:04 PM
Four separatist militants were killed in a gunfight with state security forces at Ban Charohpae in Yala’s Tharn To district early Friday morning, police said.
Pol Col Peera Boonliang, deputy Yala police chief, said that about 6.30am the joint military ranger and border patrol police force surrounded the targeted house, after getting information that core members and supporters of a southern separatist group were hiding out there.
The authorities used a loud-speaker to urge the militants to surrender, but they sprayed bullets at them in return. The joint force fired back. The gun battle lasted about 10 minutes, Pol Col Peera said.
Afterwards, they found four dead bodies along with two AK47 rifles, a .38 calibre pistol and ammunition.
Security forces find one of the four separatist militants' bodies after a gunfight in Yala on May 20, 2011. (Photo by Muhammad Ayub Patan)
Three of the dead were identified as suspected militants Arsae Hulu, 30, Masawbee Arsue, 28, and Muhammad Orlee, 28. Police were checking identity of the fourth.
Pol Col Peera said Arsae Hulu was wanted on arrest warrant No.214/19 for involvement in several shootings and bomb attacks in Yala.
There were no injuries among the security force.
Police believed the militants were preparing for another attack.
In Narathiwat, a car bomb exploded, injuring one policeman and eight civilians, late Friday morning as police were sealing off the scene of an earlier nearby blast in Sungai Padi district.
Police said a motorcycle parked in a crowded area in Soi Charu Sathian 4 in tambon Paluru Municipality exploded first.
When police were called in, a bomb concealed in a pick-up truck parked only 40 metres away went off.
Pol Snr Sgt Maj Thawatchai Phaopradit, seven other men and one woman were injured and rushed to Sungai Padi hospital.
Nearby houses were damaged by the explosions.
Police later arrested two suspects for questioning, but did not name them.
bangkokpost.
Grenade attack in Yala, ammo bust in North
18/05/2011 at 10:57 AM
Two students and six other civilians were injured by the explosion of an M67 grenade thrown by a militant in the old market area of Yala’s Muang district about 7.35am on Wednesday, police said.
Witnesses told police that a man wearing a university student's uniform and riding a motorcycle threw the grenade at a pickup truck carrying soldiers and then fled.
The bomb missed its target and fell onto the road in front of Soi Siroros in the old market area and went off, injuring two passing students, one seriously, and six other people, according to police.
The bomb victims were taken to Yala hospital. Student Affun Waehayee, 15, was reported in critical condition in intensive care. Student Takan Lamoon, 17, was recovering.
On Tuesday a soldier was seriously hurt when militants attacked a Yala special force No.47 outpost at Ban Sakor in Yala’s Muang district. On Monday, two Buddhist monks were killed and two soldiers severely hurt by a bomb explosion in Yala's Yaha district.
Meanwhile, garbage collectors found an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) in garbage collected near Saipanya school in Bangkok early Wednesday morning.
City Hall’s garbage collectors spotted the weapon when they were sorting garbage collected from Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem area.
The garbage was collected from the canal that flows in front of Saipanya school. The sorting is done at the city's Department of Drainage and Sewerage depot in Din Daeng.
The sorters reported it to police, who said RPG was in a plastic bag inside a plastic cylinder.
Police ordnance experts were investigating where the weapon came from. They suspected the weapon was dumped in the canal by someone who was afraid to be caught with having it illegally.
In Kamphaeng Phet, police have arrested two men after finding several thousand rounds of ammunition concealed in two pickup trucks heading to Chiang Mai.
The two pickups, driven by Phitsanu Taengon, 30, and Chirasak Khaopathum, 27, were stopped by police at a checkpoint in Muang district.
On examination they found a large quantity of ammunition for AKA assault rifles and M60 machine guns concealed in the side doors and in rice sacks in the rear of the vehicles. Police valued it at several million baht.
The men accused "E Banyu", a resident in Ayutthaya’s Sena district, of paying them 5,000 baht to take the ammunition to Chiang Mai
Mr E claimed he was sending the goods to his elder sister, they said.
bangkokpost.
Volunteer ranger shot, hurt in Yala army outpost attack
18/05/2011 at 12:00 AM
A volunteer military ranger has been injured in an attack on an army outpost in Yala's Muang district.
Phaibun Tuphila, 41, was standing guard at the outpost at 5.10am yesterday when attackers began spraying it with bullets. One bullet hit him on the right side of his waist.
Mr Phaibun was rushed to a nearby hospital by military personnel.
His assailants escaped in the dark.
The attack happened a day after a fatal bombing left two Buddhist monks dead and two soldiers seriously wounded.
The blast happened at about 6am on Monday on a local road in Banyo village of tambon Baroh of Yala's Yaha district while the two monks were making their daily rounds to collect alms.
Following Monday's attack, 4th Army commander Lt Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat yesterday called on members of the public not to fall into the trap of insurgents who apparently were trying to generate rifts and hatred between Buddhists and Muslims in the region.
Meanwhile, Yala provincial police said their investigation into Monday's blast showed the bomb used was a powerful homemade improvised explosive device.
The pattern of the bomb's assembly was similar to the one used in the Jan 25 attack in Yaha district in which nine military rangers died and in another around the middle of last year that killed three soldiers.
Police were focusing their investigation into Monday's attack on prime suspect Sa-udi Satapo, 33, who faces several arrest warrants in connection with previous security-related cases.
In Pattani, the Southern Border Provinces Teachers' Federation yesterday held a meeting on new security measures for teachers to be implemented on the first day of the new school semester today.
bangkokpost.
Ranger wounded in Yala outpost attack
17/05/2011 at 10:59 AM
A soldier was seriously injured when militants attacked a Yala special force No.47 outpost at Ban Sakor in tambon Tha Sap of Yala’s Muang district on Tuesday morning, police said.
Police said gunmen on two passing motorcycles sprayed the post with bullets from automatic weapons and fled.
The injured man, identified only as Ranger Phaibul, took several bullets in his body and was taken to Yala hospital.
bangkokpost.
Bomb kills 2 monks, 2 soldiers hurt
16/05/2011 at 10:48 AM
Two Buddhist monks were killed and two soldiers seriously wounded by a bomb explosion in Yala's Yaha district on Monday morning.
The attack took place about 6.15am while six soldiers of the Yala Task Force 14 led by Sgt Montree Kraithep were taking two monks from Wat Suan Kaew in Pulae village of tambon Baro to collect alms in Yaha district town.
Two of the six soldiers were travelling with the monks on a pick-up truck, two riding on a motorcycle ahead of the truck, and two others on another motorcycle were at the rear
As they approached Bayo village in tambon Baro on the Yaha - Bannang Sata road, a home-made bomb planted in the road was detonated by insurgents hiding on the roadside.
The impact of the explosion flung the pick-up truck about 10m from the spot. The two monks - Phra Samuh Chatri Kantarato, 47, the abbot of Wat Suan Kaew, and Phra Thirapong Dongmali, 40 - died in the explosion.
Pvt Thanakorn Noochai, 22, and Pvt Kraisorn Modkhan, 22, who were also on the vehicle, were seriously wounded.
After detonating the bomb, the insurgents opened fire at the four other policemen. The two sides exchanged shots for about 15 minutes before the attackers fled.
The bomb, made from a gas cylinder, weighed about 15kg and left a large hole in the road.
Pol Lt-Col Prasom Kuanoon, the crime suppression chief of Yaha police, believed it was the work of a group of insurgents under Hubaideela Romuelee of the RKK separatist group operating in the area.
The group was responsible for a bomb which killed nine hunters and wounded two others in this area on Jan 25 this year, he said.
bangkokpost.
4 wounded by Yala bomb
10/05/2011 at 02:37 PM
Two policemen were seriously injured and two civilians also hurt by a bomb explosion in Muang district of Yala on Tuesday.
The bomb went off about 11am at a shelter on a road leading to a villlage in tambon Budi in Muang district.
Pol Lance Corporal Wuthi Chan-on lost his left leg in the explosion while Pol L/Cpl Homhuan Phonsa received wounds to the head and left leg. Both are from Kota Baru police station in Yala's Muang district.
Two villagers - Ms Kopuso Damaloh, 27, and Ravi Ma, 33 - sustained minor injuries.
The attack occurred after a team of police arrived to investigate a report that a bomb went off about 1am at a power pole near the shelter but nobody was hurt.
When the two policemen walked into the roadside shelter for a rest, the bomb was detonated.
bangkokpost.
Bombs kill 7 security forces in southern Thailand
07 MAY 2011
YALA, Thailand (Reuters) – Suspected separatist rebels killed three soldiers and four policemen in two powerful bombings in southern Thailand on Saturday as violence intensified in the restive region bordering Malaysia.
The troops were killed instantly and two were seriously wounded when a remotely detonated bomb exploded under their vehicle in Yala province, police said.
About 40 minutes later, in neighboring Pattani province, another device buried under a tree was triggered before a soccer game between police and villagers.
The blast killed four policemen and wounded at least seven others, including civilians, who were all playing in the match.
The attacks came amid a spike in the volume and severity of attacks in the rubber-rich border area, a region dominated by ethnic Malay Muslims who have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens by the mainly Buddhist Thai state.
It came after the four Muslim villagers were killed and at least 15 others wounded when unknown gunmen in camouflage clothes opened fire on a busy tea shop in Yala on Tuesday.
The attack angered many local people who suspected soldiers were responsible, a charge the army and government have dismissed as insurgent propaganda.
More than 4,500 people have been killed in violence since January 2004 in the once independent Muslim region encompassing Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces, which were annexed by Thailand, then Siam, in 1909.
The authorities blame most of the deaths on separatist insurgents but local people and rights groups accuse security forces and vigilantes of carrying out extra-judicial killings.
The government and military have sought to tackle the unrest with development projects and public relations campaigns to try to undermine support for the shadowy rebels but the measures have made little progress and deep distrust exists between the army and local people.
yahoo.
Gunmen kill 4 in Thai tea shop shooting
Tue, May 03, 2011
YALA, Thailand - Gunmen opened fire on a group of villagers at a tea shop in Thailand's Muslim south on Tuesday, killing four people and wounding 15 others, police said, the latest attack amid an upsurge of violence in the restive region bordering Malaysia.
Four assailants dressed in camouflaged uniforms and riding in the back of a pickup truck shot into the crowded tea shop in Bannang Sata, Yala province before fleeing the scene. Police blamed the attack on separatist rebels.
"They dressed like soldiers and we suspect that it was in an attempt to blame the attack on the authorities and add to distrust and anxieties," Yala province governor Krisada Boonraj told Reuters.
The violence has killed more than 4,500 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, in the rubber-rich Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces bordering Malaysia since a decades-old separatist rebellion against the Buddhist-dominated Thai state resurfaced in January 2004.
The number of attacks has increased in recent months in what security analysts say could be an effort by a shadowy insurgents movement to counter government claims that its public relations and development campaigns were helping to contain the unrest.
Local Muslims largely oppose the presence of tens of thousands of police, soldiers and state-armed Buddhist guards in the three southernmost provinces, a region that was part an independent Muslim sultanate known as Patani until annexed by Thailand a century ago.
Rights groups and local people say many of the attacks on the region's Muslim majority are extrajudicial killings carried out by troops or Buddhist vigilantes. They dispute the official line that insurgents are killing Muslims working as informants for security forces.
The government and military repeatedly dismiss those allegations as separatist propaganda.
asiaone.
Two dead in southern Thai attacks ahead of PM visit
AFP April 30, 2011, 9:21 pm
YALA, Thailand (AFP) - Two Thai troops died and nine were injured in bombings that struck Thailand's restive south on Saturday, police said, just hours before a visit by the prime minister.
Unknown attackers detonated two bombs within a kilometre of each other in the district of Raman in Yala, one of three insurgency-plagued provinces near Thailand's border with Malaysia.
The bloodshed coincided with a rare one-day visit to the southern region by Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was due in Raman on Saturday afternoon.
A first roadside explosion injured four soldiers shortly before noon.
It was followed by a gun battle and a second blast that killed two troops responding to the initial bombing. Another five were wounded.
"All the victims, including the dead and injured, are rangers," police in Raman said.
Thailand urged authorities in the violence-ridden south to step up security surveillance earlier this month as the bloody toll of years of unrest continued to rise.
More than 4,500 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, have died since shadowy insurgents launched an uprising in Thailand's southernmost region bordering Malaysia in early 2004.
The three southern provinces have been under emergency rule since 2005, giving the military broad powers of arrest.
Abhisit, accompanied by his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban, was in the region to chair a meeting of a government body tasked with mapping out strategic development for the south.
yahoo.
Five soldiers hurt in 5kg bomb blast
28/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
Five soldiers were injured, while nine police were lucky to escape unscathed in two bomb blasts in Narathiwat province yesterday.
The soldiers, led by Lt Thanakorn Nopparat, were on a pickup truck travelling from their outpost in Ban Dorhong in the morning when suspected militants detonated a 5kg bomb by mobile phone.
The insurgents shot at the victims but soldiers from a nearby base arrived in time to chase the insurgents away.
The blast injured Lt Thanakorn Nopparat, L/Cpl Jirasak Jarana, Ranger Kraisorn Ruangchan, Ranger Sitthidej Plodaksorn and Ranger Ekkachai Chanuthai, who were taken to Srisakorn hospital. Ranger Ekkachai suffered a critical injury and was later sent to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin hospital.
Meanwhile, nine police narrowly escaped a bomb blast near a bridge.
The police were passing on a pick-up truck and motorcycles when the bomb went off in Ban Dusongyor village of Chanae district at 10.30am yesterday.
The group included Pol Lt Col Theerapong Thongduang, an inspector of Chanae police station. They were about to set up a checkpoint.
The bomb, about the same size as the bomb involved in the other blast, was placed in a steel box in a garbage pile next to the bridge and was detonated remotely by cellphone.
A roadside forest absorbed most of the impact so the police survived without injury.
Meanwhile, authorities in the far South are stepping up security for the seventh anniversary of the Krue Se mosque killings, which falls today.
Thirty-two alleged militants were killed in a raid by security officers at the mosque in Pattani's Muang district on April 28, 2004.
Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam said in Songkhla yesterday that illicit businesses in the region are funding the insurgency and would be suppressed.
Meanwhile, Pattani governor Niphon Narapithakkul, who survived a roadside bombing in his province on Tuesday, said the attack left him undaunted. He would carry on doing his job as normal until his retirement in six months.
Pol Col Manit Yimsai, chief of the Panare police station in Pattani, said a gang of about six insurgents was behind the attack.
They monitored Mr Niphon's work and knew his movements.
bangkokpost.
Pattani governor escapes blast unscathed
27/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
PATTANI : The governor of Pattani yesterday survived a bomb explosion that targeted his vehicle while it was heading to Mayo district, police said.
A security officer points to the front seat of a sedan hit by a bomb blast in Pattani province yesterday. Pattani governor Niphon Narapitakkul, who was in the car, narrowly escaped injury. ABDULLOH BENJAKAT
Governor Niphon Narapithakkul was travelling in a sedan on a road near Bang Ma Ruat village in tambon Panare when the bomb hidden in a motorcycle parked on the roadside exploded.
Mr Niphon, who was not injured, was on his way to attend a function at a stadium in tambon Sakham in Mayo district. His vehicle was led by a pickup truck carrying local officials.
The blast deflated three tyres of the governor's vehicle and damaged its trunk. The pickup truck was not damaged.
The governor instructed the driver to continue to Panare police station, which is 1.5 km from the blast scene.
Mr Niphon and his entourage suffered only chest pains and blocked ears. They were sent to hospital for examination, where no complications were found.
Pattani police chief Pol Maj Gen Pichet Pitisetphan ordered a manhunt and led a team of investigators to inspect the blast. A preliminary investigation found the concealed bomb weighed about 30kgs and was detonated by a remote device.
The motorcycle, which carried a fake licence plate, was reported stolen from Panare market last month.
A source said authorities had been intensifying security efforts out of concern for a possible car bomb after a pickup truck was also reported stolen.
Meanwhile, Yala municipal authorities plan to expand a"safety zone" introduced following a series of bomb attacks in the city centre, despite complaints from business operators.
Some of them want the safety zone cancelled because their businesses have been affected.
Vehicles entering the safety zone are given a thorough inspection.
Deputy mayor Sataporn Kanchanabut said local authorities had discussed the issue with security officers and it was agreed to expand the safety zone.He said public security was the main priority as previous explosions had caused extensive damage.
He said authorities were considering measures to cause the least inconvenience to business operators and the public.
bangkokpost.
Ranger, 2 teens killed in clash
20/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
PATTANI : A volunteer ranger and two teenagers were killed in a clash with suspected insurgents in this Muslim-dominated province on Monday night.
A policeman shows a rifle left behind after a clash between military rangers and insurgent suspects in Pattani’s Nong Chik district on Monday night. One volunteer ranger and two teenage passers-by were killed. ABDULLOH BENJAKAT
Earlier the same night, at about 8.30pm, an unknown number of assailants attacked a paramilitary ranger outpost at Nam Dam village in Nong Chik district.
Rangers returned fire and the assailants fled, prompting a chase by a team of 10 rangers in a patrol truck.
But the ranger team was ambushed at a bridge on the Ban Bothong-Yabee road in the same district, sparking an exchange of gunfire.
During the gunfight, two teenage passers-by on a motorcycle were hit by stray bullets.
Volunteer ranger Chalermpol Srisuk, 35, was seriously wounded in the clash.
He and the two teenagers, identified as Hassan Mama, 15, and Abdulloh Waeya Arbu, 19, were taken to hospital and later pronounced dead.
Police were investigating whether the stray bullets that hit the two teenagers had been fired by the team of rangers or the suspected insurgents, and will look into possible links between the youths and the assailants.
In Narathiwat, a group of 10 suspected insurgents opened fire on a roadside police kiosk early yesterday.
The heavily-armed attackers on board a pickup truck and a six-wheel truck attacked the checkpoint kiosk on the Narathiwat-Tak Bai road in Tak Bai district at about 1.30am.
Officers on duty returned fire, prompting the attackers to retreat.
No police were injured in the attack, which partly damaged the kiosk and a bunker. The pickup truck was later found abandoned about four kilometres from the scene of the clash.
The attackers fled on the six-wheel truck stolen from a resident. The stolen truck was found abandoned in nearby Sungai Padi district at about 10.45am yesterday. More than 60 spent M-16 and M-60 shells were found in the bullet-ridden truck.
Meanwhile, police investigating Monday's car bomb in Yala said they had obtained information about those involved in the blast, which killed a ranger and injured six others and 19 civilians.
Yala police chief Pol Maj Gen Chot Chawalwiwat yesterday said police had obtained key pieces of evidence which would incriminate those responsible.
A security camera installed near the blast scene captured footage of a man driving the Honda sedan used in the bomb attack and a man following the car on a motorcycle.
The two men fled on the motorcycle shortly before the bomb, hidden in the sedan parked on Siroros Road in Yala Municipality, detonated as a pickup truck carrying the rangers drove past.
bangkokpost.
Three dead in Pattani violence
19/04/2011 at 11:25 AM
A soldier and two teenage civilians on a motorcycle were killed during a clash when gunmen ambushed an army unit in Pattani on Monday night.
Police said on Tuesday morning that a group of gunmen opened fire at a field army base in Pattani's Nong Chik district around 8.30pm yesterday.
The soldiers fired back and the attackers retreated.
A team of 10 soldiers pursued the gunmen but were ambushed during the car chase.
In the subsequent fight a soldier was killed and two civilian teenagers passing by on a motorcycle injured. The two, aged 15 and 19, were taken to a hospital but later succumbed to their gunshot wounds.
Police were investigating whether to two youths were shot by the soldiers or the militants.
A father of one of the young victims was also shot dead a while back by suspected insurgents, police said.
bangkokpost.
Bomb kills one, wounds 23 in restive Thai south
Published: Apr 18, 2011 10:14 Updated: Apr 18, 2011 10:14
YALA, Thailand: Suspected Muslim insurgents detonated a bomb on Monday killing a paramilitary ranger and wounding 23 people in Thailand’s restive south, police said, the latest attack in the Muslim-dominated region bordering Malaysia.
A bomb hidden in a parked car exploded in a business district of Yala city, about 100 meters (110 yards) from a food market at 8:10 a.m. (0110 GMT), killing the ranger instantly. Four rangers were wounded.
Nineteen civilians, most of them Buddhists, were also wounded, police said.
Yala is one of the three Muslim-dominated provinces bordering Malaysia where more than 4,500 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, have been killed in a low-level insurgency since 2004.
Analysts believe the unrest, for which no group has claimed responsibility, is an ethno-nationalist campaign by ethnic Malay Muslims who say their identity, language and culture is neither respected nor fully understood by the Buddhist-dominated Thai state.
Despite the deployment of 60,000 members of the security forces and police in the rubber-rich region, authorities have made little progress in ending the revolt.
arabnews.
Gas cylinder bomb rips through central Yala
Ranger killed, 25 hurt despite boosted security
19/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
YALA : A powerful car bomb went off in downtown Yala yesterday morning, killing a military ranger and injuring 25 people, including six other rangers.
The bomb, hidden in a saloon parked on Siroros Road in Yala Municipality, went off as a pickup truck carrying the seven rangers drove past.
Sgt Maj 1st Class Apisit Yualprang died in the bombing.
The explosion and shrapnel also injured 19 passers-by, including a boy and a girl, and damaged nearby motorcycles.
Siroros Road was among a list of possible attack targets in Muang district where officers had been told to inspect vehicles carefully to prevent car bombs, especially during the Songkran holidays last week.
"Perhaps officers got tired," said Yala police commander Pol Maj Gen Chot Chawanwiwat, who suspected that insurgents might have exploited officers' weariness to launch the attack.
Yala governor Kritsada Boonraj said authorities needed to tighten security to deal with insurgents who choose holiday periods to launch bombings and attacks.
Police investigators found explosive materials had been hidden in two gas containers weighing about 30 kilogrammes. They were kept in the back of the saloon and were detonated by a radio device.
The attackers are still at large but their images were caught by security cameras installed near the blast scene.
The footage showed two men riding a motorcycle in the area at around 7am, more than an hour before the attack. They were seen in the footage again after the explosion while they were fleeing on the motorcycle to the old market in the municipality area.
Police, soldiers and territorial defence volunteers in Yala's Muang district began searching for the two suspects at the market late yesterday morning. Nobody has been arrested so far.
Police believed the two have connections with key insurgent suspect Usman Korkor, also known as Jeh Kusman. He and his group have been active in Yala province.
The latest car bomb in Yala yesterday intensified fears over car bombs this month that were first flagged by a security intelligence mission in the far South.
Its report said core militant suspect Masae Useng had threatened to launch a wave of car and motorcycle bombs in the three Muslim-dominated provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, especially at the end of this month, to mark the seventh anniversary of the Krue Se mosque killings on April 28, 2004.
Thirty-two alleged militants were gunned down in a raid by security officers in and around the ancient Krue Se mosque in Pattani's Muang district, prompting an international outcry.
Pattani governor Niphon Narapitakkul yesterday told officers to beef up security in the province's 12 districts, especially Muang, Sai Buri and Khok Pho, after the car bomb in Yala.
In Narathiwat's Rueso district yesterday, two policemen - Pol Sgt Jakrapong Saengsawat and Pol Cpl Ratapong Pramoonsap - were seriously injured in a bomb blast as they were following two insurgent suspects, police said.
The two officers, stationed at Rueso railway station, decided to arrest the suspected rebels after one of them fired a pistol at a checkpoint kiosk near the station and then fled on a motorcycle. However, the officers' attempt to catch them was hindered by spikes scattered on the road and then the bomb blast.
bangkokpost.
Indonesian help sought on conflict
18/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha will travel to Indonesia today to seek cooperation from Jakarta in trying to control the southern conflict.
An army source said Gen Prawit and Gen Prayuth were scheduled to meet today with the Indonesian defence minister and army chief to discuss issues related to the separatist movement and insurgency in Thailand's deep South.
An army source believes a meeting may also have been organised with Indonesian terrorism experts and people directly connected to insurgency groups.
Gen Prawit and Gen Prayuth left Thailand at 4am on an Air Force aircraft and will return from Indonesia tonight.
They were expected to ask for help in monitoring whether young members and sympathisers of the rebel group in the three southern border provinces _ Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat _ were receiving militant training in some parts of Indonesia or on some of its remote islands.
Many Thai-Muslim students in the southernmost provinces travel to Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, to further their studies.
"Thai authorities fear that the movement [of southern rebels] may involve the JI [Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group], so they want to ask Jakarta to closely monitor the matter," the source said.
Army intelligence indicates southern militants had been trained in Bandung, the capital of West Java province, about five years ago, the source said.
The meeting was said to have been arranged as an urgent matter by Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who attended the Joint Boundary Committee meeting in Bogor, Indonesia, two weeks ago.
Indonesian authorities are thought to be organising contact between the Thai army officials and local experts and insiders of the insurgency groups.
Gen Prawit and Gen Prayuth learned of the trip only on Tuesday, according to the source.
One topic likely to be discussed was the possibility of allowing Indonesian observers to enter the disputed Thai-Cambodia border area around the Preah Vihear temple complex.
bangkokpost.
Assistant village chief murdered in Yala
16/04/2011 at 02:27 PM
An assistant village headman was shot dead in an ambush in Bannang Sata district of Yala on Saturday morning, said Pol Col Suwat Wongpaibul, chief of Bannang Sata police station.
Museh Daleh, 46, assistant village chief of Ban Airrong, was parking his motorcycle in front of his rubber plantation in tambon Tanoh Puteh when gunmen hiding in the rubber forest fired at him.
He was shot several times in his body and died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Narathiwat defence volunteer shot dead
15/04/2011 at 10:59 AM
A village defence volunteer was killed in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat’s Rangae district late Thursday afternoon, Pol Lt Col Chalerm Yingkong, chief of Rangae police station, said on Friday.
Sama-air Sama-air, 45, was attacked about 4pm on Thursday while driving a motorcycle back home from Rangae district office. A gunman on a passing pickup truck sprayed bullets from an M16 assault rifle into his back and head. He died at the scene, Pol Lt Col Chalerm said.
He blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Emergency decree extended in 3 provinces
13/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
The cabinet will extend the emergency decree in three provinces in the deep South for another three months.
Deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said the new round of the decree will run from April 29 to July 28 in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.
Only Mae Lan district in Pattani is excluded due to improved conditions.
Deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the National Security Council was revamping its methods after the government issued a special law on administration of the deep South.
The government has also appointed a new Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) secretary-general. It will form a team to implement the SBPAC's policies, said Mr Suthep.
Southern border police chief Pol Lt Gen Phaithoon Chuchaiya yesterday ordered police in the deep South to step up security in five towns of the three beleaguered provinces over the Songkran holidays to prevent insurgent violence and road accidents.
The five towns are Muang districts of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces, Betong district of Yala, and Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district.
Pol Lt Gen Phaithoon said yesterday he had called a meeting of 159 police unit chiefs in the three provinces and four districts in Songkhla.
SBPAC secretary-general Panu Uthairat said a recent survey conducted under the supervision of Burapha University on the government's implementation of its development plan for the deep South has shown the average earnings in the region have increased.
Mr Panu said following the execution of the development plan, the revenue per household in the five southernmost provinces increased from 60,371 baht in 2009 to 68,105 baht last year.
But daily violence continued as a teenager was shot in Narathiwat's Rangae district early yesterday.
Suphatlee Ngohlohyoh, 18, was riding his motorcycle when he was shot in his left leg and hip at about 1:30am, said police. He was taken to Rangae hospital.
About six hours later, an army patrol unit was attacked with a homemade bomb and assault rifles by suspected insurgents. However, no member of the patrol unit was injured.
bangkokpost.
Four shot dead in Thai south: police
9 APRIL 2011
YALA, Thailand (AFP) – A suspected gunman killed in a shoot-out with security forces was among four people shot dead in violence across Thailand's troubled deep south, police said.
The 47-year-old Muslim man died in the firefight after 70 police officers and army troops surrounded a house in Yala province on Saturday following a tip-off that militants were hiding in the property.
Police said the victim was wanted on several arrest warrants related to security issues including shootings and bombings. Two others are thought to have escaped.
Also in Yala province, a 47-year-old Buddhist deputy village headman and a 20-year-old Muslim security volunteer were shot dead as they rode on a motorbike on Friday afternoon.
In a another incident on Friday in nearby Pattani province a 52-year-old Muslim government employee was gunned down as he drove to collect his pay.
Insurgents have waged an uprising in Thailand's southernmost region bordering Malaysia since early 2004, leaving more than 4,500 people dead -- both Buddhists and Muslims -- according to police figures.
Many Muslims who are considered "traitors" to Islam for cooperating with Thai authorities have been killed.
yahoo.
Defence volunteer killled in Pattani
5/04/2011 at 11:35 AM
A village defence volunteer was shot dead at a fresh market in Pattani's Nong Chik district on Tuesday morning, police said.
Eyewitnesses told police that while Amnuay Khongthong, 39, a defence volunteer and construction contractor, was buying vegetables at the fresh market of Khlong Khut village in tambon Tuyong one of four men who arrived on two motorcycles walked up to him and fired one shot in his head at a point-blank range with a handgun, killing him instantly.
The gunman fled on a waiting motorcycle.
Police were investigating whether the killing was from business conflict or an attack by southern militants.
patanipost.
10 wounded in Songkhla bombing
2/04/2011 at 10:45 AM
Six paramilitary rangers and four people were injured when a bomb hidden inside a motorcycle parked at the fresh market in Thepha settlement of Songkhla’s Thepha district exploded on Saturday morning, police said.
The bomb victims were identified as Corp Thanakorn Petcholthan, ranger Suriya Kaewmanee, ranger Ekkapong Kongpetch, ranger Anusorn Chimchin, ranger Prayoon Kongpreepan, ranger Suchart Thaptimdee, Chaiwut Chucheep, Chamlong Kongderm, Rampei Thepee, amd Kasem Kaewmanee.
Two rangers were in critical condition and admitted to Thepha hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
After the bomb attack, all security forces in Songkhla’s districts of Jana, Thepha, Nathawee, Sabayoi and Hat Yai were ordered to be on high alert.
bangkokpost.
Academics: Autonomy key to southern solution
31/03/2011 at 02:26 PM
A group of think-tankers has emerged publicly to support the on-going peace talks which has been reinvigorating during the Abhisit administration, but critics warned the peace talks and decentralisation proposal would not yield any result if it did not deal with the core issue on autonomy.
The Thailand Research Fund-sponsored Strategic Non-Violence Commission, led by Thammasat University’s political scientist Chaiwat Satha-anand, announced Wednesday their proposal on southern solution that the government needed to shift from heavy-handed military and arms proliferation to villagers to peace dialogue strategy because the violence has taken to greater effective death toll instead of subsidence.
Mr Chaiwat, also a peace professor, said the worrying trends after seven years since the violence took shape in the southern border provinces still remained - there were 10,660 incidents and 12,126 casualties with 4,621 deaths and 7,505 injuries.
"Numbers of incidents has doubled overall, while the first two months of this year average death toll in each case is higher (1.8 deaths per incidence) than the first two month of the 2004 (0.5 deaths per incidence). This proves the current strategy does not produce positive results," said Mr Chaiwat.
The commission recommended that there needed to transform from the heavy-handed military presence plus the villagers being armed in various forms, now 150,000 armed volunteers in the Deep South, to expansion of political space for those who think differently and concrete and meaningful grass-root/local participation within the newly-set up mechanisms under the Southern Border Provincial Administration Act, added Jiraporn Bunnag, former deputy secretary general of the National Security Council and member of the think-tankers.
The larger security presence and more prevalent application of special laws (Emergency Decree, Martial Law, and Internal Security Act), the weaker the state and the more insecurity of the southern society, noted Mr Chaiwat.
Ms Jiraporn noted that the greater numbers and the prolonged presence of civilian armed forces has aggravated polarization and conflicts among the people and would make the (legal armed villagers) vulnerable to non-discipline and more difficult to later disarm them - experiences from such countries as Indonesia and the Philippines showed.
She said the on-going dialogue conducted by various groups of people have emerged in the past several years and the strong desire on such communications were taking toll as the present government has clearly said consideration could be made within the framework of the constitution and such form of special administration in the southern provinces could have been as Bangkok and Pattaya.
Matubhum Party MP for Narathiwat Areepen Uttarasin said the root causes of the southern violence was the political administrative structure, therefore we need to talk to conflict counterparts, not just villagers.
“Talks have been on the plate for more than a decade, but none has reached the core power of those groups. Not those from Sweden, nor a telecast truce organised by a former general could command on-the-ground cells (that caused violence). The present-day talks of special administration like Pattaya or Bangkok will not deliver things they want, either,” said Mr Areepen at the seminar.
He instead called for autonomy that provided freedom in internal affairs and leave foreign and security affairs in the hands of Bangkok.
He also suggested that instead of spending over a hundred thousand million baht for the military, who were mostly from other regions, the government should pay the locals to guard themselves from violence.
"Give arms to some 20 each in the village, and they could protect their neighbourhood. But Bangkok does not dare to do so, I guess," said Mr Areepen.
Ms Jiraporn also noted the sketchy shadow of positive signs emerging from the 2010 SBPAC Act that could be part of the post-conflict administration if the new mechanism could really get the local people into the 49-member advisory board, to be later set up.
"For the peace talks, there needs to differentiate between negotiation and talks or communications. Talks could be done while legal action against the insurgents must also continue. It does not mean talks will legitimize the counterparts in the talks, either," she said.
Mark Tamthai, Payap University’s peace professor and the think-tank member, said criteria to measure the result of peace strategy could not be made with one action or activity.
"It’s like adding several jigsaws into a big picture. (Peace dialogue) might not bring about abrupt cessation of violence but examples in other societies show that talks will lead to more understanding and bring those outside the limelight or in the margin into the ring," said Mr Mark.
Angkhana Neelapaijit, chairperson of the Working Group on Justice for Peace, told the Commission that its proposal has yet to touch upon underlying problems of injustice and ethnic cultural identity recognition.
Ms Angkhana, while supporting the general theme of strategy transformation, noted it was not certain who else could be conducting such dialogues and whether the SBPAC would really reach to the grass-root voices, and not the Muslim elites and politicians’ allies.
bangkokpost.
3 seriously wounded in Yala shooting
27/03/2011 at 02:16 PM
Three people were seriously injured in a shooting which took place at the Ban Samoh Sunday market in tambon Thathong of Yala’s Raman district on Sunday, said Pol Sub-Lt Saengsith Somroterat, duty office at Thathong police station.
They were attacked while buying fishes at the market by two men on a motorcycle. The gunman on the pillion took his 9mm pistol out and fired at them and then they fled the scene, Pol Sub-Lt Saengsith said.
The victims were identified as Kam Petpradub, 59, Aiew Sae Jiang, 51, and Vareeya Salae, 30. They were admitted to Yala hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Rubber tapper murdered in Narathiwat
27/03/2011 at 01:34 PM
A rubber tapper was waylaid and killed by extremists in Narathiwat's Rueso district early Sunday morning, said Pol Col Sathanfa Wamasing, chief of Rueso police station.
Masawkee Sabuding, 40, was attacked about 3am while driving a motorcycle heading to his rubber plantation on the local road at Ban Kampong Baru by three gunmen hiding in a roadside rubber forest. One of them fired three times at him with a shotgun, and then they fled.
Masakee was shot in his head and face and died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Bomb follows killings in restive southern Thailand
PATTANI, Thailand, mars 23, 2011
Narathiwat is one of three Muslim-majority provinces in mostly Buddhist Thailand where a separatist insurgency has claimed more than 4,400 lives since 2004.
A roadside bomb has exploded in a southern Thai village where three people were fatally shot the night before by suspected Muslim insurgents.
Police Capt. Pairat Kiatcharoensiri said the bomb went off on Wednesday morning in a remote village of Narathiwat province when a truck carrying police arrived. None were wounded.
He said a man and two women were shot there on Tuesday evening by about a dozen armed men. Police suspect the gunmen were Muslim insurgents who believed their victims were informants. The killings could also have been staged to lure security personnel to the scene to be attacked.
Narathiwat is one of three Muslim—majority provinces in mostly Buddhist Thailand where a separatist insurgency has claimed more than 4,400 lives since 2004.
Keywords: Thailand insurgency, bomb blast
thehindu.
Army chief apologises to southerners
23/03/2011 at 03:44 PM
Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday apologised to a group of about 600 people from the three troubled southern border provinces for two major incidents which caused a large number of deaths in 2004.
He was speaking to people from Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces who are undergoing occupational training organised by the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) in Bangkok.
Gen Prayuth said he was deeply sorry for the deaths of 32 Thai Muslims killed during the Krue Se Mosque siege in Pattani on April 28, 2004, and for the deaths of 78 young Muslim people at Tak Bai Narathiwat on Oct 25, 2004.
"The two incidents should not have happened. I apologise to all southerners, especially relatives of the dead, even though at the time I was not yet in this position.
"The incidents happened partly because of carelessness on the part of the authorities.
"I promise not to let anything like that happen again," he said.
Gen Prayuth said that in dealing with problems in the South he did not want anyone to lose their life.
"But soldiers alone cannot solve this problem. Everyone must lend a helping hand," he said of the problem in the South.
"No matter what, the three provinces cannot be separated or given self-rule because that would be against the constitution," he added.
bangkokpost.
Thai south battles kill 3: police
19 March 2011
YALA, Thailand (AFP) – Authorities in the violent Thai south killed two insurgents in a gunfight early on Saturday, shortly before a vendor was fatally shot in a drive-by attack by militants, police said.
A 30-strong security force surrounded a house in Yala province on a tip-off that four separatists were hiding inside, and the two sides exchanged fire for 20 minutes, police said. Two were killed and another two escaped.
Later in nearby Pattani province, two gunmen killed a vendor in a drive-by shooting, while three military rangers in Narathiwat province were injured in grenade attacks.
Shadowy Islamic militants have waged an uprising in Thailand's southernmost region bordering Malaysia since early 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead, including both Muslims and Buddhists.
Violence has recently intensified in the region, where critics accuse the government of failing to address the grievances of Thailand's Malay Muslim minority, including alleged abuses by the military.
yahoo.
Rangers injured in Narathiwat attack
19/03/2011 at 04:55 PM
Four paramilitary rangers were wounded by explosion when three M79 grenades were fired at their operation base Ban Aye Guete of Narathiwat’s Srisakorn district late Saturday afternoon, police said.
Parts of the military operation base were damaged, according to police.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Soldier killed in Pattani attack
18/03/2011 at 01:40 PM
Militants attacked an outpost of the Pattani Task Force 21 at a school in Yarang district of Pattani province on Friday morning, killing one soldier.
Pol Col Tuandir Juthanant, the Yarang police chief, said the attackers climbed over the fence of Sano Pitthayakhom School in tambon Sano and opened fire with M16 rifles at the operations base of the 3rd Rifle Platoon of 8023 Infantry Company.
The soldiers returned fire and the militants fled.
Pvt Wuthipong Sangsahachart, 23, who just returned from escorting teachers to the school, was shot in the back.
He was later pronounced dead at Yarang hospital.
bangkokpost.
One slain, 3 hurt in Yala attacks
17/03/2011 at 11:39 AM
One man was murdered and another wounded by gunmen who ambushed them at an intersection in Betong district of Yala on Wednesday night.
Police said the attack occurred about 10.30pm.
The two men were travelling in a pick-up truck, and stopped at an intersection near Yang Daeng village in tambon Aiyerweng of Betong district. Two men opened fire at them from the roadside.
Ismael Roman, 30, a native of Pattani, was shot in the head and body and died on the spot.
Wae-isma-ae Buesa, 33, of Betong, was shot in the right arm. He was admitted to Betong hospital.
Also in Yala, a home-made bomb went off by the side of a road in tambon Sateng Nok in Muang district on Thursday morning.
A disabled man, Hama Po-itaeye, and four-year-old boy Abdul Kodor Haji Yuso who were sitting in front of a house on the side of the road were wounded.
Police believed a vehicle carrying soldiers of the 47th Rangers Company, which had just passed the spot, was the intended target of the bomb.
bangkokpost.
Two men killed in grocery shop attack
17/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : Two people were killed and three others wounded by gunmen who attacked a grocery shop in Narathiwat's Rueso district, police said.
Two assailants sprayed bullets from AK 47 and M16 guns into the shop late on Tuesday night.
The owner, also a village defence volunteer, managed to shoot back, which forced the gunmen to retreat.
The dead were identified as village defence volunteer Arom Yothathip and villager Phop Thongkaew.
One unidentified woman and two village defence volunteers were wounded, police said.
The village defence volunteers work with Rueso district office.
On the same night, a grenade went off at a goods exhibition on Phetkasem road between Narathiwat and Pattani.
The M26 grenade was thrown from a pickup truck into the venue. There was no report of injuries.
Police believe the attacks were carried out by militant groups.
In Pattani, Likit Linjindawong, 62, was shot by a man in Sai Buri district as he was driving his motorcycle to work yesterday morning, police said.
The man was severely wounded and is being treated at the Sai Buri Crown Prince hospital.
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday visited Pattani province to discuss the insurgency with security officers, and watched a test flight of an airship to be deployed in the restive far South.
Police recently issued arrest warrants for two insurgent suspects - Ismael Masae, 26, and Ma-ae Kute, 30. They are allegedly members of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) guerrilla group, active in Pattani's Khok Pho and Yarang districts.
In Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district, police yesterday found the body of a Malaysian man, thought to be the victim of a robbery, on Jarusathian road.
The man was identified as Thang Chong Yoeng, a tourist from Perak State in northern Malaysia.
He was seen visiting the nightspot zone in Sungai Kolok municipality on Tuesday night.
bangkokpost.
Thai south shootings kill eight: police
A Thai soldier secures an area following an overnight attack on a tea shop by suspected separatist Muslim …
Wed Mar 16, 10:54 am ET
YALA, Thailand (AFP) – Eight people have been killed over a 24-hour period in a series of shootings across Thailand's restive deep south, police said Wednesday.
The deaths come a week after the government said violence was escalating in the insurgency-plagued region, following a string of gun and bomb attacks.
A Buddhist teacher, aged 52, was shot dead in Songkhla province early on Tuesday morning while working his second job on a rubber plantation, police said.
Another Buddhist plantation worker was shot dead, and his wife injured, on their way to a work in the same province, also on Tuesday morning.
Later seven gunmen opened fire at a village teashop in Pattani province, killing three Muslim men aged between 42 and 60, followed by a drive-by shooting in nearby Yala province that killed a 69-year-old Muslim man.
Police said a group of armed men opened fire on another teashop in Narathiwat province on Tuesday night, killing two Buddhist men and injuring another three.
Shadowy Islamic militants have waged an insurgency in Thailand's southernmost region bordering Malaysia for more than seven years, leaving more than 4,400 people dead, including both Muslims and Buddhists.
Critics accuse the government of failing to address the grievances of Thailand's Malay Muslim minority, including alleged abuses by the military and a perceived lack of respect for their ethnic identity, language and religion.
yahoo.
2 killed, 4 wounded in Narathiwat gold shop robbery
14 March 2011
NARATHIWAT, March 14 –Two persons were killed and four others were wounded in a gun attack at a gold shop in violence-plagued Narathiwat on Monday, said the police.
Wichai Sritaksinakul, a gold shop owner, and Jitti Pleumjai, a 34-year-old shop’s security guard, were shot dead after a group of seven men armed with M16 and AK47 assault rifles fired into the gold shop, Pol Lt Ram Chansuponpot from Sungai Kolok police station said.
The injured are the gold shop owner’s wife, his brother and two neighbours.
According to an initial investigation, the seven gunmen got out of a bronze sedan, parked in front of the gold shop and shot Mr Jitti and Mr Wichai before smashing stained-glass windows displaying gold ornaments.
At the same time other gunmen attacked another gold shop next door before fleeing.
In a related development, the local police reportedly found the car used in the robbery in a rubber plantation in Waeng district. The investigation showed the licence plate is counterfeit and three empty gold ornament cases were found in the vehicle.
Meanwhile, the police said that surveillance cameras at the gold shop captured images of one gunman clearly as his scarf fell from his face at the crime scene. (MCOT online news)
mcot.
South Thai troubles ‘not religious issue’
11 March 2011
Worsening violence afflicting three predominantly Malay-Muslim southern provinces of Thailand is not about religion but about basic human rights, Church people and activists say.
“There is great dissatisfaction among local (Muslim) people due to actions of government officials – arbitrary detention, torture and worse. When they are proven innocent, they were released without compensation,” said Sarawut Prathumraj, former board member of the catholic bishops’ Catholic Commission of Justice and Peace.
Government officers “who violate the local people’s human rights seem to enjoy impunity,” he charged, adding that the situation is complex. “For the local mafia selling illegal products, the almost daily bombings and killings and tension cover up their activities,” added Sarawut, who now works with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ).
Kalaya Eaiwsakul, a coordinator of Diocese Social Action Center of Surat Thani diocese, said in recent weeks there have been almost daily reports of car bombings or shootings or killing of Buddhist monks on alms rounds.
Nobody seems to be able to stop this despite the presence of tens of thousands of army troops and government-backed militia groups. “The government has really failed in this issue,” said Kalaya, a Buddhist.
A March 8 closed-door meeting of NGO activists in Kuala Lumpur affirmed that religion is not the source of the troubles in the southern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
“Thailand has freedom of religion. The Thai government has nothing against Islam or Muslims. But what is happening is the denial of the fundamental rights of the individual as well as the right to self-determination of the Malay-Muslim people,” said an activist who works for a Malaysia-based relief agency.
The activist, who only wanted to be known as “Nua,” pointed out that the Malay-Muslims of southern Thailand have been denied expression of their identity and culture, and usage of their language. They have also been losing their traditional lands and local fishermen have been losing their livelihood as fishing concessions were granted to Bangkok-based businesspeople.
Since 2004, the insurgency as well as government and military heavy-handedness have claimed 4,500 lives and left more than 8,000 children orphaned, Nua and other activists said. In the same period, more than 15,000 local people have been arrested and detained, and torture, disappearance and killing of activists and sympathizers have been common.
Nua said at present 60,000 army troops are stationed in the region, in addition to another 60,000 military-backed militias. “Guns and drugs have flooded the region. Some Buddhist temples and government clinics and schools serve as temporary military camps, creating a very tense situation.”
An activist who only wanted to be known as “Wan” said there is no serious attempt to solve the problem because of vested interests. “For example, damaged buildings and infrastructure mean business opportunities for certain people. One dead body means one more business opportunity. Nua added: “More security problems mean more budget channeled to the military.”
On the way forward, Nua said activists have to work with Thai NGOs and civil movements within the scope of the Thai constitution.
eurasiareview.
Southern police chief shunted after blasts
10/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
The Narathiwat provincial police chief has been moved to an inactive post following a string of bomb blasts in the southern province, including Monday's car bomb attack on a police apartment block in Si Sakhon district.
Chaitat Inthanujit has been transferred to assist at the police operational centre in Yala. The transfer order took effect yesterday, deputy national police chief Adul Saengsingkaew said.
Pol Maj Gen Yongyuth Charoenvanit, deputy chief of the Yala police operational centre, will replace Pol Maj Gen Chaitat, Pol Gen Adul said.
Pol Gen Adul led a team of police officers to inspect the Si Sakhon apartments which were damaged by a car bomb attack on Monday.
A police source said Pol Maj Gen Chaitat was transferred because he failed to control violent attacks in areas under his jurisdiction.
COMMENTARY: South needs the power to fix woes
On Feb19, a car bomb went off in front of a karaoke shop in Muang Narathiwat municipality, followed by the latest car bomb attack on the police apartments on Monday.
A police officer and a pedestrian were injured in the car bomb attack on the five-storey block of flats located away from the police station.
Police yesterday made a sketch of a suspected bomber.
National police chief Wichean Potephosree yesterday blamed police for the lax security that allowed the car bomb attack to take place in the flat compound.
He instructed local police to increase security around police apartments in the district.
The police chief admitted the location of the flats, which was far from the police station, presented problems for other officers to provide security.
Pol Gen Wichean said the local police needed to work harder to provide public security. He said the incidents were not because the state's grip on administrative power had weakened.
bangkokpost.
South needs the power to fix woes
10/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
How to restore peace in the restive South where the conflagration of violence looks set to turn into an inferno?
An inferno? Isn't that an exaggeration? Judging from the spiralling violence since New Year, we will surely get there soon if the blaze remains unchecked. The violence started from day one with a Jan 1 bomb blast in a wet market in Narathiwat, which killed two bomb defusers on site.
This was followed by an attack on an army camp and a series of car bombs, roadside ambushes, arson and drive-by shootings which killed nearly 100 people, mostly civilians, within the first two months of 2011.
The frequency of attacks is usually high during this period of the year. But the number of attacks and the level of violence this year have far exceeded the pattern in the seven-year unrest.
How to stop this mess? That must have been the question from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva too, when Aziz Phitakkumpon, the Chula Ratchamontri the country's Muslim spiritual leader, paid him a visit at Government House early this week. Mr Aziz's answer: full support for education for Muslim youth.
Forgive me, sir. I understand your need to be diplomatic and polite to the prime minister. But your stock answer raises many more questions. Like, what kind of education are you talking about? Who is going to design it? And how to cope with the explosive frustrations when the Muslim youth, both educated and uneducated, are forever plagued by joblessness?
I used to believe, too, that the crux of the problem is lack of education in the deep South. But that belief crumbled fast once I was there to see how things actually were. If you think Bangkok kids have it hard with extra tutorial schools for the cut-throat university admission exam, at least the hellish period lasts only three years during high school. In the deep South, the grilling starts right from primary school.
Apart from attending state-run schools during the day, they must strictly attend nightly religious classes - which leaves them little free time or not at all - in order to learn the holy book and to master the Arabic language. Do we consider children who know three languages - Malay, Thai, and Arabic - to be uneducated? Their knowledge might not serve the job market. But are they uneducated? I don't think so.
The complaints of many Muslim parents are no different from rural Thai farmers. The Bangkok-centred state school system has made their children look down on parents and cultural roots.
The kids no longer know how to farm, fish, nor want to work in the sun. "The school has stolen my children from me," said a fruit orchard holder in Narathiwat.
Here's the irony. In the deep South, even if the kids want to, they cannot. The seas are empty because of big trawlers. The rice fields are destroyed due to flawed irrigation schemes. And their parents' orchards have been taken away following land rights conflicts with national park authorities.
For the religiously-inclined, with parental support and overseas grants, they go to the Middle East for higher study. Those with secular academic interests pursue mainstream education. Either way, they both return home to face joblessness and shattered dreams. Most positions that matter in the system are already filled by "outsiders" while there are few jobs for religious experts.
Imagine their anger when they cannot do anything to improve life's situations for themselves and for their society.
These "educated" southern Muslims may be in a better position than the jobless youngsters who hang around aimlessly in the villages, who bury their pain in drugs and recklessness. But their frustrations at the Bangkok masters are equally fierce, if not more.
No, education is not the key answer to southern violence. Not even jobs per se. But a thorough political decentralisation is.
At the core of this deadly politics of identity is the locals' explosive yearning to regain control over their lives. The problems over education, unemployment and natural resources management are mere symptoms of the centralised system which discriminates against the locals. Unless this system is freed up, peace will not have a chance.
bangkokpost.
5 policemen, 2 civilians injured in Narathiwat bomb attack
07-03-2011
Narathiwat - Five policemen and two civilians were injured Monday when insurgents threw a grenade at a grocery shop and detonated a car bomb to ambush a team officers rushing to first explosion scene.
The car bomb attack damaged 18 vehicle and the ground floor of a 4-storey police apartment building in Si Sa Khon district and a policeman and a civilian were injured.
The first explosion occurred at 11:50 am when an insurgent threw a grenade at the house of Pol Sgt Maj Sanit Kwansuk of Si Sa Khon police station. The house was modified as a grocery shop.
Sanit was sitting in front of the house and was severely injured.
Ten minutes later when troops from Narathiwat Taskforce 37 and police from the district station were rushing to the scene, insurgents detonated a car bomb to ambush them.
The second explosion was about 50 metres away from the first explosion scene.
nationmultimedia.
One killed, four wounded in Pattani
6/03/2011 at 03:03 PM
A retired police officer was killed and two police retirees and two other people seriously wounded in a gun attack by insurgents in Pattani's Yarang district on Sunday morning.
Pol Col Tuandir Juthanant, the Yarang police chief, said the incident occurred shortly after 6am while the five were taking an exercise on the Yarang-Yabi road along with other people.
Six armed men arrived near the scene on three motorcycles. They opened fire indiscriminately at the people, jogging and running on the road, with M16 and AK47 rifles.
Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Sanan Sangkhasanya, 64, a retired police officer of Yarang district, was seriously wounded and later pronounced dead at Yarang hospital.
Seriously wounded were Pol Sub-Lt Prasit Chumani, 72, and Pol Sub-Lt Suwich Pochana, 64, both retired police officers, Noppadon saw Oui, 58, a former teacher of Kruese School, and Muhammad Idris Pathan, 18.
Elsewhere in Pattani, a number of southern militants hiding in a rubber plantation opened fire at an army motorcycle patrol unit on Highway 42 near Na Pradu village in Khok Pho district late on Saturday night.
Sgt-Maj Singharaj Saengkaew, 32, a patrol member, was shot in the neck and seriously wounded. He was admitted to Yala Hospital.
At about the same time in Pattani's Nong Chik district, a number of insurgents attacked a police-military checkpoint on Highway 412 (Yala-Pattani) in tambon Lipa Sango with M79 and M16 rounds.
A clash followed for about five minutes before the insurgents withdrew.
Nobody was hurt.
bangkokpost.
Weapons and ammunition found in searches by officials in far South
27 Febuary 2011
Abhisit sees progress in south but unhappy that fatal attacks continue
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva insisted yesterday that the government was moving in the right direction in its efforts to counter to insurgent violence in the deep South but said the progress was not satisfactory.
"The government is tackling the problem in the right direction. The number of violent incidents has clearly decreased, but it's still not satisfactory because there are still people who get killed," he said during a speech at the King Prajadhipok Institute. He said his government had been successful to a certain extent in revoking the state of emergency in four districts in Songkhla and Mae Lan district in Pattani.
The prime minister said unrest still persisted in areas such as Tak Bai district in Narathiwat, where there was a severe crackdown many years ago. He called on the authorities and local residents to join forces to resolve the crisis.
In regard to recent insurgent attacks in municipal areas in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, Abhisit said it was agreed at his meeting with Army and police chiefs and provincial governors that the attacks resulted from insurgents' dissatisfaction about rigid searches by the authorities.
As Thai authorities continued operations against the insurgency and seized many weapons yesterday, Pattani Governor Nipon Narapitakkul ordered that security be beefed up in economic areas in 12 districts after the intelligence sources warned that banks, gold shops and hotels were at risk of attacks. He also urged the business sector to check on the state of existing security cameras and add cameras if possible.
A 50-strong team of police and officials yesterday morning unearthed a machine-gun and 411 rounds in a rubber plantation of Ban Sam Yaek Moo 6 in Narathiwat's Waeng district. Using a metal detector, the officials located the .50 NATO machine-gun and assorted ammunition buried one metre underground. They also arrested a male suspect found at the plantation for interrogation. They will examine the weapon and ammunition to see if they has been used in insurgent attacks.
Meanwhile, a Navy special task force surrounded a targeted rubber plantation in Ban Tamnop in Narathiwat's Muang district yesterday and engaged in a 20-minute gunfight, during which Petty Officer 1st class Paiwal Phothisopa, 29, got a gunshot wound to the face and an unnamed insurgent was killed.
Another ranger team was ambushed by three or four insurgents while on the way to a village in Tambon Sri Banphot in Si Sakhon district. The insurgents fled after a brief gunfight.
Following a lead about the movements of an unknown armed group on the local mountain, the rangers searched four targeted shacks and seized 100 items, including an HK .33 assault rifle and 34 rounds, a shotgun with 4 rounds, one kilogram of traffic spikes and some medical supplies. They arrested a suspect for interrogation.
The authorities will run DNA tests on the items found. The HK .33 assault rifle was initially reported to belong to volunteer Ranger Arun Sangthong, who was killed on December 31, 2009, and the shotgun belonged to Sergeant Kittichai Kanthang, who was shot dead on October 6 last year.
nationmultimedia.
12 suspected insurgents detained in Narathiwat
วันศุกร์ ที่ 25 ก.พ. 2554
YALA, Feb 25 – Twelve suspected insurgents were detained following a raid on Friday for their alleged involvement in an attack on an army base in Narathiwat’s Rangae district last month, said Maj Gen Preecha Chanocha, commissioner of the Yala special task force unit.
Briefing the press about the Feb 16-23 operation, he said 12 members of the Runda Kumputlan Kecil (RKK) who are suspected insurgents were captured and 38 weapons and medical supply items ere seized in a raid in Yala’s Krongpinang district. All of the detainees subsequently confessed.
The suspects are allegedly linked to six attacks in Narathiwat’s Rangae district including an attack at the army base in January. Four soldiers--including an army company commander—were killed and six others were wounded.
Gen Preecha also said that in Yala municipality, security officials met to adjust their operations plans to increase the number of checkpoints from 20 to 37 in the municipality after a recent car bombing incident.
They asked for cooperation from the local authorities and the private sector to install more surveillance cameras.
An explosion at a market in Yala municipality injured 17 people including three civil servants and 14 civilians on Feb 13 causing damages estimated at least Bt10 million (US$330,000).
It took about three hours to control Sunday's fire at 1pm Sunday, after a car bomb exploded outside a bakery shop.
Eight days later, another explosion occurred at a Yala supermarket, killing one woman and wounding 12 other people.
The blast site is only 100 metres from the site of the Feb 13 bombing.
The bomb was attached to a motorcycle parked opposite a Yala restaurant and was triggered when a highway police car passed by. (MCOT online news)
mcot.
Thai military outpost in restive south attacked
19:18, February 24, 2011
Separatist militants fired two M79 grenades and bullets from AK47 assault rifles at an outpost manned by special force in southern province of Pattani late Wednesdaynight, Bangkok Post online reported.
The attack caused no injuries, Pol Col Chanavee Chamarirk, chief of Nong Chik police station, said on Thursday.
Police and bomb disposal experts inspected the scene and found a 30 cm. wide blast crater about 10 metres from the outpost bunker. They also found a number of spent AK47 rifle cartridges.
Soldiers said they fired back at the attackers, who withdrew after exchanging shots for a few minutes
Police have not yet concluded if the suspected seperatists responsible for the attack.
Since the resurgence of insurgency in 2004 in three southernmost provinces, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, altogether more than 4,400 local people, including about 250 soldiers and 240 police, have been killed and about 7,000 injured in more than 10, 000 violent incidents instigated by suspected secessionists.
people.
Thailand receives first batch of Gripen fighters
24 Feb 2011
BANGKOK (BNS): The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has now taken delivery of six Gripen C/D fighters.
The Gripen fighters were flown from Sweden to Thailand and arrived to their new home base at Wing 7 in Surat Thani in southern Thailand on Tuesday.
The six Gripen fighters are part of an intergovernmental business transaction where FMV, the Swedish Defence Material Administration, representing the Government of Sweden, supplies an integrated air-defence system based on products manufactured by Saab.
The new air-defence system consists of Gripen, the Airborne Early Warning system Saab 340 Erieye AEW and a command & control system.
In preparation for the delivery of the Gripen fighters, pilots and ground crew from the Royal Thai Air Force have been trained in Sweden during 2010. These aircraft belong to the first batch ordered in 2008. In total, Thailand has ordered 12 Gripen.
As part of the contract, Sweden will transfer the latest technology in advanced military aircraft to Thailand.
brahmand.
Army won't raise South unrest with OIC
23/02/2011 at 03:40 PM
The army will not allow southern insurgents to pressure it into raising the issue of southern unrest with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), national army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Wednesday.
"We all know that there have been many violent incidents [in the far South], but we will not fall into the trap by discussing the southern security issue at the next OIC meeting.
"The army will do its best to address the problem by using the country's own laws," Gen Prayuth said before travelling to the restive South.
The army chief said he will instruct security forces in the South to be more stringent, use more proactive measures and get more cooperation from the public.
More than 90 per cent of the people in the South have been cooperating with authorities, but the rest were still apprehensive, he said.
"There is no one clear group [responsible for the violence] but there are many groups of people breaking the law, especially drug problems," he said.
Gen Prayuth said authorities had arrested a group of people suspected of involvement in the bombing in Yala on Monday, Feb 21, which killed a woman and injured 17 others, thanks to footage from a closed-circuit video camera.
Authorities were trying to track down and arrest the remaining suspects.
"I would like the responsible ministry to install more CCTVs in the area," he added.
bangkokpost.
One dead, 13 hurt in Thai bomb blast
22 February 2011
YALA: A bomb exploded on Monday in a city in Thailand’s insurgency-plagued far south, killing one person and injuring 13 others, police said, the latest in a string of attacks in the region.
The blast occurred at 4.30pm (0930 GMT) on a busy street in central Yala, the main town in one of three provinces near the Malaysian border that have been under emergency rule since 2005.
“The bomb was hidden inside a motorcycle parked in front of a shopping centre,” a local police officer said, adding that the incident took place close to the site of a car bomb attack last week that wounded 18 people.
A female shop worker was killed in the blast and the injured included a police officer.
“In neighbouring Narathiwat province, meanwhile, two villagers were killed in a drive-by shooting,” police said.
Insurgents have waged a violent campaign in Thailand’s southernmost region bordering Malaysia since early 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead.
gulftoday.
One dead, 12 injured in bomb blast in southern Thailand
21 February 2011
YALA, THAILAND (BNO NEWS) -- One woman on Monday was killed and at least 12 people were injured after a bomb blast in the southern Yala province in Thailand, the Bangkok Post reported.
The explosion took place in front of a supermarket near an old movie theater at about 4:35 p.m. local time. The explosive device was hidden in a motorcycle in Yala's Muang district.
After the fatal attack, police were rushed to the area and mobile phone networks were shut down in the area in order to prevent possible further attacks. Authorities said that the bomb was detonated using mobile phone signals.
The blast caused a police care and other vehicles parked nearby the supermarket to be set on fire. After firefighters controlled the flames, the wounded were transported to a local hospital.
An investigation was launched and police took the closed circuit cameras in order to examine and determine who detonated the bomb. No group has claimed responsibility for the terror attack.
Monday's blast took place approximately 100 meters away from the February 13 bomb blast that caused an estimated 10 million baht ($327,472) in damages. In addition, eighteen people were injured after a car bomb exploded In Yala's business center.
On Sunday, several businesses in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat, including about 60 karaoke bars, remained closed following Saturday night's shootings and car bomb. Two females employed at a karaoke bar were injured after a shooting took place, and about 30 minutes later, a car bomb exploded around 100 meters away from the initial scene, injuring at least 17 people at a restaurant.
Since 2004, around 4,400 people have been killed in Thailand's southern regions of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat, as local insurgent groups renewed their fighting efforts against the government.
channel6newsonline.
Attacks in Thai south wound 17 – police
Agence France-Presse
20 febuary 2011
NARATHIWAT – Seventeen people were wounded in Thailand's insurgency-ridden far south when insurgents launched a grenade attack on a karaoke bar and then detonated a bomb nearby, police said Sunday.
Two women were injured in the M-79 attack on the bar in Narathiwat town on Saturday night, which was followed 25 minutes later by a bomb blast in front of a massage parlour just 100 meters away, wounding 15 people.
Among those hurt by the explosion, which also badly damaged nearby buildings and cars, were two boys and a girl all aged about nine, police said. Four people were said to be wounded seriously.
Shadowy Islamic insurgents have waged a bloody campaign in Thailand's southernmost region since early 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead, including both Muslims and Buddhists, in near-daily attacks.
Violence appears to have intensified recently: a bomb attack in Yala province killed nine villagers last month and an unusually bold attack by militants a week earlier on a military base left at least four soldiers dead.
Last Sunday a car bomb exploded injuring 18 people, including four soldiers, in Yala – the main city in one of three provinces near the Malaysian border that have been under emergency rule since 2005
newsinfo.
Car bomb injures 19 in Thailand
20 February 2011 at 10:37am
By Abdulloh Wangni, Somchai Kwankijswet and Peter Janssen
Pattani, Thailand - Suspected separatists exploded a bomb outside a traditional massage parlour in Thailand's violence-wracked city of Narathiwat, injuring 19 people, officials said Sunday.
The explosive was detonated Saturday night shortly after gunmen shot at a nearby karaoke bar, injuring two women and drawing soldiers to inspect the scene.
The bomb planted in a parked car in Narathiwat, 750 kilometres south of Bangkok, exploded shortly after the soldiers arrived.
Although no soldiers were harmed, the explosion injured 19 civilians and destroyed 12 cars.
A similar car bomb went off in Yala on February 13, which injured 17 people and destroyed a block of shophouses.
“These attacks aim at scaring the local populations so they will stop cooperating with Thai authorities,” said Colonel Banphut Phonpian, spokesman for the southern office of the Internal Security Operations Command.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch last week condemned a surge in violent attacks by separatist Muslim insurgents on civilian targets this year in Thailand's troubled southern provinces.
Since January, a series of shootings and bombings perpetrated by insurgents have claimed more than a dozen lives.
“There is no excuse for indiscriminate or deliberate attacks against civilians,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The leaders of separatist insurgent groups need to rethink their tactics, which are abhorrent, illegal, and completely unjustifiable.”
Thailand's majority-Muslim southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala have been a hotbed for violence since January 2004, when a long-simmering separatist movement took a more militant turn.
About 4,370 people have died in the conflict over the past seven years, 90 per cent of them civilians, Human Rights Watch said.
About 80 per cent of the 2 million people living in the three provinces are Muslims, making it the only majority Muslim region in predominantly Buddhist Thailand. An estimated 300,000 Buddhists have left the region since in 2004.
The region was an independent sultanate until Bangkok conquered it about 200 years ago. The local population, which shares greater cultural, linguistic and religious similarities with neighbouring Malaysia, has never wholly submitted to rule by the central government. - Sapa-dpa
iol.
One Muslim killed, another injured in Narathiwat drive-by shooting
18 febuary 2011
Narathiwat - A Muslim man was killed and another injured in a drive-by shooting in this southern border province Friday afternoon.
The shooting occurred on the Sungai Padi-Joh I Rong Road in Bukehkua village in Tambon Bukit of Joh I Rong district at 1 pm.
Piraki Maeroh, 19, was shot at his head and neck and died at a scene. His friend, Muhamad Khairukalem, was shot at his left shoulder and rushed to Joh I Rong Hospital.
Police said Piraki and two friends were riding two motorcycles to Sungai Kolok when insurgents on two motorcycles caught up and opened fire at them.
nationmultimedia.
Soldier assassinated in Pattani
17/02/2011 at 12:27 PM
A member of an army intelligence unit was shot dead by a motorcyle gunman in Pattani's Yarang district on Thursday morning, police said.
Police said Sgt Abdulloh Kalong, 32, and his wife Suriyani, 36, were heading for Yala town from their home in tambon Khao Tum on a motorcycle on Highway 410 (Pattani-Yala) when two men following them on another motorcycle attacked them.
Sgt Abdulloh was shot in the head and the neck, but his wife was not hurt.
Sgt Abdulloh was a member of an intelligence unit and was attached to the 153rd Company, 3rd Infantry Battalion at Ingkhayuthaboriharn Camp in Nong Chik district of Pattani.
In adjoining Yala province, a rubber tapper was seriously injured by an explosion in a rubber plantation in Thung Kha village in Muang district.
Police said the home-made bomb went off when Useng Payo, 45, stepped on it.
Since Jan 2004, violence in the three southern border provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala has killed more than 4,500 people and injured over 8,000 others.
bangkokpost.
Insurgents step up their campaign of violence
ANALYSIS: The horrific bomb blast in Yala on Sunday portends a worsening of the situation
15/02/2011 at 12:00 AM
The alarming escalation of violence in the lower South has been driven home by a powerful car bomb in Yala municipality on Sunday morning that left 18 people injured and set off a massive fire that gutted 12 shophouses.
The attack is seen as an offensive move by insurgents to hinder the government's strategy to manage the problems in the restive South domestically and to draw attention to them on the international stage.
The blast on Sunday was one of the worst single bombings in a campaign of violence that has gripped the Muslim-dominated lower South and claimed almost 4,400 lives since the insurgency erupted on Jan 4, 2004.
The explosion, coming after a number of attacks this year, is apparently evidence that insurgents are seeking to intensify the situation.
The question is: Why now, and why did security authorities fail to prevent the attacks despite strict security measures and the government's efforts to promote peace in the restive areas?
Since coming to power in 2009, the Abhisit Vejjajiva government has budgeted about 50 billion baht for a number of projects to develop the quality of life in the deep South.
It has also pushed for the passage of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre Act, which would mandate the missions of relevant organisations in a new arrangement to help solve the region's insurgency problem.
The law allows the SBPAC to operate independently and report directly to the prime minister. It would also enhance the agency's power to transfer misbehaving high-ranking officials, including police, to ensure justice and encourage greater participation by residents.
The military is also pushing a quasi-amnesty process under the Internal Security Act's Section 21, to replace the emergency decree, as an effective "political offensive" measure to entice militants to surrender and thus weaken the movement.
"[The insurgents] don't want to see peace in the deep South," said Srisompob Jitpiromsri, a political scientist and director of the Centre for Conflict Studies and Cultural Diversities at the Pattani campus of Prince of Songkla University.
"That's why they defied the government's attempt to develop the area and the quality of life of people here.
"The situation is expected to get worse. The insurgents will expand their operations across all areas in the deep South, where security measures are seen to be lagging behind.
"The attackers don't only target the downtown areas but also everywhere in the region if they have the opportunity."
Mr Srisompob believed another reason for the insurgents intensifying their attacks at this time was their desire to have their voice heard by the international community.
The next meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference is scheduled for the middle of this year in Kazakhstan.
The southern rebels may have strengthened their operations in the hope the OIC intervenes. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya attended the OIC meeting in Tajikistan last year to block an attempt by the organisation to put the southern issue on its agenda.
But Somboon Ahmad Bualuang, peace advocate and member of the now-disbanded National Reconciliation Commission, sees it differently, accusing the government of mishandling the southern problem.
"I believe the insurgents are retaliating against the authorities' hard-line approach," Mr Somboon said.
He said the government should withdraw troops from the area, thus empowering local officials and civilians to work together to solve the problem.
But army commander-in-chief Prayuth Chan-ocha insisted troops would not be pulled from the region. They are still necessary to provide safety in the area.
bangkokpost.
Car bomb hits southern Thailand
13 Feb 2011 15:28 GMT
Eighteen injured in explosion in city of Yala, which triggered a large fire that engulfed nearby shops.
A car-bomb explosion in Yala, a city in southern Thailand, has injured 18 people, including four soldiers, police say.
Sunday's blast started a large fire that swept through nearby shops.
Yala is the main city in one of three provinces near the border with Malaysia that have been under emergency rule since 2005.
"There was a bomb hidden in a fire extinguisher in a pick-up truck parked in front of a grocery shop near Siam City Bank," a local police officer said.
Of the casualties, four were seriously wounded, including three of the soldiers, authorities said.
Fighters in Thailand's south have waged a violent campaign since 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead in near-daily attacks.
Violence has intensified recently, with a bomb attack in Yala province killing nine villagers last month, and an attack on a military base a week earlier killing four soldiers.
Three people, including a teacher, were shot dead and their bodies burned in neighbouring Pattani province on Thursday.
On January 18, the Thai government extended emergency rule in the country's south for an additional three months, despite rights groups being concerned about the powers the law gives the military.
A security force of more than 60,000 is stationed in the region, battling the fighters.
aljazeera.
Car bomb injures eighteen in Thai south: police
13 February 2011 - 08H01
AFP - A car bomb exploded outside a bank in Thailand's insurgency-plagued far south, leaving eighteen people injured, police said.
The blast occurred at 9.30 am (0230 GMT) on Sunday in Yala, one of three provinces near the Malaysian border that have been under emergency rule since 2005.
"There was a bomb hidden in a fire extinguisher in a pick-up truck parked in front of a grocery shop near Siam City Bank," a local police officer said. "It caused a fire in a nearby shop and injured about eighteen people."
Shadowy Islamic insurgents have waged a violent campaign in Thailand's southernmost region since early 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead, including both Muslims and Buddhists, in near-daily attacks.
Violence appears to have intensified recently: a bomb attack in Yala province killed nine villagers last month and an unusually bold attack by militants a week earlier on a military base left at least four soldiers dead.
On Thursday three people, including a teacher, were shot dead and their bodies burned in neighbouring Pattani province, in one of a series of gun attacks in the region last week.
france24.
Village official killed in Narathiwat
12/02/2011 at 12:06 PM
An assistant village headman was shot dead in an ambush in Narathiwat’s Rangae district on Saturday morning, said Pol Capt Heraman Jehdee, duty officer at Rangae police station.
Bueraheng Kader, 43, assistant village chief of Hurupareh village, was attacked on the intra-village road in his village by gunmen hiding in roadside rubber forest while on his motorcycle back home from his rubber plantation.
He was shot several times in the body and head and died at the scene.
The attackers had taken his .38 caliber pistol with them before fleeing.
Police found 19 empty shells of M16 and AK47 assault rifles at the rubber forest.
They blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Day of shootings leaves 5 dead
12/02/2011 at 12:00 AM
Two suspected members of an insurgent group have been shot dead by security forces while three other people, including a police officer, have also been gunned down in a violence-wracked day in the lower South.
At around 6am yesterday morning, Harong Ha, 23, a suspected member of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) militant group, was shot dead in a clash with army rangers in areas along the Budo mountain range in Bacho district.
About five other RKK members led by Maroso Chantrawadee managed to flee and some were apparently wounded, according to the rangers.
Harong is thought to be one of the assailants who raided a Narathiwat army unit on Jan 19 in a brutal attack which left four soldiers dead.
Yesterday's clash took place after Col Paisan Nusang, commander of the 45th Regiment Ranger Forces, was told that Mr Maroso, identified as a leading RKK member and his men, had used guns to threaten villagers to give them food before fleeing to the mountain range.
Army rangers and a Narathiwat special task force unit were ordered to hunt them down and while they were patrolling they came upon the suspects about 2 kilometres away from Sungai Batu village in tambon Lubo Sawo where they exchanged gunfire for about 15 minutes.
After the clash, an M16 assault rifle was allegedly found in Harong's hand. The rifle was later identified as one of the weapons stolen in early 2004 from a military camp in Narathiwat's Cho Ai Rong district.
Two other M16 assault rifles were also found at the scene. They were military weapons stolen from the Ror 15121 army outpost in Ban Marue Botok in Rangae district after the base was raided by insurgents in the Jan 19 attack.
In a separate incident, a combined force of police and soldiers exchanged gunfire with suspected RKK members in Ruso district yesterday.
After a 20-minute gunfight, an unidentified suspect in a black uniform was found dead with an M16 assault rifle near his body. The rifle was also one of those stolen from the military camp in Narathiwat in early 2004.
The clash took place when the security unit was inspecting a rubber plantation after receiving a report that Mana Samae and Amdan Maelao, two leading RKK members, and followers involved in the Jan 19 attack, were hiding in the area.
At about 12.30pm, Yi-ngo district of the province erupted into violence when Pol Sgt Kitisak Singdam was gunned down in front of a mosque as he was waiting for his commander in the area.
According to a police investigation, four unidentified men in Islamic outfits mixed among villagers who were going to the mosque to pray. As they approached Pol Sgt Kitisak on motorcycles, they suddenly sprayed bullets at him.
Police believed the attackers were taking revenge for the killing of two insurgent suspects by authorities that morning.
In Pattani's Panare district, Budrudin Hayeeduerae, a 27 year-old Muslim man was gunned down at a flea market.
Meanwhile, a village defence volunteer Hama Jeh-ngor, 32, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in Yala's Muang district after he left home on a security mission on Thursday night, police said.
bangkokpost.
Man killed, wife wounded in Pattani
8/02/2011 at 12:11 PM
A village security team member was shot to dead and his wife seriously wounded in a gun attack by insurgents in Yala's Yaha district on Tuesday morning, police said.
The shooting occurred at about 6.30am when the man, a village security team member who was not yet identified, and his wife were on the way on a motorcycle from Sise village to a rubber plantation at Pulae village in tambonn Baro.
Two men followed them on another motorcycle and the pillion rider opened fire at the two with a 9mm pistol.
The two were rushed to Yaha hospital where the husband was pronounced dead. His wife was seriously wounded.
bangkokpost.
PM sees signs of success in ending unrest
But says govt must do more to foster peace
3/02/2011 at 12:00 AM
There are signs the government is succeeding in its efforts to quell the southern unrest, but it is not yet satisfied with the overall handling of the situation, says Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Mr Abhisit told a seminar on the southern unrest yesterday that his government needed to do a lot more to foster peace in the region.
The authorities have to work harder to win the public's trust and to solve the problems in the region sustainably.
"What is challenging today is to secure the public's trust so that we can gradually move forward," he said.
Mr Abhisit said insurgent groups in the lower South had tried to change the fashion of their attacks because they wanted international organisations to intervene in their conflict with the government.
His administration is obliged to explain to the world community that the government has offered justice to the people in the region.
"We understand the concern of the world community but we also hope the world community will not be misled by the insurgent groups."
The prime minister said a group of foreigners taken by Thai officials to the far South found things to be different from what they had imagined from reading reports in newspapers. This is because the media does not report the everyday situation. It is violence that makes news.
"As a result, people who have seen reports on the volatility would think the region is wracked by violence. But we have to keep reminding them that facts about the region are not in the headlines of news reports by both domestic and international news agencies.
"Those who don't want to see peace in the region will try to create incidents that will have influence over their international supporters and their efforts to pressure Thailand."
The prime minister also said his government's policy on the insurgency was not aimed at defeating any one.
The government was aware that peace would come only when people were satisfied with their opportunities and realised they had received fairness, he said.
The seminar was organised by the senate committee tasked with speeding up a resolution to the conflict and the Office of Peace and Governance, King Prajadhipok's Institute.
bangkokpost.
5 killed in Thai south shooting
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 18:26:00 02/03/2011
Filed Under: Unrest and Conflicts and War, insurgency, shooting, Asia Australia - East Asia
YALA—A 73-year-old man was among five people killed when gunmen opened fire on a grocery store in Thailand's troubled, Muslim-majority south on Thursday, police said.
The elderly man, two women aged 60 and 44, and two men aged 62 and 53 were shot when up to six unknown assailants with assault rifles sprayed bullets into a crowd in front of the shop in insurgency-plagued Pattani province.
A further three people were wounded in the shooting spree. Authorities found more than 90 bullet casings at the scene.
Police, who had previously said the Buddhist villagers had gathered for early morning exercises, said they were in fact buying food to give to monks as part of a religious ceremony.
"The attack is believed to be the work of militants," local police commander Colonel Wallop Chamnong-arsa said.
In a separate attack, a 49-year-old Muslim rubber tapper was found dead with his throat cut in Pattani on Thursday morning. Police said he had also been hit over the head with a blunt object.
Shadowy Islamic insurgents have waged a violent campaign in Thailand's southernmost region bordering Malaysia since early 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead, including both Muslims and Buddhists.
Fighting appears to have intensified recently: a bomb attack in Yala province killed nine villagers last week and an unusually brazen attack by armed rebels a week earlier on a military base killed at least four soldiers.
Thailand extended emergency rule on January 18 in most of the Muslim-majority region for another three months, despite rights groups' concerns about the powers given to the military.
inquirer.
Six police wounded in Narathiwat
1/02/2011 at 12:51 PM
Six policemen received minor wounds when a bomb exploded on a road in Muang district of Narathiwat province on Tuesday morning.
The 15kg home-made bomb buried on a road leading to Ban Chut School in tambon Manang Tayo was detonated by insurgents as a police pick-up truck with six policemen on board were taking a number of teachers to the school.
After the explosion, there was a brief exchange of gunfire with the attackers. All six policemen received slight wounds in the incident, but the teachers were not hurt.
The police vehicle was heavily damaged
bangkokpost.
Prayuth hints he may oust 4th Army chief
1/02/2011 at 12:00 AM
The future of the 4th Army commander has been placed under a cloud after army commander-in-chief Prayuth Chan-ocha hinted he might remove the southern army chief unless there are signs of success in defeating the militant insurgency in the next three months, an army source says.
The source said yesterday Gen Prayuth would give Lt Gen Udomchai Thamsarorat until the military reshuffle in April to prove he could deal with the unrest and that his plans for deployment of forces and operational strategy were moving in the right direction.
There have been several violent attacks in the three southernmost provinces since the new year. Two of the most brutal were a raid on an army outpost in Narathiwat on Jan 19 in which four soldiers were killed and 13 others wounded, and a Jan 25 roadside bombing in Yala in which nine civilians were killed.
The army chief ordered Lt Gen Udomchai after the outpost raid to overhaul his defence and security measures at military bases.
"If there's no improvement within the next few months in the performance of work, results and military tactics, Gen Prayuth may consider seeking a new 4th Army chief," the source said.
Gen Prayuth is said to have proposed Lt Gen Akanit Muansawasdi, who now heads the Supreme Command's Border Affairs Department, as a replacement for Lt Gen Udomchai.
Lt Gen Akanit, who was a classmate of Gen Prayuth in pre-cadet school Class12, is seen as a veteran of the southern campaign and is among those credited with ending the Communist Party of Malaya's armed struggle against Malaysia over two decades ago.
The straightforward Lt Gen Akanit also has "good connections" with police and military personnel in Malaysia, although he has spent most of the past decade working outside the lower South.
Gen Prayuth has also instructed troop commanders with the rank of colonel and lieutenant colonel who head strategic departments to spend at least three days at 700 army outposts in three southern border provinces to collect information on ways to improve deployment and military tactics, the same source said.
"Gen Prayuth regards the raid [on the army camp in Narathiwat] as a serious matter that reflects laxity in security measures and flaws in intelligence, operational strategy and community relations work," he said.
Meanwhile, security authorities have arrested one of two suspects in connection with last week's bomb attack in Pattani's Muang district in which five soldiers and a monk were wounded.
The man was identified as Waesa-udee Waesu Kaloh, 26, an Islamic religious teacher.
bangkokpost.
Suthep insists violence has dropped in South
28/01/2011 at 03:18 PM
Violence in the southern border provinces has declined and the overall situation in the region is improving gradually, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban said on Friday -- despite a week of bombings in the region.
"The livelihoods and well-being of people in the South have improved, and because of this they have turned to support the government and allowed officials to come into their areas," Mr Suthep.
He was responding to opposition criticicism of the government's handling of the continuing southern insurgency.
The number of violent incidents last year was down on the previous year, and the number of people killed or injured had also dropped, he said.
However, violence is still a problem in the far South and the government will continue to address the problem.
Security personnel had been instructed to be more stringent and alert as the meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) nears, he said.
Mr Suthep said he travelled to the South several times each month. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had been to the region many times and Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam visited the southern provinces every week.
"The government is committed, but we cannot rush to solve the problem.
"Solving southern unrest is not like turning off an electrical switch, since it started more than 10 years ago," said the deputy premier.
Meanwhile, a defence volunteer was shot dead in a Yala attack and four soldiers and a monk were injured by a bomb explosion in Pattani on Friday morning.
A duty officer at Lam Mai police station said the defence volunteer, Malaseng Sa-ah, 35, was shot three times, in the head and body, in front of his wife’s home in Ban Tuputeh of Yala’s Muang district this morning.
He died at the scene.
Police were investigating
Muang Pattani Police chief Manas Sihsamas said four soldiers and a Buddhist monk were injured when a bomb exploded on Rong Lao road in Pattani’s Muang district this morning.
Pol Col Manas said the monk and two soldiers received minor wounds, but other two soldiers were in critical condition with severe leg injuries. They were admitted to Pattani hospital.
The bomb victims were identified as Phra Watcharapong of Wat Lakmuang, Private Seksan Inpetch, 23, Private Krisda Buaban, 19, Private Veerapong Prasertsorn, 23, and PrivateBoontom Kantee, 22.
The four soldiers were providing security for the monk, who was collecting morning alms.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Monk, Soldiers hurt by bomb in restive southern Thailand
27 January 2011
Four soldiers and a Buddhist monk were injured when a bomb exploded in a southern province of Pattani on Friday morning, police said.
Pol Col Manas Sihsamas, chief of Muang district police station, said the monk and two soldiers received minor wounds, but other two soldiers were in critical condition with severe leg injuries. They were admitted to Pattani hospital.
The bomb victims were identified as Phra Watcharapong of Lakmuang temple, Private Seksan Inpetch, 23, Private Krisda Buaban, 19, Private Veerapong Prasertsorn, 23, and Private Boontom Kantee, 22.
The four soldiers were providing security for the monk, who was collecting morning alms.
Police blamed separatist militants.
Since the resurgence of insurgency in 2004 in three southernmost provinces, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, altogether more than 4,400 local people, including about 250 soldiers and 240 police, have been killed and about 7,200 injured in more than 10, 400 violent incidents instigated by suspected secessionists.
people.
Five defense volunteers wounded in Thai south blast
27 January 2011
Five defense volunteers in Thailand's southern Yala province were injured as an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Muang district early Thursday morning.
Police said a 3-5-kilogram IED was hung on an electric post and when five defense volunteers patrolling on a pick-up truck on Tasab-airport road passed by, the assailants detonated the bomb.
The electric post and vehicle were completely damaged.
Police officers blamed suspected separatists for the blast.
Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat are Muslim-dominant southernmost provinces which were once independent sultanate of Pattani before being annexed by predominantly Buddhist state in 1909. The region has been plagued by insurgency for decades.
Since the resurgence of separatist insurgency in 2004, altogether over 4,400 local people have been killed and more than 7,200 injured in some 10,400 violent incidents instigated by suspected secessionists.
Source: Xinhua
people.
South Thailand blast kills nine
Tuesday 25th January, 2011 (Source: BBC)
A bomb blast in southern Thailand has killed nine villagers and wounded two others, police say.
The villagers were driving in Yala, one of three restive provinces, when a bomb exploded next to their truck.
The blast occurred less than a week after separatist rebels killed four soldiers in an attack on an army base in nearby Narathiwat province.
The southern violence has claimed more than 4,300 lives since a decades-old separatist campaign reignited in 2004.
The incident will be a blow to the government, which said tighter security and successful public relations had reduced violence in the three Muslim-majority provinces significantly in recent months. ...
bangkokpost.
Separatists 'stockpiling weapons'
YALA TROOPS WARNED TO EXPECT ATTACKS
23/01/2011 at 12:00 AM
Intelligence sources have warned of possible militant attacks against security forces in two Yala districts after reports indicated separatists are stockpiling war weapons in the area.
A source in the security intelligence agency in the South said yesterday it had received reports that an insurgent group operating in Yala's Raman and Bannang Sata districts had supplied its fighters with three M-79 grenade launchers.
The weapons are thought to be intended for use in attacking police and military installations in the two districts.
During such an assault, the militants would probably fire grenades from the rear of the outposts.
The source said this tactic was used by the rebels involved in Wednesday night's raid on a military camp in Narathiwat in which four soldiers were killed and scores of others wounded.
Intelligence officials said an insurgent group in Bannang Sata has recruited 45 fighters who recently completed combat training.
Security forces in Yala, especially in Raman and Bannang Sata district, have been warned to stay on alert.
A source familiar with the insurgency in the deep South said the Muslim separatist movement has stepped up its community relations campaign to stop people from supporting authorities.
The source said the separatists have devised ways to coerce locals into keeping away from the authorities.
According to the source, they typically send threatening letters or messages to households thought to be cooperating with the authorities.
The source said the insurgents had also stepped up their counter-intelligence operations and have sent spies to infiltrate the government's security agencies.
Meanwhile, Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew, the deputy national police chief, yesterday ordered an investigation into the deadly assault on unit Ror 15121 of the army outpost in Narathiwat's Rangae district.
Winthai Suwaree, newly-elected deputy spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command, insisted the insurgents who attacked Ror 15121 did not set out to steal the weapons.
He brushed aside the media's comparison of the incident with the arms robbery at a military depot in Narathiwat in early 2004, which triggered a fresh wave of insurgent violence in the far South.
"The [militants'] goal was not to steal weapons but to attack the army camp," Lt Col Winthai said.
A number of weapons were seized by the attackers, but Lt Col Winthai said the insurgents had taken the weapons as they left after the assault.
An initial inspection showed that about 20 automatic rifles had been stolen.
bangkokpost.
Suspected separatists kill six soldiers in southern Thailand - Summary
Posted : Thu, 20 Jan 2011
Pattani, Thailand - Suspected separatists have stormed an army camp in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat, killing six soldiers and wounding 14 others, officials said Thursday.
More than 20 armed assailants attacked the camp in Rangae district, 730 kilometres south of Bangkok, late Wednesday as the soldiers were preparing to eat, army spokesman Colonel Banpot Phupian said.
"The insurgents took the camp by surprise because everyone was getting ready for dinner," Banpot said.
The raid left six soldiers dead and 14 wounded, according to Narathiwat Governor Chanon Vejchakanont. The insurgents, believed to be Muslim militants, fled to a nearby hill without sustaining injuries after seizing 50 semi-automatic rifles and 5,000 bullets.
The military Thursday morning dispatched 2,000 soldiers to hunt down the insurgents.
"This attack was made in an effort to discredit the government's recent claims that they had restored stability to the area," Chanon said.
The attacked army camp is situated less than a kilometre from Jaw Hai Long village, where Muslim militants raided a military arms depot in January 2004, killing five soldiers and making off with 350 semi-automatic rifles.
That raid was seen as a turning point for a long-simmering separatist movement in the mainly Muslim deep South, comprising Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala provinces.
After the 2004 raid, the army launched a series of attacks on the separatists, including an assault on a centuries-old mosque, that further antagonized the local population. The violence has claimed more than 4,400 lives over the last seven years.
The deadly attack came at a time when the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said it had made progress in restoring peace to the area.
Last month, the cabinet revoked emergency law in Mae Lan district of Pattani province, claiming stability had been restored there. In a visit to the region last week, Abhisit said he hoped to lift the draconian law in the entire region soon.
The emergency decree allows authorities to make arrests without charges, detain suspects for weeks and grants security forces some immunity from prosecution for actions carried out in the line of duty.
The region of 2 million inhabitants was an independent Islamic sultanate until it was conquered by Bangkok about 200 years ago. Ethnic Malay Muslims have never wholly submitted to rule by the central government.
earthtimes.
PM: Army has to adjust in South
20/01/2011 at 04:38 PM
The army has to make changes to the way it deals with the continuing insurgency in the southernmost provinces, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.
Mr Abhisit's comment follows the insurgent attack on a small army base in Narathiwat last night. Four soldiers were killed, others wounded and more than 50 firearms were stolen.
The prime minister said he felt sorry for the families of the four soldiers.
"The army will have to adjust its operation and look into how so many weapons were stolen.
"The weakness is caused by the way soldiers are spread thin to different areas to protect the public, giving ill-intentioned people opportunities to create unrest," he said.
The government had predicted that the insurgents would try to provoke the authorities as the meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) nears, he said.
The army had been told to act within the law and avoid becoming a tool of the insurgents.
The prime minister insisted the authorities had been successful in reducing the level of violence in the deep South.
bangkokpost.
Troops killed in southern Thailand
Deaths reported during raid on military camp in Narathiwat by fighters who also stole arms and ammunition.
Last Modified: 20 Jan 2011 08:07 GMT
Four Thai soldiers have been killed by suspected fighters in a raid on a military camp in the country's south, according to the army.
In a daring attack, about 50 fighters attacked a unit in Narathiwat province on Wednesday evening, speaking a gun battle, Colonel Banphot Poonpien, an army spokesman, told AFP news agency.
"Four soldiers died in the attack and seven were injured. Of these, four are in a critical condition," he said.
The fighters took more than 50 rifles and about 5,000 bullets during the raid, setting off bombs and burning two houses and a tent within the base before retreating, according to a statement from the southern Thai army headquarters.
The troops killed were said to be aged between 22 and 33.
Suspected separatist fighters have waged a violent campaign in the Muslim-majority region of southern Thailand, that borders Malaysia.
Since early 2004, more than 4,400 people have died in the violence.
Emergency rule extended
The Thai government extended on Tuesday emergency rule in the country's south for another three months, despite rights groups' concerns about the powers given to the military.
Suthep Thaugsuban, the deputy prime minister who oversees national security, said the fighters staged the latest attack to terrify local residents.
"They want to show their capability," he said, a day after he made a visit to the south.
A security force of more than 60,000 is stationed in the region, battling rebels whose precise aims are unclear.
Critics accuse the government of failing to address the grievances of Thailand's Malay Muslim minority, including alleged abuses by the military and a perceived lack of respect for their ethnic identity, language and religion.
aljazeera.
Four troops killed in Thai rebel ambush
2011-01-19
YALA, Thailand (Reuters) – Suspected Muslim separatists killed four soldiers and wounded five others on Wednesday in the bloodiest incident in several months in Thailand's restive deep South, police said.
The attack took place shortly after nightfall when about 20 gunmen opened fire on a military base in Rangae, Narathiwat province, one of the deadliest areas in a mainly Muslim region plagued by seven years of unrest.
The violence, believed to be the work of ethnic Malay separatists rebelling against a century of rule by predominantly Buddhist Thailand, has claimed more than 4,300 lives since an insurgency resurfaced in January 2004.
The government says strict security measures, overseen by more than 40,000 troops, have led to a decrease in the rate of violence over the past year and it is considering lifting emergency measures gradually.
However, the latest attack, which came two days after a rare visit by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, suggests the shadowy militants are still strong in the provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and parts of Songkhla.
The rubber-rich region is just a few hours away from some of Thailand's major tourist hotspots, although the attacks have so far been limited to the four provinces, which border Malaysia.
The violence is typically drive-by shootings, ambushes and roadside blasts, although car bombings and beheadings have taken place in recent years.
yahoo.
Shootings in Thai south kill 4: police
2011-01-11 16:38
YALA, Tuesday 11 January 2011 (AFP) - Suspected Islamic rebels have killed four people and wounded another two in gun attacks across the violent Thai south, police said Tuesday.
Two Muslim men, aged 33 and 40, were killed on Monday in separate drive-by shootings in Narathiwat province, police said. The younger man was a security ranger on his way to guard a government building.
In Yala province on Tuesday a Muslim couple, aged 40 and 45, were shot dead in an ambush as they returned home from work on a rubber plantation. The husband was also a security volunteer.
Two men in their twenties were also seriously wounded on Monday in shooting attacks in the southern region, which has been plagued by a seven-year insurgency leaving more than 4,400 people dead, both Muslims and Buddhists.
Militants are thought to target fellow Muslims they deem "traitors" to Islam. The armed forces working the south meanwhile are accused by rights activists of acting with impunity.
Narathiwat and parts of Pattani province have been hit by floods in recent days, with the rising waters forcing the closure of schools in some areas.
The government recently lifted emergency rule in a pocket of the troubled area as a test case for the rest of the Muslim-majority region.
The emergency laws -- which give broad powers to security forces -- are being rolled back in Mae Lan district in Pattani, one of three provinces near the Malaysian border which have been subject to the decree since 2005.
Police said two bomb disposal policemen were killed and nine other people wounded in a blast in Narathiwat on New Year's Day after warnings of violence at the start of 2011.
mysinchew.
Ranger killed in Narathiwat
10/01/2011 at 11:35 AM
A para-military ranger was shot dead by militants early on Monday in Narathiwat's Sungaipadi district, police said.
Police said the attack occurred about 1am when Hamadmaruwan Awae, 33, of the 45th Rangers Regiment, was traveling by motorcycle from his house in Khok Pimeng village in tambon Paluru to go on duty at a post about 1km away.
Hamadmurawan was followed by six militants on three motorcycles. Two of the pillion riders, one armed with an M16 and another an AK47 rifle, opened fire at him, killing him instantly.
The attackers took one 9mm pistol from their victim before fleeing the scene.
bangkokpost.
Ranger killed in Yala shooting
8/01/2011 at 12:49 PM
A paramilitary ranger was killed and another seriously injured in a drive-by shooting on the Kotabaru-Yala road at Moo 6 in tambon Budee of Yala’s Muang district on Saturday, police said.
The rangers were traveling on a motorcycle when gunmen on a pickup truck fired at them before fleeing the scene. One of them died instantly at the scene and his colleague was seriously wounded.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
2 militants killed, 1 arrested
7/01/2011 at 03:35 PM
Two militants were killed and one arrested in a clash with a force of marines in Narathiwat's Bacho district on Friday.
Police said a fight erupted when a 100-strong marine unit of the Narathiwat Task Force 32 was attacked by gunmen near Ban Som Poi in tambon Kayo Mati in Bacho district.
The militants withdrew after a 20-minute firefight, leaving behind two bodies. Another militant was captured by the marines.
The marines also seized two handguns.
bangkokpost.
Village chief killed in Narathiwat
7/01/2011 at 01:09 PM
A village headman was shot dead by two suspected militants in Rangae district of Narathiwat province on Friday morning.
Pol Lt-Col Chalerm Yingkhong, a duty officer at Rangae police station, said Singchai Salae, 37, the headman of Tanyong Limo village in tambon Tanyong Limo, was travelling on a motorcycle to a tea shop in the village when he was attacked by two men who followed him on another motorcycle.
The pillion rider opened fire at him with an AK47 rifle. When the victim and his motorcycle fell on the road, the other man fired more shots at him with a handgun, killing him instantly. The two attackers took a 9mm pistol from Singchai before fleeing the scene.
Singchai was an assistant of Gen Pichet Wisaijorn, the assistant army chief, when they together started a sufficiency economy project at the village. The project later became a model for other villages in the three southern border provinces to follow.
Police said Singchai had earlier survived two similar attacks.
bangkokpost.
Faulty robot blamed in blast expert deaths
7/01/2011 at 12:00 AM
Poor judgement and a faulty bomb disposal robot are being blamed for the deaths on Saturday of two bomb experts in Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district.
Suspected insurgents detonated a bomb using a mobile phone as Pol Snr Sgt Maj Kitti Mingsuk and Pol Sgt Maj Krissada Thong-o were approaching a suspicious object left on the roadside by teenagers.
Pol Snr Sgt Maj Kitti was killed immediately when the object exploded. He approached the object after the bomb-disposal robot used by the team malfunctioned.
Pol Sgt Maj Krissada died at hospital. Both men were wearing bomb disposal suits.
The Yala bomb disposal squad chief, Pol Snr Sgt Maj Swang Malai, said the officers were unable to completely block the surrounding mobile phone signal, so the attackers were able to detonate the five kilogramme bomb remotely.
The officers were so close to the bomb that their anti-blast gear could not save them. "The bomb suit could only reduce the violence," Pol Snr Sgt Maj Swang said on Tuesday.
Their deaths have raised questions about the quality of bomb suits and bomb disposal robots. One member of a bomb disposal unit in the lower South, who declined to be named, said he believed the bomb experts could have handled the situation better.
They could have shot at the bomb or repaired the robot without touching the explosive device, the source said.
Bomb disposal officers were aware of the limitations of the bomb suits.
"When disposing of a bomb, a mistake means a potential loss of life. You can't blame it on the suit," he said.
"The protective gear is designed to cushion the impact of a blast. It cannot protect against a big bomb."
However, the source admitted that the EOD (explosive ordnance disposal)8 bomb suits worn by the men were substandard because their five-year term of service had expired.
The suits cost 2 million baht each and were imported from Canada. They are used by the army in the lower South.
A senate committee on southern problems is investigating the incident.
The panel's chairman, Anusart Suwanmongkol, wants to hear evidence about the effectiveness of the bomb suits and the robots.
The source also cast doubts on the effectiveness of the bomb disposal robot, which is equipped with a high-pressure water gun only.
bangkokpost.
71 weapons retrieved 7 years on from armoury raid
5/01/2011 at 12:00 AM
Only 71 of the 400 firearms stolen from Pileng army camp in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district seven years ago have been recovered.
The raid on the camp in the early hours of Jan 4, 2004, marked the re-emergence of insurgent violence in the lower South.
The spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command's 4th Region, Col Banphot Phoonphian, said yesterday 62 M16 rifles and nine 11mm pistols had been recovered from militant groups.
Security authorities have been trying over the past seven years to retrieve the 400 weapons stolen from the army camp in the raid in which four soldiers were killed. They are still doing their best, Col Banphot said.
Soldiers, police officers and administrative staff in the three southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat stepped up their security yesterday to prevent insurgent attacks on the seventh anniversary of the theft.
More checkpoints were set up at Pileng army camp and patrol units were assigned to patrol the perimeter of the camp around the clock.
Security agencies held talks yesterday with business operators and representatives of local residents in Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district on measures to prevent attacks after recent deadly bomb blasts in the province's Sungai Padi and Cho Airong districts.
The explosion in Sungai Padi on Saturday killed two bomb disposal officers even though they were wearing bomb suits. National police chief Wichean Potephosree conceded that the police had borrowed the suits from the army in 2004 and they could no longer provide protection against powerful explosives like C4.
Pol Gen Wichean said the Royal Thai Police had used part of its 2010 fiscal year budget to buy 12 new bomb suits as replacements for the old suits, robots and jamming equipment to block mobile phone signals.
Twenty-six officers from the army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) would also be transferred to support police bomb disposal operations in the lower South, he said.
The chairman of the lower house subcommittee on monitoring the budget granted to operations in the South, Nipon Bunyamanee, said the panel would summon the police chief to explain why the bomb squads were still using the old suits. "The police should reprioritise their budget for the safety of the operational officers," Mr Nipon said.
Meanwhile, the cabinet agreed yesterday to invoke Section 21 of the Internal Security Act in four districts of Songkhla as of March, deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said.
Mr Supachai said Section 21 allowed people who were misled into joining rebel groups to surrender to authorities and thus avoid a criminal record for serious offences.
The four districts are Chana, Thepha, Na Thawi and Saba Yoi.
bangkokpost.
Bomb suits are given a good dressing down
B2m protective gear provides limited safety
4/01/2011 at 12:00 AM
YALA : Bomb suits cannot guarantee their wearer's safety, says the deputy chief of this southern province's bomb disposal squad.
Bomb-squad detectives inspect a roadside spot whereabomb blastwounded two soldiers as they were patrollingCho Airong-Pa Pai road in Narathiwat’s Cho Airong district. WAEDAOHARAI
The 2 million baht suit, imported from Canada, failed to save the lives of two policemen in a bomb blast in Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district on Saturday.
Suspected insurgents detonated the bomb using a mobile phone as Pol Sen Sgt Maj Kitti Mingsuk and Pol Sgt Maj Krissada Thong-o were approaching a suspicious object left on the roadside by teenagers.
Police have been unable to identify the bombers as a surveillance camera near the scene was not operating.
The bomb disposal squad chief, Pol Sr Sgt Maj Swang Malai, said officers knew the suit could offer only a certain measure of safety. Officers were required on each mission to evaluate the situation before deciding whether using the bomb suit would offer adequate protection.
In the Sungai Padi case, Pol Sr Sgt Maj Swang said, the problem was that the officers could not completely block the surrounding mobile phone signal, so the attackers were able to detonate the bomb remotely.
The two officers were so close to the bomb that their anti-blast gear could not save them. "The bomb suit could only reduce the violence," Pol Sr Sgt Maj Swang said.
The government has allocated more than 10 bomb suits to security officers working in the restive lower South. Pol Sr Sgt Maj Swang's team has three of the suits for operations in Yala.
He said his team did not routinely use the suits when examining suspicious objects, preferring to employ armoured vehicles, which offer them more safety.
Pol Sr Sgt Maj Swang admitted officers needed more and better equipment to help them deal with bomb attacks in the lower South. But rather than asking for more bomb suits, he wanted the government to finance more armoured vehicles and improve the equipment used to block mobile phone signals.
The officer said the equipment his team used sometimes failed to completely block strong mobile phone signals sent from towers with powerful transmissions in urban areas. This meant officers were risking their lives almost every time they were called out, he said.
Narathiwat governor Thanont Vejchakornkanond echoed Pol Sr Sgt Maj Swang's concerns, saying the strength of the equipment had to be increased from 50 watts to 100 watts in order to fully block strong mobile phone signals.
He also encouraged close coordination between bomb disposal teams and the mobile phone network providers if officers needed to keep certain areas signal-free for a long time.
Meanwhile, three soldiers were wounded yesterday when they were ambushed while on patrol on Cho Airong-Pa Pai road in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district, police said.
A bomb, in a five-kilogramme metal box, was detonated using a mobile phone as six troops approached the spot.
The attackers then sprayed the troops with bullets, an investigation found.
Cpl Wacharasak Kongsil, 27, Pvt Skariya Daemoh, 22, and Pvt Samri Bueraheng, 23, are being treated at the Cho Airong hospital.
bangkokpost.
New ISA provision for Songkhla
4/01/2011 at 03:18 PM
The cabinet on Tuesday agreed to a request by security agencies to impose Section 21 of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in four districts of Songkhla province in addition to Sections 15, 16 and 18.
The four districts are Chana, Thepha, Nathawi and Sabayoi.
The government replaced martial law with Sections 15, 16 and 18 of the ISA in the four districts on Dec 1, 2009.
Government deputy spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said the National Security Council and other security agencies had proposed that Section 21 be imposed in addition.
Section 21 allows for people accused of offences affecting national security to surrender to authorities and undergo training and follow conditions set by the court.
Panitan Wattanayagorn, the acting government spokesman, said the cabinet agreed to pass the resolution to the Council of State for consideration.
bangkokpost.
3 soldiers injured in S. Thailand bomb blast
Monday 3rd January, 2011
Three Thai soldiers were injured when insurgents detonated a bomb to ambush their unit in Thailand' s southern province of Narathiwat Monday morning.The attack occurred on the Joh I Rong-Paphai Road in Luboh village in Joh I Rong district at 6:55 am, Thai media reportedPolice said five soldiers on three motorcycles to the Joh I Rong railway station to guard it when they were ambushed.
Insurgents detonated a homemade bomb and opened fire at them.The two sides exchanged gunfire for about five minutes before the insurgents retreated.Thailand's deep South comprises mainly the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and some parts of Songkla province.
Insurgent violence has killed over 4,300 people in the deep South since its resurrection in January ...
thailandnews.
Two police killed in Narathiwat bombing
1/01/2011 at 03:48 PM
Two bomb squad police were killed and 9 others injured in bombings in Narathiwat’s Sungaipadi district on Saturday, police said.
Earlier today, police received a reported by a villager that two men on a motorcycle had placed a suspicious box in front of house No 820/4 on Chattrawarin road in Sungaipadi district. A police bomb experts team was sent to inspect the box.
The bomb exploded while they were trying to defuse the bomb, killing two of them and injuring nine others, said Pol Capt Muduseng Mosani, duty officer at Sungaipadi police station.
The injured police were admitted to Sungaipadi hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Grenades fired at Pattani army base
30/12/2010 at 02:56 PM
Militants fired M-79 grenades at a field army base in Pattani's Kapho district on Thursday. No injuries were reported.
Pattani police said there was also no property damage as the grenades exploded in an empty area.
There was an exchange of gunfire between soldiers and the insurgents for about one minute, but no injuries were reported.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
PM: Bombs won't affect lifting of decree
29/12/2010 at 03:56 PM
It is unlikely the car-bomb explosions in Narathiwat and Yala were a direct response by insurgents to the lifting of the emergency decree from some other districts of the southernmost border provinces, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Wednesday.
Mr Abhisit was speaking after a meeting with the Internal Security Operations Centre.
He said the explosions occurred in areas where the emergency decree remains in force and they would not influence the government's decision on whether to revoke the decree in other areas in the restive South.
Authorities would just have to deal with the sporadic violence in the region, he said.
When reporters asked him about the government's measures to prevent similar attacks in Bangkok and main city areas, he said measures, personnel and equipment had been prepared.
"The public can be 100 per cent confident about the security situation during the New Year countdown in different areas in Bangkok, and I ask the people to cooperate with authorities," he said.
bangkokpost.
1 militant killed, 4 police wounded
28/12/2010 at 10:37 AM
A militant was killed and four policemen wounded in a fight after an ambush in Khok Pho district of Pattani province early on Tuesday.
Pol Col Krisda Kaewchandi, the Khok Pho police chief, said four policemen on motorcycle patrol on Phetkasem highway between Naket village and Khok Pho district were ambushed by militants hiding on both sides of the road about 12.30am.
A brief exchange of fire followed before the militants withdrew into the forest.
Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Prawit Phetjukul, Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Dulyarat Abuhed, Pol Cpl Thanaphat Natarasuk and Pol L-Cpl Vinai Suriyakul were wounded in the clash. They were admitted to Khok Pho hospital.
A militant, who was not yet identified, was shot dead. An AK47, an ammunition magazine and a backpack containing survival kit were found near the body.
bangkokpost.
Man killed, wife wounded in Pattani
27/12/2010 at 11:58 AM
A man was killed and his wife wounded by gunmen in front of their house in Muang district of Pattani province on Monday morning.
Police said the assailants opened fire at Kathathip Hemmano, 36, and his wife Chadaporn, 34, in front of their house in Soi Charoen Pradit in tambon Rusa Milae.
The man was about to take his wife to work at CS Pattani Hotel when they were attacked.
One of the attackers ran to Kathathip and took his 9mm pistol before fleeing on a waiting motorcycle.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Thaworn sees sharia law as way forward
25/12/2010 at 12:00 AM
The introduction of sharia law to the southernmost provinces has taken another step forward, with Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam saying it could help quell the insurgent violence.
He is also pledging to speed up work on a bill introducing a sharia court, which he hopes will help improve the security climate in the troubled region.
The move is part of the government's strategy of "widening the sphere" for Muslim people in the lower South.
A proposed sharia court will look into civil disputes, mostly related to family relationships and inheritance, when both plaintiffs and defendants are Muslims, and base its ruling on Islamic law, or sharia law, he said.
Mr Thaworn said the Justice Ministry has been reviewing a bill on the establishment of a sharia court and he hoped to speed up the process.
The ministry said it would change several regulations to match the way of life in the Muslim-dominated provinces.
The government is looking into making Fridays and Saturdays days off for Muslims so they can attend religious events.
Schools in the lower South under the Education Ministry will also be encouraged to teach Yawi, the local Malay language, Mr Thaworn said.
The strategy is intended to uphold the rights and liberties of Muslims in the area, as well as encourage residents to be more tolerant towards differences and cultural and religious diversity.
Mr Thaworn said on his return from a study tour to Northern Ireland that the blueprint employed by Britain to deal with violence by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) would not work here.
Britain had applied both emergency law and a negotiation process to resolve problems with the IRA, he said.
"But our government will not negotiate with insurgent groups because different conditions [in Thailand's lower South] apply," Mr Thaworn said.
Meanwhile, the government's plan to lift emergency rule in Mae Laen district of Pattani has prompted a local leader to express security concerns.
Wilai Sungprapai, chairman of the Mae Laen tambon administrative organisation, voiced her worries after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday he expected emergency rule in Mae Laen to be lifted before the end of the year, as there had been no recent insurgent violence there.
But Ms Wilai said Mr Abhisit's announcement was premature, as Mae Laen bordered areas where insurgents were still active.
These areas are Khok Pho, Nong Chik and Yarang district of Pattani, and Yala's Muang district.
Meanwhile, two gunmen have raided a house in Narathiwat's Rangae district and shot and seriously wounded all three members of a family, police said.
Paosee Suamae, 37, his wife, Nureehan, 27, and their five-year-old daughter, Neezme, were having dinner when the assailants broke into their house on Thursday and shot them, police said.
bangkokpost.
Emergency rule to end in Pattani district
24/12/2010 at 12:00 AM
Emergency rule in Mae Laen district in Pattani is expected to be lifted before the end of the year, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says.
The prime minister met army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha and high-ranking officials yesterday to review the security situation in the lower South.
Mr Abhisit said he supported the replacement of the emergency decree with the less draconian Internal Security Act (ISA).
The government is looking to progressively lift emergency rule in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat and replace it with the ISA.
One district in each province will be selected to pilot the enforcement of the ISA. Mae Laen is expected to serve as the pilot district in Pattani.
Emergency rule has already been replaced by the ISA in Chana, Na Thawi, Saba Yoi and Thepha districts in Songkhla.
Mr Abhisit said he expected the emergency decree to be revoked in Mae Laen before the other districts because there had been no insurgent violence there. He said the lifting of the emergency in the district would probably take place before the New Year.
The state of emergency was recently extended for another three months across the lower South.
Military authorities have similar powers under the ISA and the emergency decree. The ISA empowers security officers to detain suspects for seven days without charge. The emergency decree allows authorities up to 30 days to hold suspects for questioning.
Two paramilitary rangers were killed yesterday morning in a drive-by shooting by suspected insurgents in Narathiwat's Rangae district.
Rangae police identified the dead as Surapon Petch-tae and Preecha Chantanet, members of the 45th Ranger Regiment's peace-building unit.
They said Surapon and Preecha were riding on a motorcycle to their base when they were followed and attacked by four men on two motorcycles at about 10am.
The pillion passengers fired on the rangers using a pistol and an M16 assault rifle. Two villagers were injured by stray bullets in the attack.
Police said the gunmen shot Surapon and Preecha after they fell from their motorcycle using the rangers' own weapons including an AK-47.
Police found more than 20 spent cartridges from a 38-calibre super automatic pistol and M16 and AK-47 rifles at the scene.
bangkokpost.
Two rangers killed in Narathiwat
23/12/2010 at 02:24 PM
Two para-military rangers were killed and two women civilians wounded by gunmen in Rangae district of Narathiwat province Thursday morning.
Pol Lt-Col Chalerm Yingkong, the duty officer at Rangae police station, said the rangers - Surapol Phetthae and Preecha Chanthanet - were on the way back on a motorcycle from visiting members of a village protection unit at a tea shop about 100m from Lubo Kayo School in tambon Chalerm.
They were followed by four people on two motorcycles. The pillion riders opened fire at the two rangers with an M16 rifle and a .38 pistol, killing them instantly.
Two women passing by - Rokiyo Haji Masae and Sakru Sohama - were also wounded. Mrs Rokiyo was shot in the right arm and Mrs Sakru in the left arm.
bangkokpost.
TAO member shot in Yala
22/12/2010 at 04:19 PM
A tambon administration organisation member was seriously wounded by a gunman in Yala's Raman district on Wednesday afternoon.
Pol Lt-Col Jirasak Wikraicharoenying, the tambon Tha Thong police chief, said Aduena Jehtae, 34, was shot in the abdomen. He was admitted to Raman Hospital.
Eyewitnesses told police they saw a pick-up truck arrive at Mr Aduena's house, about 300 metres from the police station. A man walked into the house and fired one shot from a handgun before fleeing on the waiting vehicle.
Mr Aduena is a TAO member of tambon Tha Thong in Raman district.
Police blamed the attack on southern militants.
bangkokpost.
Land official wounded in Pattani
22/12/2010 at 01:02 PM
A land official was shot and wounded in Pattani's Sai Buri district on Wednesday morning.
Pol Lt-Col Panya Karawanant, deputy chief of Sai Buri police, said a pick-up truck driven by Kanchit Dulayaporn, chief of the land office of Sai Buri district, was attacked by men armed with AK47 rifles on Highway 42 in tambon Ta Bing.
Mr Kanchit was shot in the left leg and his vehicle, which skidded off the road, was riddled with bullets.
Police blamed Muslim insurgents.
bangkokpost.
Prayuth backs continued use of emergency
21/12/2010 at 12:00 AM
Emergency rule is essential in parts of the lower South in the face of insurgent activity intended to escalate the violence so it comes to the attention of the world community, says army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Six suspected militants travelling in a pickup truck attacked and killed two soldiers on Saturday in Yala's Muang district as they were escorting the abbot of Wat Hua Saphan on his morning alms round.
"It was an attempt to incite violence to bring the issue into the international spotlight before April or May next year," Gen Prayuth said yesterday.
The army chief said the violence must not get any worse than it is now. He said the decree would only be lifted in certain areas where there was no insurgent activity or where security officers had 100% control.
"The state of emergency will need to remain in effect in violence-plagued areas because it enables the authorities to do their jobs more effectively," Gen Prayuth said.
The army chief called on relatives of insurgents to help the authorities by encouraging them to give themselves up and get involved in dousing the southern fire.
Gen Prayuth said the six suspects in Saturday's ambush were insurgent "operators" who were ready to launch new attacks in the region.
An earlier intelligence report said the six suspects were well trained in combat and were capable of conducting ambushes.
They were believed to be involved with a group led by Muslim religious leader Rohing Raman, who is wanted by the police for many shooting and bomb attacks in Yala.
Police yesterday identified one of the suspects caught on security camera footage as Usman Dorkor.
The police claimed Mr Usman was the leader of the insurgent attack on Saturday.
bangkokpost.
Two soldiers killed in Yala
18/12/2010 at 10:44 AM
Two soldiers escorting Buddhist monks receiving alms in Muang district of Yala province were shot and killed by a number of assailants on Saturday morning.
Pol Lt Anumat Rinpanich, Muang district police duty officer, said the shooting took place on Sri Mung road along the bank of the Pattani river while the two soldiers - Cpl Suriya Chaiyan, 48, and Pvt Sansudi Masae, 28, of the 11th Yala Task Force - were escorting a number of Buddhist monks back to Wat Hua Saphan temple after receiving alms.
Eyewitnesses said six men arrived at the scene in a pick-up truck and opened fire at the two soldiers. One of the attackers also took away an M16 rifle of one of the soldiers.
The two soldiers were rushed to the provincial hospital and later pronounced dead.Police were investigating the incident, which was initially believed to be another terrorist attack aimed at creating unrest.
bangkokpost.
Five killed in restive Thai south: police
AFP/File – Sat Dec 18, 2:47 am ET
YALA, Thailand (AFP) – Five people, including at least two soldiers, were killed in the latest wave of violence in Thailand's insurgency-plagued far south, police said.
Unknown gunmen travelling in a pick-up truck on Saturday shot dead two government troops providing security for Buddhist monks receiving alms in Yala, one of three Muslim-majority southern provinces under a state of emergency.
Soon afterwards in a nearby town, police found the bodies of two unidentified men who had apparently been slashed to death.
One was found with a T-shirt that suggested he might have been a soldier from an army camp in the region. The other had a uniform from a religious school.
Police said they were investigating a possible link between the two incidents.
The deaths came a day after a 29-year-old suspected militant was reported to have been killed in a shoot-out with security forces in neighbouring Pattani province.
One police officer was wounded in the standoff, while a 13-year-old was injured by a stray bullet, the authorities said.
Suspected Islamic insurgents have waged a violent campaign in Thailand's deep south near the border with Malaysia for about seven years, targeting Muslims and Buddhists, civilians and security personnel.
More than 4,400 people have died since January 2004, while over 7,000 have been injured, according to the non-governmental organisation Deep South Watch, which monitors the conflict.
yahoo.
Raids to pre-empt southern attacks
17/12/2010 at 01:25 PM
National police chief Wichean Potephosree has ordered local police to raid suspected places in Hat Yai and the three southernmost border provinces to search for explosives and gear which could be use for insurgent attacks over the New Year.
Pol Gen Wichean issued his order after receiving a briefing about the situation at Yala police headquarters.
The national police chief flew to the southern region on Friday following an intelligence warning that insurgents were planning bombings in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Hat Yai district of Songkhla during the New Year festival.
He said he had instructed them to conduct raids on places believed being used by insurgents to store explosives and firearms.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had also expressed concern about possible violence in the region, said the police chief. The prime minister wanted police to set up checkpoints and strictly check any suspicious vehicles.
bangkokpost.
Two die in drive-by attack
13/12/2010 at 12:00 AM
A man and his mother-in-law have been killed in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat.
Abdullah Mayeng, 47, took his mother-in-law Jehyae Rawning, 62, to a hospital in Cho Airong district on a motorcycle yesterday afternoon and the two were attacked by two gunmen on a motorcycle while returning home.
The pillion rider fired shots at them before speeding away, police said. Abdullah was hit three times and Jehyae was shot twice. Both died at the scene.
Police believe the assailants were separatist insurgents.
A suspected militant was shot dead at his home in Bacho district by two men thought by police to be fellow insurgents. The dead man was identified as Sakaree Samae, 37.
The attackers, armed with M16 assault rifles, raided his house about 10.30pm on Saturday. They called out the victim's name and fired four shots at him when he appeared, Bacho police said. He died on the way to hospital.
Sakaree has been identified by police as a member of an insurgent group. Police believe he was killed by fellow insurgents with whom he had a conflict.
Security officers have identified three suspected insurgents who ambushed a security patrol, killing a paramilitary ranger, in Yala on Saturday.
The suspects are Dawha Samae, Mana Sae-ngae and Daewae Dasaw-taladae. They are thought to be members of the militant group headed by Abdulraumae Mini, a leading member of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) separatist movement.
Authorities believe the group was behind the ambush of a group of security officers in Yala's Krong Pinang district.
The ambush led to a 10-minute gunfight, during which Worakij Ruangnui, 25, a paramilitary ranger was killed.
An insurgent, Hasua-ming Ha, 24, was also killed. He was the subject of an arrest warrant for stockpiling firearms.
bangkokpost.
Extremists kill soldier in Yala
11/12/2010 at 05:08 PM
A soldier was killed and three others were hurt in a shooting ambush by suspected insurgents in the southern border province of Yala on Sunday.
In the neighbouring province of Narathiwat, a roadside bomb damaged a military vehicle transporting eight troops on patrol. No personnel were injured.
About 4,100 people have been killed since the southern insurgency erupted in Jan 2004.
bangkokpost.
Four soldiers wounded in Narathiwat
7/12/2010 at 01:29 PM
Four soldiers in a 12-member patrol providing security for teachers were wounded, two seriously, in an ambush by southern militants near Manang Panyang School in Rueso district of Narathiwat on Tuesday morning, police said.
Pol Capt Daenchai Moonpom, duty officer at Rueso district police station, said a bomb detonated by a mobile phone explodeed as the patrol was clearing an area about 800m from the school.
After the explosion bandits hiding in ambush opened fire at the patrol with M16 and AK47 rifles and withdrew after an short firefight.
The explosion wounded four soldiers - patrol leader Sgt Traipop Suasuwan, 22, Pvt Adisak Onsud, 22, Pvt Wichai Wacharosit, 23, and Pvt Panupong Kuakulburananont, 22. Sgt Traipop was seriously wounded in the right leg and Pvt Adisak in the left leg and body.
Checkpoints were set up to intercept the attackers.
Three men suspected of taking part in the ambush were arrested and taken for questioning to the operational base of Narathiwat Task Force 30, which is located in a temple in Rueso district.
bangkokpost.
One dead, five hurt in restive South
30/11/2010 at 03:33 PM
A bomb injured five policemen in Songkhla and a janitor was shot dead in an ambush in Pattani on Tuesday morning.
Five policemen were injured when a bomb hidden inside the petrol tank of a motorcycle parked in front of a fresh market in Songkhla’s Sabayoi district exploded about 9am today, police said.
One of the bomb victims, identified as Pol Lt Col Wissanuporn Duangsri, was in critical condition. They all were admitted to Sabayoi hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
A janitor at Ban Karubi school in Pattani’s Kapor district was killed in an ambush this morning.
Mohamad Abraha Jehwae, 19, was on a motorcycle heading to the school when gunmen hiding in a roadside forest sprayed bullets at him.
He took several bullets in the body and died at the scene.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Army private injured in Yala bomb blast
Published: 30/11/2010 at 12:00 AM
An army private on patrol has been injured in the first of two bomb blasts on a highway in Yala.
The first bomb went off beside Highway No.410 (Yala-Betong) in Ban Rae, Than To district about 8am yesterday as a group of soldiers was on foot patrol. Pvt Yuthana Feepakproh was slightly injured in the explosion and received treatment at Than To Hospital.
The second bomb went off about 100metres away while police were inspecting the scene of the earlier blast. Among the investigators were Pol Col Phumphet Pipatphetphum, deputy chief of Yala police, and Pol Col Chalermkiat Amarakrasin, chief of Than To police station. No one was injured in the second blast.
The latest bombings follow a grenade attack on Sunday night on a military base in Ban Palor Bata in Yala's Bannang Sata district.
Three grenades believed to be fired from an M79 launcher hit the base and injured five soldiers. One grenade did not explode and officials collected it for disposal yesterday morning.
Police in Yala's Yaha district yesterday sent a 14-year-old boy to a local remand centre. He was arrested with three one-litre soft drink bottles filled with petrol, a lighter and a broom at Ban Tanyong school in Tambon Ba Ro at 1am on Saturday.
The straws from a grass broom can be used as a wick in improvised explosives such as molotov cocktails.
bangkokpost.
Gunmen kill three Muslims in southern Thailand
24 NOV 2010
YALA, Thailand (Reuters) - Gunmen in southern Thailand killed Wednesday three Muslim men, including a religious teacher, shortly after they met military officials at an army base, police said.
More than 4,300 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, have been killed in Thailand's deep south bordering Malaysia in six years of unrest blamed on Muslim separatist insurgents.
The gunmen ambushed a van carrying the religious teacher and two Muslim politicians in Narathiwat province, said Police Major Colonel Chaitat Intanoojit.
All three of the men, who had just left a regular meeting with military officials at a base, were killed, he said.
The police blamed the attack on Islamist insurgents although no group took responsibility.
The rubber-rich provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat were part of a Muslim sultanate annexed a century ago by predominantly Buddhist Thailand. About 80 percent of the people in the poor region are Muslim and speak a Malay dialect.
The violence has ranged from drive-by shootings to bombings and beheadings. The targets are often Buddhists and Muslims associated with the Thai state, such as police, soldiers, government officials and teachers.
The deployment of tens of thousands of police and soldiers empowered by tough security laws has done little to quell the violence, which no credible group has claimed responsibility for.
The attack came a day after the army said it would reduce the number of soldiers deployed in the region by 1,200 because the number of violent incidents had gone down.
(Reporting by Surapan Boonthanom; Writing by Ambika Ahuja; Editing by Robert Birsel)
reuters.
Man shot dead in home while watching TV
15/11/2010 at 12:00 AM
A 20-year-old man has been shot dead by an assailant while sitting in his home in Yala's Than To district.
Police identified the victim as Arhama Salamae. The attacker broke into Arhama's house and shot him several times in the head and body about 8am yesterday. He was watching TV at the time.
In Narathiwat, a man was killed in Rueso district after an argument. He was identified as Abdullah U-seng, 29, a Yala native.
Police said Abdullah went to talk with an unidentified friend near his house in tambon Koke Sator shortly after midnight yesterday.
The men argued and a gunshot was heard. Neighbours came out of their homes to see what had happened and found Abdullah lying dead. The friend ran away.
bangkokpost.
Volunteer killed in Yala
8/11/2010 at 01:29 PM
A village defence volunteer was shot to death on Monday in Yala's Yaha district, police said.
Pol Lt-Col Charoen Nanthong, the tambon Patae police chief, said Ali Awae, 38, a defence volunteer of a village in tambon Patae, was shot by an unknown number of attackers with M16 rifles while he was taking his cows out to the field.
The attackers opened fire at Mr Ali from the back of a pick-up truck, he said.
bangkokpost.
PM: State of Emergency likely to be lifted in more of far South
วันพฤหัสบดี ที่ 04 พ.ย. 2553 Photo
BANGKOK, Nov 4 - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday there is a possibility that the state of emergency will be lifted in some areas of the violence-plagued provinces in the country's deep South.
The premier made the remarks after he had discussed over the insurgency in the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat with national police chief Pol Gen Wichean Potephosree at Government House Thursday morning.
Mr Abhisit reaffirmed that his government wanted to minimise the areas under the Emergency Decree and that concerned agencies have proposed him a detailed plan of action.
"The State of Emergency is likely to be revoked in many areas," the prime minister reemphasised.
On October 19, the Cabinet extended the State of Emergency in Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla for another three months.
The extension was the 21st since the law was introduced in mid-2005 to maintain order in the restive provinces.
More than 4,300 people have died since insurgency-related incidents resumed in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat in 2004, with more complicated and more violent attacks.
The security law facilitates the operation of the security officials and allows them to detain presumed insurgents for an initial period of 30 days.
The premier earlier said there were still complaints on the special law enforcement by concerned officials lodged by local residents and pledged that the enforcement of the emergency decree should be relaxed gradually.
He said the Internal security Act will be put in place in the areas where the emergency decree will be lifted. (MCOT online news)
mcot.
Policeman killed in Pattani ambush
1/11/2010 at 01:36 PM
A police officer was killed and a villager seriously wounded in an ambush by southern militants on a highway in Pattani's Yarang district on Monday.
Pol Col Tuandir Juthanan, deputy chief of Yarang district police, said the attack took place near Darusalam village in tambon Mo Wawi on Highway 410 (Pattani-Yala) about 9.40am.
He said Pol Senior Sgt-Maj Sudchai Salae, 39, of Yarang police station, was driving his pick-up truck from his house in tambon Khao Tum to work in heavy rain when an unknown number of militants waiting on the roadside opened fire at the vehicle.
The officer was hit several times in the head and body as the pick-up truck skidded off the highway. He was killed immediately.
A villager, Rosalee Jeh-uma, 34, who was driving past the scene on a motorcycle, was also hit by many buillets and seriously wounded.
The militants then strewed metal spikes and other objects at many spots on the road to delay any police pursuit.
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Bombs serve as reminder of Tak Bai
One dead, 18 hurt in landmine-style blasts
26/10/2010 at 12:00 AM
One person has been killed and 18 injured in a spate of bomb attacks across the three lower southern provinces Monday, the sixth anniversary of the Tak Bai incident.
Narathiwat was the hardest hit province with bomb and arson attacks blamed on separatist groups at 12 locations in eight districts from 3.30am to 10am. The attacks took place in Rangae, Rueso, Yi-ngo, Sukhirin, Si Sakhon, Muang Narathiwat, Sungai Padi and Cho Airong, in that order.
Col Banpot Poolpian, spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command's 4th Region, said the coordinated attacks were intended to be a reminder of the Tak Bai, Narathiwat, incident of Oct 25, 2004, in which 85 Muslim-Malays died, most of them while in army custody.
Most of the deadly attacks on Monday involved the use of booby trap bombs and took place in rubber plantations owned by Thai Buddhists.
The landmine-style bombs were buried under rubber trees and targetted rubber tappers who start work in the pre-dawn hours.
One person died in Narathiwat and 15 others were injured, three of them security officers.
Editorial: The outrage of Tak Bai
Most of them sustained serious leg injuries, while some lost their legs from the impact of the blasts.
Police identified the person who died as Aree Chaisongkram, a female rubber tapper in Rueso where most of the attacks occurred yesterday.
Rawpee-ah Arwae, 50, one of two rubber tappers hurt by the militants' home-made bombs in Pattani's Kapho district, was reported to have lost both of her legs after stepping on a bomb while working in her rubber plantation.
In Yala's Raman district, a 70-year-old man was badly wounded when he also stepped on a bomb.
Security and medical officers who went to help the injured or inspect various bomb sites were on high alert for ambushes by militants after three officers were injured by bombs while examining the blast scenes in Rueso.
The Justice for Peace Foundation yesterday released a statement to mark the sixth anniversary of the Tak Bai incident. In it, the foundation condemned the Thai justice system for not being sincere about bringing an end to the conflict in the lower South.
It said the problems could not be solved until the authorities offered true justice to southern people, especially the families of those who died in the Tak Bai incident.
No official had been made accountable for the incident, the foundation said.
The Tak Bai affair is one of the most notorious incidents since the southern insurgency began anew in early 2004.
On Oct 25, 2004, six local men were arrested and accused of supplying defence force weapons to insurgents. Villagers organised a protest at Tak Bai police station, demanding that police release the accused. In the afternoon, police, fearing a riot at the station, called in army reinforcements who used tear gas and water cannons on the crowd and seven people were killed.
Hundreds of local citizens, mostly young Muslim men, were arrested. Their hands were bound behind their backs and they were loaded on to trucks to be taken to an army camp. They were stacked on top of each other in the trucks, and after a three-hour trip to the camp, 78 men were found to have suffocated in the heat.
bangkokpost.
Multiple bomb blasts in far South
25/10/2010 at 05:28 PM
Nine roadside bombs went off in seven districts of Narathiwat on Monday morning, resulting in one death and at least 10 others hurt.
Narathiwat police said most of the bombs were improvised explosive devices and they were hidden in rubber plantations where Buddhist people work.
One of the bombs killed Aree Paisongkhram, a rubber farmer in Rueso district.
Similar explosions occurred in the southern provinces of Pattani and Yala this morning.
In Pattani a bomb exploded in a rubber plantation injuring two people.
A 72-year-old man, Samlee Lert-ngam, was maimed when he stepped on a bomb as he was on his way to tap rubber in Yala's Raman district. His left leg was severely injured. He was taken to Raman Hospital.
Police blamed southern separatist militants.
Since 2004, the southern violence has killed more than 4,390 people and injured over 8,000 others.
bangkokpost.
Defence volunteer killed in Yala
23/10/2010 at 01:05 PM
A defence volunteer of Tanoh Puyoh village in tambon Jagua of Yala’s Raman district was shot dead on the local road in his village late Friday night, police said.
Ahamad Kalily Wawmang, 35, was shot in the head and died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Islamic teacher killed in mosque in Thai south
PATTANI, Thailand | Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:22pm IST
PATTANI, Thailand (Reuters) - An Islamic teacher was shot dead on Friday inside a mosque in southern Thailand, the latest violence in the troubled region bordering Malaysia.
The attack took place in Pattani province when two men who had earlier been mixing with other people at prayers took out guns and shot the 32-year-old religious teacher, said Police Colonel Pakdee Changsakul.
Police blamed the attack on Islamic insurgents bent on stirring up communal violence. It was not clear why the teacher was targeted.
Attacks in mosques are rare, although masked men shot dead 10 people inside a mosque in Narathiwat province in June 2009 in one of the most deadly recent incidents in the region. Police never found out who were responsible.
More than 4,390 people have been killed in six years of unrest in Thailand's southernmost provinces, where ethnic Malay Muslims are believed to be fighting for autonomy from the country's Buddhist majority in the rubber-rich region.
No credible group has claimed responsibility for the killings or set out demands.
The rebels often target Buddhists and Muslims associated with the Thai state, such as police, government officials and school teachers.
Muslim villagers also complain of arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings by state-linked security forces.
The three southern provinces -- Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat -- were part of a Malay Muslim sultanate until annexed by Thailand in 1909. About 80 per cent of the population is Muslim.
(Reporting by Surapan Boonthanom; Writing by Ambika Ahuja; Editing by Alan Raybould)
in.reuters.
Emergency in deep South extended
19/10/2010 at 01:39 PM
The cabinet has renewed the executive decree on public administration in emergency situations in the three southernmost provinces for another three months, from Oct 20 to Jan 19, 2011, a source at Government House said on Tuesday.
The cabinet also noted that before the emergency decree in far South would expire, it would consider extending the special law only in areas where unrest continues, the source said.
bangkokpost.
Retired policeman slain in Pattani
18/10/2010 at 01:03 PM
A retired police officer was shot and killed by a lone gunman while shopping with his daughter on Monday morning in Muang district of Pattani.
Pol Col Narucha Suwannalapha, the Pattani police chief, said the attack took place about 10.30am while Pol Snr Sgt-Major Aswin Nakaramontri, 65, formerly of Muang district police station, was shopping with his daughter at a second-hand clothing market.
The gunman, as shown in a closed circuit television footage, followed the retired officer and shot him in the head with a handgun.
The gunman took a pistol from his victim before fleeing the scene.
Police were investigating whether the killing was a personal affair or an insurgent attack.
bangkokpost.
Thailand's southern conflict claims 4,390 lives
2010-10-17 12:50:00
Bangkok, Oct 17 (DPA) Sectarian violence in southern Thailand has claimed 4,390 lives over the past six years and left 7,139 injured, a survey revealed Sunday.
The Deep South Watch of Prince Songkhla University in Pattani, 750 km south of Bangkok, recorded 10,284 acts of violence in the region since January 2004.
It said 60 percent of the 4,390 people killed were Thai-Muslims, The Nation newspaper reported.
The predominantly Muslim southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala have suffered continuous violence perpetrated by government forces and separatists since Jan 3, 2004 when Islamic militants raided an army arms depot and seized 300 war weapons.
Harsh army crackdowns in 2004 on the long-simmering separatist movement further antagonized the local population and gave rise to a reprisal killings, targeting both Buddhists and Muslims.
Besides a struggle for greater autonomy from the predominantly Buddhist Thai state, the border region is also notorious for illicit trade in smuggled goods, arms and drugs.
According to an opinion survey conducted by Deep South Watch, residents listed the drug trade as the most urgent problem.
The region of two million inhabitants was an independent Islamic sultanate until it was conquered by Bangkok about 200 years ago.
Ethnic Malay Muslims have never wholly submitted to rule by the central government.
sify.
Two defence volunteers killed in Yala
14/10/2010 at 09:45 AM
Two defence volunteers of Narathiwat’s Rueso district were shot dead in an ambush on the Raman-Kotabaru road at Pongjue Nuere village in Yala’s Raman district on Thursday morning, police said.
Israndi Jehteh, 31, and Useng Jada, 30, were attacked while on a motorcycle heading to Yala’s Muang district about 8am today.
Police found spent shells from an AK47 assault rifle at the scene. They blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Soldier shot dead in Yala
11/10/2010 at 10:22 AM
A soldier was killed in a drive by shooting in Yala’s Muang district on Monday morning, said Pol Col Suriya Chaiyotha, deputy Yala police chief.
Sgt Maj Banjob Inchan, 53, was attacked in front of Soi Japakiya on Siroros road in Muang district while he was on a motorcycle heading to his office inside Sirindhorn military camp in Pattani. He was shot in his head and died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Six deaths, five attacks in far South
6/10/2010 at 03:47 PM
Six people have been killed in five separate attacks in the three southernmost border provinces since Tuesday night.
Police said on Wednesday four people were killed in two shootings in Pattani.
The first incident took place in Pattani's Sai Buri district on Tuesday night when a pick-up truck carrying three people from Songkhla was ambushed by gunmen. The pick-up was delivering about 400 chickens to villages in Pattani.
Police found 25 spent M-16 cartridges at the scene. All three people were shot dead and more than 100 chickens were killed. The pick-up was riddled with bullet holes.
Police blamed southern separatist militants.
Also in Pattani, former chairman of Tambon Sai Thong Administrative Organisation Ibraheng Jaetae was killed in front of his home, shot three times in the head by two men on motorcycle.
In Narathiwat, a remote-controlled bomb was detonated as soldiers passed by on Wednesday morning. Hidden gunmen then opened fire at the soldiers. A soldier was killed and another soldier seriously hurt.
Later in Narathiwat, about 10 people travelling on two pick-up trucks and two motorcycles passed through a security checkpoint in Rue So district and threw an improvised explosive device at six security volunteers.
They then fired at the volunteers with M-16 rifles.
They fled after a brief gunfight. No volunteers were injured.
Yala police said a Muslim man was killed in a drive by shooting in Yaha district this morning.
Abdul Rohman Korday, 33, was attacked by two men on a motorcycle while he was riding his motorcycle on Yala-Yaha road at Moo 3 in tambon Yaha of Yaha district. He died at the scene.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Govt advised, demilitarise far South
5/10/2010 at 03:23 PM
The government should withdraw all troops from the three southernmost provinces if it wants to end the problem of southern unrest, chairman of the Confederation of 15 Southern Islamic Committees Kariya Kijjjarak said on Tuesday.
His suggestion came as the violence in deep South continued following the appointment of a new commander of Army Region 4 (the South).
Mr Kariya said the southern problem cannot be settled by military force, only by peaceful means.
He made three recommendations;
1) Withdraw all soldiers from far south and allow local people there to govern themselves as a special administrative zone, not an independent state. Self-government would enable them to receive justice under Islamic religious principles.
If the killings continue after troops were pulled out, the government could then declare that people in far South were killing their own brothers and sisters, not the soldiers or police.
2) Rapidly set up a halal food industrial estate in the far South to boost the economy of the southernmost provinces and to create jobs for the local people.
3) Declare Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat as cities for Islamic religious and cultural tourism. Foreign tourists could observe Islamic culture in these three provinces, while those who want to witness western culture could visit Songkhla, Phuket or Samui.
bangkokpost.
3 hurt by railway crossing bomb
5/10/2010 at 02:09 PM
Two policemen and a railway official were injured in an explosion at a railway crossing in Songkhla's Chana district on Tuesday morning.
Thanongsak Pongprasert, chief of the southern office of the State Railway of Thailand, said a home-made bomb placed near a kiosk for control of the crossing barriers went off about 9.30am.
Pol Snr Sgt-Maj Uab Kaewkwanphet and Pol Sgt-Maj Kasem Kanchanarat and a railway official were injured by the explosion. They were admitted to Songklanakarin Hospital in Hat Yai.
The railway was closed to traffic to allow police to make a security check of the rail track. The track was re-opened about 11.30am.
bangkokpost.
Three rangers killed, 3 hurt in Yala ambush
4/10/2010 at 12:00 AM
Three paramilitary rangers have been killed and three of their colleagues seriously injured in an ambush during a patrol in Yala's Bannang Sata district.
The rangers were ambushed about 9.30am yesterday as they were riding three motorcycles from their base at Ban Ubae in tambon Bacho to start a patrol.
They were attacked about 800 metres from their base by at least 10 gunmen who were hiding in thick forest.
Reinforcements rushed to the scene and gunfire was exchanged for about 10 minutes before the gunmen withdrew into the forest.
Six paramilitary rangers were shot. Sgt Maj Preeda Hongsakul, 35, ranger Khomkrit Thanjai, 27, and ranger Kama Sama-ae, 26, died from their injuries. Rangers Montri Ruamphun, 26, Suthipong Boonyarak, 26, and Abdulloh Taesay, 27, were seriously injured.
Security authorities found spent cartridges from M16 and AK assault rifles and bloodstains beside the road. More than 100 security officers were deployed to hunt the gunmen who are believed to be new members of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) separatist group headed by Mukta Alimama.
Mr Mukta reportedly commands from 10 to 15 separatists operating in Bannang Sata district.
The authorities searched Khunung Aman ponoh school in Ban Ubae where they found a pair of black slippers and traces of blood in a rubber plantation behind the school.
They assume at least two gunmen were injured in the firefight.
Authorities expect to identify and arrest some of the suspects soon.
bangkokpost.
Two troops dead in Yala ambush
3/10/2010 at 04:24 PM
Two soldiers were killed and four others were injured in an ambush in Yala's Bannang Sata district on Sunday morning.
Reports said a group of suspected separatist militants in the violence-plagued South opened fire at a team of army rangers were while they were travelling to meet the Bannang Sata villagers.
The gunfight took place for about 10 minutes before the militants retreated.
Two soldiers died while being sent to Bannang Sata hospital.
bangkokpost.
Four wounded by bomb in Yala
2/10/2010 at 03:54 PM
Three policemen and a villager were wounded in a motorcycle bomb explosion in front of Raman railway station in Yala's Raman district on Saturday, police said.
Police said the incident took place at about 1pm while the three policemen were walking past a motorcycle and crossing the rail track a bomb hidden in the motorcycle was remotely detonated.
Wounded in the explosion were Pol L-Cpl Supat Promsuk, 30, Pol L-Cpl Narupol Khunke, 30, and Pol Cpl Bancha Wansu, 29, all of the Raman police station, and Doromae Buramae, 24, a villager of tambon Kayu Boko.
Pol L-Cpl Supat and Pol L-Cpl Narupol, who sustained serious injuries, were admitted to Yala Hospital. The others were admitted to Raman Hospital.
bangkokpost.
Ranger outpost attacked in Yala
1/10/2010 at 09:45 AM
A ranger was seriously injured when his outpost at Bacho village in Yala’s Bannang Sata district was attacked on Thursday night, police said.
Suspected separatist militants opened fire at the ranger outpost about 8.15 pm and then fled the scene, according to police.
The injured ranger, Masakree Tayeh, 38, was admitted to Yala hospital.
bangkokpost.
Suspected insurgents kill 5 in southern Thailand
29 September 2010
PATTANI, Thailand — Suspected Muslim insurgents disguised as policemen killed five people in an attack on a warehouse in southern Thailand, police said Wednesday.
Police Col. Amnart Dee said four men and a woman who were buying and selling fruit at the warehouse were killed in the gun attack Tuesday night in Pattani province's Sai Buri district. A 10-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy were among three people wounded, he said.
Authorities believe the attack was a response to the deaths of two insurgents in a clash with officers on Sept. 10. A joint unit of police and soldiers was sent out to hunt for the attackers, whom police said were implicated in many violent incidents in the area.
More than 4,200 people have been killed in Thailand's three southernmost provinces since an Islamist insurgency erupted in 2004.
Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala provinces are the only Muslim-majority areas in predominantly Buddhist Thailand. Muslims there have long complained of discrimination by the central government.
The insurgents have made no public pronouncements, but are thought to be fighting for an independent Muslim state. Their attacks target civilians and businesses, as well as symbols of the state, including soldiers and government officials.
google.
Rangers wounded in Pattani gunfight
23/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
Two paramilitary rangers have been wounded in a gunfight with a group of suspected militants in Pattani's Thung Yang Daeng district.
Chamnan Thongrod and Somsong Kamsaen, members of the 4,404th Ranger Regiment, were manning a security checkpoint in front of Thung Yang Daeng Pittyakom School just before noon yesterday when they were fired on by at least seven gunmen in a pickup truck.
The gunmen sprayed the checkpoint with about 70 rounds from AK-47 and M16 assault rifles and shotguns.
The two rangers managed to return fire for about three minutes before they were shot and wounded by the gunmen, who then retreated.
The school will be closed at least today and tomorrow.
In Yala's Muang district, a married couple were shot and wounded by an unknown number of assailants yesterday.
Chodawlah Seh-bing, 48, was taking his wife, Korleeyah Cho-arlee, 44, on a motorcycle to a rubber plantation at 3.30am when they were attacked by gunmen hiding near the entrance.
Mr Chodawlah was shot in the hand while his wife was hit in the back.
Wirat Shinvinijakul, secretary-general of the Office of the Judiciary, travelled to Narathiwat yesterday to visit relatives of four villagers killed by suspected insurgents on Saturday.
Mr Wirat gave initial financial assistance to Sirilak Boonthong, who lost her parents, sister and brother-in-law.
bangkokpost.
Army urges security rejig to combat rebel woes
NEW PLAN TO FIGHT MILITANT UNREST
19/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
The 4th Army is proposing a shake-up of security agencies to simplify the line of command in the violence-torn South.
It will propose merging the joint Civilian-Police-Military Command 43 with the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4's forward command.
Isoc Region 4's forward command is based at the Sirindhorn camp in Pattani's Yarang district.
Chamlong Khunsong, deputy commander of the 4th Army, said the plan was aimed at simplifying the line of command to better cope with unrest in the three southern border provinces.
He said the disbandment of the joint command would not hurt security operations in the South as Isoc carries out similar work and the two could merge their efforts.
All joint command personnel would work at the Isoc, Maj Gen Chamlong said.
He said if the 4th Army's proposal is accepted, Kasikorn Khirisri would be the last commander of the joint command. Lt Gen Kasikorn is due to retire at month's end.
Maj Gen Chamlong said that while violence continues in the South, the overall situation is improving as locals are beginning to trust soldiers more and want them to provide security in their villages.
Meanwhile, security agencies and justice workers in the South have come up with proposals to improve efforts to combat the insurgency and protect the rights of locals.
Speaking at a two-day seminar in Trang which ended yesterday, they recommended an agency be set up to handle security cases in the South, which would address a shortage of security manpower.
They also called for a database centre in the region to provide information on security issues; and a training centre to improve security forces' knowledge of local culture and customs.
Meanwhile, in Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district, Sayan Khamruang, 26, was shot dead at a rubber plantation at Ban Kawa yesterday.
In Yala's Muang district, Madari Ba-ngo, 40, was gunned down in front of his house. Police suspect militants were involved in both killings.
bangkokpost.
Blast leaves 2 soldiers hurt
18/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
An explosion has wounded two soldiers near their army base in Narathiwat's Bacho district.
The blast took place about 6.30am yesterday when Pornchai Nuangjamnong, 22, and Petch Loonsamrong, 23, from Narathiwat Task Force 32 were emptying a bin at the municipal dump site near the entrance to their base.
District police said suspected insurgents, who were not in sight at the time of the attack, must have activated the blast using a mobile phone.
The bomb was placed in a five-kilogramme metal box and buried in a sand mould near the dump. Pvt Pornchai and Pvt Petch sustained shrapnel wounds.
Meanwhile, police in central Phatthalung yesterday arrested three men for possession of amphetamine pills in two separate incidents.
The first suspect, identified as Somporn Sangchan, 31, was caught while allegedly delivering 250 pills to a police officer who posed as a buyer on a village road in tambon Khuan Maphrao, said Pol Col Singha Promwas, chief of the drug suppression unit at Muang Phatthalung station.
Further inquiries led to the arrest of two more suspects, Suchart Hoibang, 32, and Samakpong Nucham, 28, at their homes.
bangkokpost.
Soldiers wounded by Narathiwat bomb
17/09/2010 at 11:30 AM
Three soldiers were slightly injured when a five kilogramme improvised bomb exploded as a motorcyle patrol was leaving their outpost in Narathiwat’s Bacho district on Friday morning, police said.
The home-made bomb was planted under a small pile of sand in front of a house being built house on the entrance road to the soldiers’ outpost at Sompoy village of Bacho district.
It was detonated by mobile phone when the eight-man patrol riding four motorcycles passed by, according to police.
Pvt Pornchai Nuangchamnong, 21, Pvt Anond Thaitheves, 22, and Pvt Petch Luansamrong, 22, were slightly wounded and taken to Bacho hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants
bangkokpost.
Security guard shot dead in Yala
15/09/2010 at 04:20 PM
A security guard at Chairat Parawood Company was shot dead in front of the firm’s office in tambon Kayu Borkaw of Yala’s Raman district on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
Wichian Utarmart, 43, took three bullets in the chest and body. He was taken to Raman hospital where he was pronounced dead soon after. Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Defence volunteer killed in Yala
9/09/2010 at 10:22 AM
A village defence volunteer at Moo 3 tambon Yupo in Yala’s Muang district was shot dead in his village early Thursday, Pol Lt Anumat Chuenpanich, duty officer at Muang Yala police station said.
Dorormae Tohma, 52, was shot in the head and face and died under a train bridge in the village.
Villagers told police that they heard gun fire about 1am, but no one dared to go outside. They reported the incident to police about 6.30 am.
When seven police on a pickup truck were on a village road heading to the scene a roadside bomb was detonated. Luckily, the police vehicle had already passed by. No one was hurt.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Suspected insurgent captured
9/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
A suspected insurgent wanted in connection with violence in Yala has been captured.
Marormae Manormaneng was arrested yesterday when a combined team of border police, soldiers and ranger volunteers stormed a house in Muang district.
Mr Marormae, 32, a native of Yala's Yaha district, is wanted on two arrest warrants in connection with a bomb attack last year in Kabang district and the killing of security officers in the same district three years ago.
Police said he was also responsible for a string of gun and bomb attacks in Yaha and Bannang Sata districts.
A member of a police escort was shot and wounded in a drive-by shooting yesterday afternoon in Pattani.
Pol Capt Supichet Tamprahat, 28, part of a six-member team providing security for teachers, was shot by three men riding two motorcycles in Yarang district about 3pm while his team was on patrol. He was taken to a nearby hospital.
In Narathiwat, some 300 schools in 13 districts were closed yesterday after Tuesday's killings of two teachers, a married couple.
The three-day suspension of classes is in protest against the government's inability to curb separatist violence against teachers in the far South.
Narathiwat has about 365 schools.
Wilas Petchprom, 54, a teacher at Manang Kayee school in Rangae district and his wife Khomkham, 53, a teacher at Thungtortang school in the same district, were shot dead on Tuesday morning in a drive-by shooting while travelling on a motorcycle to bring corn to sell at a local market.
Their deaths prompted the Three Border Provinces Teachers Federation to order the closure of schools in red zones and high-risk areas in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat for three days.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said yesterday security would be tightened for teachers working in the South. Mr Suthep, who oversees national security, expressed his sorrow at the teachers' deaths.
bangkokpost.
Two ministers heading South
8/09/2010 at 02:59 PM
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has assigned Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat and Deputy Interior Minister Thavorn Senniam to visit the far South immediately to look into the slayings of teachers in the violence-plagued region.
"Mr Chinnaworn and Mr Thavorn will gather information in the three southern border provinces as the insurgents are now targeting teachers in the area. They will report to me before Sept 12," Mr Abhisit said on Wednesday.
The premier said his schedule to visit the deep South had not been set yet since he had to attend parliamentary meetings, but he gave importance to ending the continuing southern violence.
The government had already made an assessment that state officials were also the insurgents' main target, he said.
Mr Abhisit said he will call a meeting of the council of ministers for developing the five southern border provinces on Thursday.
The meeting will look into new measures to protect state officials in the region and consider ways to improve the existing security measures, he said.
Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said five southern teachers had asked to meet the prime minister next Monday. Arrangements for the meeting were being made.
All 465 state schools in red zones and risk areas of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat were closed for three days after two teachers and a school janitor were shot dead in the troubled region on Tuesday - bring to 135 the number of teachers killed since the insurgency resurfaced in January 2004.
There have been about 10,000 violent incidents resulting in about 4,100 deaths and 6,500 injuries, according to official figures.
bangkokpost.
PM to visit restive South soon
7/09/2010 at 06:27 PM
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Tuesday he is preparing to visit the three trouble-plagued southern border provinces where terrorist activities have intensified.
Mr Abhisit said the increase in activities of insurgents is not unexpected. The insurgents are now targeting state officials in their attacks. The situation has been closely monitored by security agencies.
Although the situation is generally under control, authorities handling the task of containing insurgency have encountered more difficulties in their operations, he said.
bangkokpost.
School janitor, villager killed in Pattani
7/09/2010 at 03:54 PM
A janitor and a villager were shot dead in separate shootings in Pattani's Sai Buri district on Tuesday morning, police reported.
Mahama Salae, 55, the janitor of Ban Chamao Samton School in tambon Proh Bon, was shot three times in the back at the school's gate about 7am by killers hiiding in bushes nearby. He died instantly.
Spent 9mm shells were found at the scene.
The janitor's death greatly demoralised the teachers and students. The school was later ordered closed.
Saree Cheha, 52, was also shot dead in front of his house in Chong Maew village in tambon Lahan in Sai Buri district of Pattani. Twelve spent AK47 shells were found at the scene. He was hit in the body and face.
Witnesses told police Saree was about to leave his house for morning prayers when he was murdered.
bangkokpost.
10kg bomb defused in Yala
7/09/2010 at 12:16 PM
A bomb disposal team early Tuesday morning defused a bomb which had been placed at a traffic police point on the side of Highway 410 (Yala-Krong Pinang) near Kiyo village in Krong Pinang district of Yala province.
The unit rushed to the scene on receiving a police report that an object suspected to be a bomb has been found in front of the house of Lee Kareng, 55.
The bomb, weighing about 10kg, was in an iron box which was placed in a tree pot in front of Mr Lee's house, where police regularly stand to direct traffic. It was connected to a radio and six flashlight batteries.
Traffic police were believed to be the bomb's target.
Also in Yala, a bomb exploded on a road leading to a village in tambon Talingchan of Bannang Sata district about 9.30pm on Monday.
The target was a pick-up truck loaded with soldiers of the Yala Task Force 15 on night patrol. The explosion caused minor injury to three soldiers.
bangkokpost.
Four wounded by bomb in Yala
6/09/2010 at 11:41 AM
Three policemen and one soldier were wounded, one of them seriously, by a bomb explosion in Yala's Raman district on Monday morning.
The four were part of a team despatched to Ban Tai village in tambon Talo Halo of Raman district to examine a bomb which went off in a rubber plantation about 7.30am.
When they parked their vehicle about 100m from where the scene of the first explosion, another bomb buried on the roadside went off. It was remotely activated by insurgents hiding in the area.
The explosion wounded Pvt Sorarak Laksanawong, of Yala Task Force 12, and Pol Cpl Pongwiwat Weruwan, Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Chavakan Sansuwan and Pol Cpl Sarayuth Suphaka. Pol Cpl Pongwiwat was reported to be in a serious condition.
The policemen were from the bomb disposal unit of the southern border provinces police operation centre.
The wounded were evacuated by a helicopter to Songkhla Nakharin Hospital in Hat Yai district of Songkhla for treatment.
bangkokpost.
'Insurgents' rampage across Narathiwat
6/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
Suspected insurgents have staged attacks on several public places in six districts of Narathiwat and set off a bomb near a weekend market in Pattani.
Police said an insurgent network carried out the series of attacks in Narathiwat from 7-8pm yesterday.
They set fire to a food shop in Bacho district, and burned a cell phone tower.
In Yi-ngo district, a bus stop shelter was burned and vehicle tyres were set alight on Phetkasem Road.
Assailants opened fire on a Chang Pueak tambon administration office in Chanae district with an M16 rifle before setting it on fire.
In Rangae district, a telephone booth was burned in tambon Tanyongmas.
In Sungai Padi district, spikes on a main road damaged 10 vehicles.
A bus shelter, an anti-drug billboard and a telephone booth in tambon Manang Tayor of the province's Muang district were also torched.
Two suspects have been arrested in Sungai Padi district.
Meanwhile, a bomb packed into a motorcycle parked opposite a weekend market in tambon Sai Khao, in Pattani's Khok Pho district, went off about 10.45am yesterday, injuring two men, a woman and a 13-year-old boy.
bangkokpost.
Four wounded in Yala bomb attack
5/09/2010 at 02:28 PM
A bomb hidden in a motorcycle went off in the southern province of Pattani on Sunday, injuring four people.
Police said two men, one woman and a children were slightly wounded from the explosion near a marketplace in Pattani's Khok Pho district.
The three-kilogramme explosive was hidden in a motorcycle parked outside the marketplace. The bomb was detonated by a cell phone, police said.
Police blamed the attack on southern insurgents.
bangkokpost.
Malaysian man, village head killed, three injured in South
5/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
A Malaysian man and a village chief have been killed and three others injured in separate attacks by suspected insurgents in the restive South.
The first incident occured before dawn yesterday in Pattani's Kapho district.
Yaoharee Hamah, 21, was travelling in Ban Magor village on a motorcycle with his Malaysian friend, identified only as Mayee, 22.
Two men on another motorcycle followed them and the person riding pillion opened fire.
Mayee died at the scene, while Mr Yaoharee was in critical condition in hospital yesterday.
In Pattani's Yarang district, a 35-year-old village chief was shot dead by at least 10 men carrying rifles, police said.
Maraw-wee Tareeha, head of Moo 5 village, was riding on a motorcycle on a road in the village on Thursday when he was ambushed.
He was shot repeatedly and died on the scene. Defence volunteer, Surin Karsaw, 48, who was riding pillion at the time, was in serious condition after being shot in the head.
In Narathiwat, 19-year-old Mahamah-rusmon Bado was seriously injured after being shot twice by assailants while riding on a motorcycle to a grocery shop near his home in Rangae district.
bangkokpost.
Soldiers twice escape injury in 2 attacks
4/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
Soldiers with the Narathiwat Special Task Force have escaped injury despite being caught in two separate bomb attacks in Tak Bai.
The first attack happened late yesterday morning as 10 officers from company 1924 were helping an elderly villager repair his home in tambon Koh Saton.
A five-kilogramme explosive-packed iron container had been placed unnoticed near the house. Suspected insurgents who were not in sight at the time of the attack detonated it by mobile phone signal, investigators said.
The blast caused minor damage to the building but nobody was hurt in the incident.
The same group was later patrolling a road in Ban Kaepe in tambon Na Nak when they drove over a bomb buried in the road. Their vehicle was damaged, but the team was uninjured.
Investigators on the scene found explosives hidden in a fire extinguisher.
Meanwhile, in Yala's Muang district, one military officer was killed and two others were injured yesterday in an 11th Yala Special Task Force raid on a house in Ban Bado where a suspected insurgent was said to be staying.
Sgt Sayan Thitiprasan, 28, head of a bomb disposal unit, was gunned down in an exchange of gunfire with Muhamad-amin Sarai, who was also killed.
Two privates injured in the incident were receiving medical treatment.
Muhamad-amin, 27, had an outstanding arrest warrant and was accused of being involved in plotting bomb attacks and shooting a border patrol policeman.
Meanwhile, officers have been ordered to tighten security before Hari Raya day next week, which marks the end of Ramadan. Many Muslims in Nakhon Yala Municipality have started buying new clothes to prepare for the celebration.
bangkokpost.
Soldier, militant killed in Yala gunfight
3/09/2010 at 10:31 AM
A soldier and a militant died in a shoot out when security forces raided Bado village in Yala’s Muang district on Friday morning, and two other soldiers were wounded, police said.
Police said 30 soldiers attached to No 5034 special force in Yala raided the village about 6am, after receiving a tip that Muhamad Amin, who was wanted under an arrest warrant, was hiding there.
Muhamad opened fire on the soldiers, who fired back. The suspect was later found dead on the second floor of the house where he was hiding.
Three soldiers were hit and taken to Yala Hospital, where Sgt Sayan Thitiprasart was later pronounced dead from a bullet wound to the body.
Pol Col Phumpetch Pipatopetchphum, deputy Yala police chief, has ordered more stringent inspections of cars and motorcycles at checkpoints in case separatist militants launch a revenge attack.
bangkokpost.
Three killed, 3 injured in attacks in Thai deep South
2010-09-01 19:47:27
BANGKOK, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Two civilians and a soldier were killed and three soldiers were wounded Wednesday in separate attacks in Thailand's deep South, an area that witnessed 8,000 attacks by suspected insurgents in the past six years.
According to Bangkok Post online, a married couple was shot dead in an ambush on a local road at a village in the southern province of Pattani. That was followed by another attack in Yala province,
where a soldier was shot dead in Muang district while he was returning to the camp on a motorcycle from an emergency drill.
Master-Sergeant Metha Peng-o, 49, an intelligence officer, was followed by two men on a motorcycle and the pillion rider opened fire at him with a handgun about 12:40 p.m., local police said.
Less than one hour later in Pattani, a home-made bomb went off in an open area near the provincial agriculture office about 1:30 p.m. No body was hurt in the blast.
Bomb disposal police said the explosive was contained in a 5 kg iron box placed under a concrete seat and detonated remotely by a mobile phone.
In Narathiwat province, three soldiers assigned to teacher escort were injured by a bomb explosion in the morning.
The mine was buried in the road and was detonated by a mobile phone as their motorcycles passed over the spot.
Almost 8,000 attacks by suspected insurgents took place in the deep South area, which includes Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces,
during the past six years of separatist turmoil, leaving more than 4,100 died and 7,000 injured, according to an official report by the Southern Border Province Police Bureau (SPB) on Aug. 26.
Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces were part of an independent sultanate known as Patani until annexed in 1909 by Thailand.
xinhuanet.
3 volunteers wounded in Narathiwat
30/08/2010 at 11:55 AM
Three defence volunteers were seriously wounded when a bomb tied underneath a pick-up truck they were traveling in exploded in Narathiwat's Chanae district on Monday morning.
Pol Lt Therdsak Meechit, the duty officer of Chanae district police station, said the incident happened about 8.35am while the pick-up truck was passing a checkpoint into the district office where the three volunteers work.
Seriously wounded in the explosion were Abdulloh Abdullateh, Ahama Chewae and Adisorn Bato. Another volunter, the driver identified only as Pongsakorn, was unhurt.
Police believed the bomb had been fixed underneath the pick-up and activated by mobile phone as the vehicle entered the checkpoint.
bangkokpost.
Five killed in bloody weekend of violence
2-year-old is among southern strife victims
30/08/2010 at 12:00 AM
PATTANI : A husband and wife, a 2-year-old boy, a village defence volunteer and a university student have been killed in a bloody weekend of insurgent violence in the lower South.
Khum Saman, 50, and his wife Lim, 50, were shot dead yesterday while travelling in a pickup truck in Panare district of Pattani, said Pol Col Wallop Chamnongarsa, chief of the district police station.
It was the third attack on a married couple in less than a week in the province.
Police do not yet know if couples are being targeted.
The Samans were on their way home from a shopping trip in nearby Sai Buri district when they were shot by suspected insurgents following on a motorcycle, the officer said.
On Friday, a farmer and his wife were killed in a similar attack in Khok Pho district and, last Monday, another man and his wife were seriously injured in a gun attack in the same district.
Khum and Lim were among five people killed in separate attacks at the weekend.
A 2-year-old boy, Mahama-afizi Sama-ae, died of head wounds yesterday after suspected insurgents fired on a vehicle carrying the boy and his parents in Rangae district of Narathiwat.
The boy died after being transferred from Chanae Hospital in Chanae district to Naradhiwasrajanagarindra Hospital in Muang district for treatment of a severe gun wound to the head, Hareman Chedee of the Chanae police station said.
The boy's father, Mahadee Sama-ae, 30, is a ranger at Budo-Sungai Padi Range National Park.
He was travelling with the boy and his wife, Ms Zaina, in Rangae district when attackers riding in a pickup truck sprayed bullets at them, Pol Lt Col Hareman said.
Mr Mahadee sustained severe injuries but Ms Zaina, 25, survived unscathed.
Mr Mahadee was shot four times in the chest and once to the shoulder.
Ms Zaina said she sought help from friends when the gunmen fled.
The incident was reported about 12.20am yesterday.
Police believe the motive was to stir unrest.
Rommuelee Abu, 41, a village defence volunteer, was killed yesterday in a sniper attack in Rueso district, said Pol Lt Col Chantee Chamchan, chief of the police forensic unit in Narathiwat.
He was shot by gunmen while taking a motorcycle home from work about 8am.
His daughter and son-in-law were attacked on June 16 on the same road. His son-in-law was killed and his daughter left disabled by the attack.
Rueso police said they believe the attacks were carried out by insurgent groups.
In Yala, Abdulloh Salae, 26, a student at Islamic University in Yala's Muang district was found dead on a road in Muang district.
Police said he was shot while travelling home from school on his motorcycle.
bangkokpost.
Another couple shot dead in Pattani
29/08/2010 at 03:46 PM
Another married couple was killed in a drive-by shooting on a local road at Phorming village of Pattani’s Panare district on Sunday morning, Panare police chief POl Col Wallop Chamnong-asa.
Police inspected the incident scene and found dead bodies of Khum Sahaman, 50, and his wife, Lim, 50, inside their pickup truck which crashed on a tree on the roadside.
The two victims were shot in the heads and bodies by 9mm caliber handguns. THey died at the scene, according to police.
Police blamed separatist militants.
A married couple was also murdered in a drive-by shooting in front of Tupa village school in Pattani’s Khoke Pho district late Friday afternoon.
The victims, identified as Wong Kaewthiabthong, 62, and his wife Jang, 51, were attacked while they were on their way back home by two men on a motorcycle.
They were shot at their heads and bodies and died at the scene.
Police also blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Defence volunteer killed in Narathiwat
29/08/2010 at 02:55 PM
A defence volunteer at Rueso village was shot dead in an ambush at the Rueso-Nada village road of Narathiwat’s Rueso district early Sunday morning, said Pol Lt Aukris Sangkamanee, an investigators at Rueso police station.
Rormuelee Abu, 41, was attacked at about 2am this morning by a number of unknown gunmen while he was on his way back home.
He was shot several times in the body and died at the scene.
Police found 41 used shells of M16 assault rifle, 15 of AK47 rifle and 4 of shotgun at the roadside forest near the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants
bangkokpost.
Villagers shot dead in Pattani
28/08/2010 at 11:04 AM
A married couple was killed in a drive-by shooting in front of Tupa village school in Pattani’s Khoke Pho district late Friday afternoon, Pol Col Krissada Kaewchandee, Khoke Pho police chief, said on Saturday morning.
The victims, identified as Wong Kaewthiabthong, 62, and his wife, Jang, 51, were attacked while they were on their way back home by two men on a motorcycle.
They were shot at their heads and bodies and died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Soldier wounded in Narathiwat
27/08/2010 at 06:02 PM
The leader of a psychological operation unit was shot and seriously wounded while visiting a village in Rueso district of Narathiwat province on Friday.
Pol Capt Pairat Chedcharoensiri of Rueso police station said Sub-Lt Vasutha Pongpatima, 40, was shot while he and three other soldiers walked into a house for a visit. A militant hiding in the house opened fire at him with an HK33 rifle before jumping through a window and fleeing into the forest.
Sub-Lt Vasutha was shot in the head.
He was immediately flown in a helicopter to the provincial hospital.
bangkokpost.
Two killed, 4 wounded in Pattani
23/08/2010 at 12:07 PM
Two people were killed and four wounded in three separate gun attacks, believed to be by insurgents, in Pattani province from late Sunday night to Monday morning, police reported.
About 10pm on Sunday an assistant village chief was attacked by an unknown number of gunmen hiding on the roadside near Ban Khao Tum in Yarang district while he was leaving his house on a motorcycle to take guard duty at Ban Khok Khilek School.
Matohe Tayongmat, 50, the assistant village chief of Village Group 6 in tambon Khao Tum, was killed on spot. Two villagers were wounded in the cross-fire - Abdulloh Luebaesa and Hasen Jehma, both of nearby tambon Moh Lawi.
Spent AK47 and 11mm shell casings were recovered from the scene.
The wounded were admitted to Yarang hospital.
The second attack was in tambon Moh Lawi in Yarang district about 3am on Monday when a pick-up truck driven by Suding Abu, 46, a former president of Tambon Muang Tia Administration Organisation, was attacked by gunmen armed with AK47 and HK33 rifles on the Yala-Pattani road.
Mr Suding, the former TAO president, was killed. Abdulwasi Wamae, 47, a village headman, who was also in the pick-up truck, was wounded.
The other shooting took place about 6.35am in Khok Pho district.
Pian Wannapruet, 55, a construction worker, was leaving his home on a motorcycle with his wife riding on the back for a construction site when two men who followed them on another motorcycle opened fire at them with handguns.
Mr Pian was wounded, but his wife was unhurt.
bangkokpost.
Pair flee raid on forest hideout
22/08/2010 at 12:00 AM
Two suspected insurgents evaded capture when security forces raided their hideout in Sai Buri district of Pattani.
The two suspected bomb makers _ Maha Masoree Samae, 27, and Afandi Kapa _ were busy at work when security forces raided their hideout in a forest in Ban Sae Mo of tambon Tabing.
Pol Maj Gen Pichet Pitisetthapan, Pattani police chief, said a joint police-military team raided the hideout, triggering a gunfight with the suspects.
Reinforcements were called in and surrounded the area, but the suspects fled.
The authorities found the area was also used for arms training. Many bomb-making materials were seized, including mobile phones, circuit panels, urea fertiliser and wires.
Some of the materials were buried underground. The materials were enough to make at least 11 improvised bombs, police said.
In Yala, the owner of a fruit shop was shot and killed in the downtown area on Friday night.
Surachai Denpreechawong, 63, was shot dead by two motorcycle gunmen as he was parking his motorcycle at the shop in Yala municipality.
Pol Col Piyawat Chalermsri, chief of Muang district police, said police had obtained a tape from a surveillance camera near the shop. The camera might hold clues to the identity of the attackers.
bangkokpost.
Govt forgets unrest problems in South
21/08/2010 at 06:28 PM
The government is now paying more attention to the Preah Vihear temple dispute than the ongoing violence in the three southernmost provinces, Pithak Korkiatpithak, Pattani mayor, said on Saturday.
“People in the deep South are now feeling that their unrest problem had been forgotten by the government. They though the southern unrest situation is more critical” said Mr Pithak
He pointed out that the violence in far south has been escalated since 2004 and they now do not know how the problem would be put to an end.
There was no sign that the unrest would be settled soon, even if the government had allocated a huge amount of budget for the deep South, he said.
Mr Pithak said local people in the far South now want the government to review and change the policy for settling the southern violent problem.
The security policy introduced in the past five years has filed to bring about peace and order to the deep South, he said.
bangkokpost.
Security beefed up in Narathiwat for duration of Ramadan
15/08/2010 at 12:00 AM
Security measures have been stepped up in three Narathiwat districts for the month of Ramadan, which began on Wednesday.
Fourth Army commander Pichet Wisaichorn ordered security officials in Rueso, Rangae and Sungai Kolok to intensify measures during the Islamic month of fasting, said Banphot Phoonphian, spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command's Fourth Region, which is responsible for the southernmost provinces.
The three districts were identified in intelligence reports as possible targets of insurgent violence during the Ramadan period.
Some violent attacks had already been reported in Rueso and Rangae, said Col Banphot.
Security has also been stepped up in Muang districts of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, Col Banphot said.
The Ramadan observance will finish around Sept 10.
Meanwhile, a couple were shot dead early yesterday morning in Yala's Muang district.
The two, Sakhon Meethong, 42, and Somphit Meethong, 41, were rubber tappers from Pattani's Khok Pho district.
Reports said they were gunned down by a group of assailants while riding on a motorcycle to a rubber plantation in Yala.
A 25-year-old soldier was also shot dead yesterday on Raman-Balo road in Yala's Raman district while travelling by motorcycle with his wife to her home in Narathiwat.
An unidentified gunman shot Corporal Suriyan Jaemsuwan, a Sakon Nakhon native, three times in the head and the torso.
Cpl Suriyan's wife, Fatimoh Ardae, was not injured.
In Pattani's Yaring district, Police Lance Corporal Taleh Dorloh, 38, was found shot dead next to his motorcycle, which had crashed into a utility pole on a road.
Police found four cases of 11mm bullets near the scene.
They assumed Pol L/C Taleh was attacked by a group of insurgents while he was gathering information in the area as part of his official duties.
bangkokpost.
Pattani policeman shot dead
14/08/2010 at 12:20 PM
A policeman was killed in a drive-by shooting on Saturday late morning while he was on his way to Pattani’s Yaring police station, said Yaring police chief Pol Col Jakrapop Thaorith.
Lance Corp Taleh Dorloh, 37, was attacked by two men on a motorcycle on the Narathiwat-Pattani highway at Moo 3 tambon Tanyong Limor of Yaring district. He was shot twice in the body and died at the scene, according to Pol Col Jakrapop.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Married couple murdered in Yala
14/08/2010 at 11:09 AM
A married couple was killed in a shooting on a local road at Thung Kha village of Yala’s Muang district while they were o the way to their rubber plantation early morning on Saturday, Yala police said.
Sakorn Meethong, 42, and his wife, Sompit, 41, was shot in the head and body. They died at the scene, according to police.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Bomb blast injures 3 policemen
13/08/2010 at 12:00 AM
Three policemen have been seriously injured after a homemade bomb exploded outside a petrol station in Narathiwat's Rangae district.
The bomb, hidden below the entrance sign of a PTT petrol station, blew up about 10am yesterday.
Police believe the target of the attack was a police cruiser carrying three officers from Rangae police station: Pol Lt Col Somjai Muangmint, Pol Sub Lt Manas Anukul and Pol Cpl Pichet Mipwaree.
District police said the three had filled up the pickup truck and were leaving the station when the bomb exploded.
All three sustained multiple shrapnel wounds.
The explosives were stuffed in a metal box weighing about 5kg and detonated by a mobile phone signal.
Meanwhile, security officials say they are making progress in investigating a car bomb which exploded outside a Kasikornbank branch in Narathiwat's Rueso district on Wednesday.
Rueso district police said yesterday a surveillance camera at the bank was able to capture footage of the two suspects.
The car driver, is believed to be a resident of Narathiwat's Yi-ngo district while the other suspect is believed to come from Rueso district.
The car which contained the bomb was bought from a used car shop in Pattani.
Police said the suspects were allegedly members of an insurgent group led by a man identified as Lukman Jehpor.
Police said the group planned to conduct attacks in parts of Narathiwat during Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month which began on Wednesday.
bangkokpost.
Car bomb attack in Pattani, no injury
11/08/2010 at 12:19 PM
A bomb hidden inside a sedan parked in from of the Ruesoh branch of Kasikorn Bank in Pattani’s Ruesoh district exploded about 8.05am on Wednesday, no one was hurt, deputy police chief of Ruesoh Pol Col Somchai Nopsri said.
The car was totally wrecked by the explosion and subsequent fire. The Bank’s entrance door and a nearby commercial building were also damaged, he said.
No one was injured by the car bomb because Pol Sgt Maj Surin Siang-on of Ruesoh police station received a tip from villagers that a man had parked the vehicle in front of the bank and then rapidly fled the scene on a waiting motorcycle.
Pol Sgt Maj Surin set a security cordon around the sedan and then carefully inspected it. He saw a mobile phone, linked to an electrical circuit on driver’s seat. He believed it to be a homemade bomb and immediately called for a bomb clearance team.
The team arrived too late as the time bomb was set to explode at 8.05am.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Three killed in Thailand's insurgency-plagued south
7 Aug 2010
YALA, Thailand (Reuters) – Suspected Muslim insurgents shot dead three people in Thailand's restive south on Saturday in two separate incidents, police said, the latest violence in the troubled region bordering Malaysia.
A soldier was gunned down in an ambush while riding a motorbike to a military base in Yala province. In neighboring Pattani, a Buddhist couple was killed and their four-year-old nephew wounded inside a motorbike repair shop, police said.
More than 4,100 people have been killed in six years of unrest as ethnic Malay Muslims fight for autonomy from Thailand's Buddhist majority in the region, just a few hours by car from some of Thailand's best-known tourist beaches.
Local Muslims largely oppose the presence of tens of thousands of police, soldiers and state-armed Buddhist guards in rubber-rich region, which was part of a Malay Muslim sultanate until annexed by Thailand a century ago.
About 80 percent of Thailand's three southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are Muslim.
news.
Army ranger gunned down in Yala while on intelligence gathering trip
8/08/2010 at 04:36 AM
A ranger was shot dead by at least four gunmen while he was gathering intelligence in Yala's Krong Pinang district yesterday.
Chuchart Suadam, who was a member of the 4703rd Ranger Regiment, was shot several times in the head and body while riding on his motorcycle on Ban Pae Jang village road in tambon Saeh, Krong Pinang district police said.
He was travelling alone to an unidentified location to "seek and gather intelligence", police said.
Spent shells recovered at the scene showed that M16, AK47 and HK33 assault rifles and at least one shotgun were used in the attack.
The assailants also took an HK33 assault rifle from the ranger.
Police said they believed Cpl Chuchart was killed by insurgents targeting security officers.
In the wake of the shooting, Yala police chief Sayan Krasaesaen ordered all eight police stations under his authority to stay on high alert when conducting missions.
Pol Maj Gen Sayan urged all officers to check all routes and areas where there is risk of an insurgent ambush.
bangkokpost.
Ranger shot dead in Yala ambush
7/08/2010 at 03:20 PM
A ranger attached to the Special Ranger Unit No 4703 was killed in an ambush at Paejang village in Yala’s Krong Penang district while he was on his way to work on Saturday morning, police said.
Corp Suchart Sueadam, 32, was shot in the head and body and died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Gunmen attack Pattani house
6/08/2010 at 10:53 AM
One person was killed and seven others injured in an ambush at a house in Bango village of Pattani’s Kapor district late Thursday night, Kapor police chief Pol Col Klanarong Puaugkumklis said on Friday morning.
Gunmen on a pickup truck sprayed bullets from M16 assault rifles at the house while the victims were sleeping about 10.30pm and rapidly fled the scene, he said.
The victims were taken to the district hospital, where Tasani Yutigong, 27, was later pronounced dead.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
US-Thailand anti-terrorist cooperation 'strong'
6/08/2010 at 01:33 AM
WASHINGTON : The annual US report on terrorism around the world praised Thailand's cooperation and confirmed there are still no signs of direct invovement by international terrorist groups in the conflict in the deep South.
Al Qaeda's core leadership in Pakistan remains the most formidable terrorist threat to the United States, the report stated.
Terrorist attacks worldwide and their death toll in 2009 were at their lowest levels in four years. Terrorists carried out 10,999 attacks worldwide in 2009, the lowest number in five years and down from a recent high of 14,443 in 2006
In the section on Thailand released early Friday, the report said that cooperation between the US and Thailand on counter-terrorist measures has " remained strong despite internal political conflict."
The key point about Thailand, said the State Department document, is that international terrorism has stayed out of the conflict in the deep South.
"There have been no indications that transnational terrorist groups are directly involved in the violence in the [S]outh," said the US report.
"There is no evidence of direct operational links between southern Thai insurgent groups and regional terrorist networks."
The annual US report had little new to report about Thailand. "Legal mechanisms to counter the southern Thai insurgency lagged behind security efforts, but showed signs of improvement," it said. Prosecutors had a difficult time making cases against terrorists, often because of poor police forensic and ballistics investigations.
A paragraph noted the continuing effort by the Thai government extradite international arms trafficker Viktor Bout to face terrorism charges in the US.
The Obama administration declined to put North Korea back on a blacklist of countries supporting terrorism despite pressure from lawmakers to do so.
In its report for 2009, the State Department kept the same countries on the list as it did in 2008 - Iran, Sudan, Cuba and Syria - with Iran again listed as the "most active state sponsor of terrorism."
Former US president George W. Bush de-listed North Korea in 2008 after it vowed to end its nuclear program, agreed to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and pledged to disable its nuclear plants.
The Obama administration has kept it off the list again after citing narrow legal definition for what constitutes support for terrorism.
In June 2009, 16 US Republican Senators urged President Barack Obama's administration to place the communist regime back on the US blacklist.
The North conducted its second nuclear test the previous month and defied international criticism by firing a volley of short-range missiles and threatening to attack the capitalist South.
Though the report does not cover events this year, Republican senators renewed their call for North Korea to be listed again after South Korea and the United States blamed it for sinking a South Korean warship in March.
In keeping four countries on the blacklist, the Country Reports on Terrorism 2009 said "Iran remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism".
"Iran's financial, material, and logistic support for terrorist and militant groups throughout the Middle East and Central Asia had a direct impact on international efforts to promote peace, threatened economic stability in the Gulf and undermined the growth of democracy," it said.
The US accuses Iran of actively supporting groups like the Taliban in Afghanistan, Shiite groups in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Palestinian territories.
On Sudan, the report said the government was cooperating with US counter-terrorism efforts, but said "Al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist elements as well as elements of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and HAMAS, remained in Sudan in 2009."
The report said the United States disagrees with Syria's support for what it calls national liberation movements, groups Washington considers are terrorist.
"Syria continued to provide safe-haven as well as political and other support to a number of designated Palestinian terrorist groups, including HAMAS, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC)," the report.
The report complained that Cuba still gives safe haven and ideological support for three terrorist organizations.
"The Government of Cuba has long assisted members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army of Colombia (ELN), and Spain's Basque Homeland and Freedom Organization (ETA), some having arrived in Cuba in connection with peace negotiations with the governments of Colombia and Spain," it said.
bangkokpost.
New Thai-Malaysian border accord
5/08/2010 at 01:35 PM
Thailand and Malaysia will sign a new agreement to step up border cooperation including joint military exercises, defence spokesman Col Thanathip Sawangsaeng said on Thursday.
The agreement will be signed during the 50th Thai-Malaysian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting today and tomorrow at the Dusit Thani Hotel by Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and his Malaysian counterpart Ahamad Zahid Hamadi.
The Malaysian defence minister was received by Gen Prawit with a guard of honour when he visited the Defence Ministry on Thursday.
Col Thanathip said the new agreement will be an improved version of the one signed by the two countries on May 18, 2000 because the border situation has considerably changed, particularly the insurgency in three southern border provinces.
Under the new agreement, the two countries will develop e-border passes for use in 2011. Also from 2011, in addition to joint patrol and military exercises there will also be joint training of law-enforcement units along the border such as immigration police.
bangkokpost.
House passes security bill on South
4/08/2010 at 05:25 PM
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed ae bill on the administration of southern border provinces in the third reading with a vote of 242-86 with 14 abstentions.
The focal point of the bill is on the power of Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC), an agency under the direct command of the prime minister, to formulate strategies for solving problems in the southern border provinces plagued with insurgency in line with the government's policy on national security.
The SBPAC is headed by a secretary-general, appointed by the prime minister as advised by the interior minister.
Deputy Interior Minister Thavorn Senniam, chairman of the House committee scrutinising the bill, said the legislation is intended to increase the overall efficiency of the administration of the southern border provinces,
not to give absolute power to any particular persons.
The bill will be forwarded to the Senate for further deliberation.
bangkokpost.
Govt receives warning on "car bombs"
3/08/2010 at 07:02 PM
The government has been vigilant on receiving a warning from an intelligence unit of possible attacks with "car bombs" in important business areas such as Silom and Yaowarat, acting government spokesman Panithan Wattanayagorn said on Tuesday.
Mr Panithan, also the prime minister's deputy secretary-general, said according to the warning the car bombs would be placed in crowded areas with an aim to kill people, unlike in the past when bombs were planted in garbag bins or telephone booths only to create chaos or public disturbances.
In responding to the warning, more checkpoints had been set up, especially during the night, and intelligence work intensified, he said.
bangkokpost.
Villager killed in Narathiwat shooting
31/07/2010 at 01:22 PM
A Muslim man was shot dead and his cousin seriously injured by gunmen who stormed their hut in Ire Buergae village of Narathiwat’s Janae district while they were sleeping late Friday night, said Pol Col Thirawut Thissathian, Janae police chief.
Sakueree Jeha, 21, was shot twice in the chin, right shoulder and died at the scene. His cousin, Mahamad Talmeesi Sulong, 27, was shot in the left arm and stomach and was taken to Janae hospital, according to Pol Col Thirawut.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Insurgency suspect nabbed in Pattani after home raid
31/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
A suspected insurgent facing seven arrest warrants for his alleged involvement in violent attacks in Pattani has been captured.
Following a tip, police stormed a house in Pattani's Nong Chik district where they arrested Sakareeya Sameng, 28.
Mr Sakareeya, a native of the province's Kho Pho district, had seven outstanding arrest warrants for charges related to violent attacks, including murder, arson, and terrorism.
In Narathiwat, three defence volunteers providing protection for teachers were injured in a bomb attack in Sungai Padi district yesterday.
The bomb went off about 3pm as the volunteers were on their way to a school to escort teachers home. The blast injured Nukul Ngern-niam, 23, Suwit Nukhorwat, 35 and Banjit Salee 31.
Meanwhile, police allege that two men who were shot dead in a clash with officers in Bannang Sata district on Thursday had taken part in violent attacks in the province.
Arhama Dorni, 25, had two outstanding arrest warrants, while Sukri Dueramae, 24, had one, police said.
The suspects were killed in an exchange of gunfire with police who raided a house in Bannang Sata. Police officers claim they had tried to persuade the pair to surrender, but they opened fire instead.
One officer was injured in the attack.
Two pistols were found in the house after the clash.
The Facebook group Nueng Khwamdee Puea Phorluang (One Good Deed for the King) yesterday donated 150 bullet-proof vests for police in the deep South.
Dr Danaipreuk Krairit, the representative of the group, yesterday gave the bullet-proof vests to Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew, an adviser to the Royal Thai Police Office, to distribute to police in the area.
bangkokpost.
TAO staffer shot, injured in Pattani
29/07/2010 at 11:21 AM
The secretary of the chairman of the Tambon Mahomavee Administration Organisation was slightly wounded during a drive-by shooting in Pattani’s Yarang district late Wednesday night, Yarang police said.
Mahama Sasuding, 55, was attacked about 11pm on Wednesday while he was on his way home on the Pattani-Yala road at Ton Sae village in tambon Mahomavee by two men on a motorcycle, police said.
He was shot once, in the right leg, and was taken to Yarang hospital.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Suspected RKK militant leader killed
29/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
YALA : Troops have killed a suspected leader of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil guerrilla unit in a gunfight in Raman district.
The exchange of gunfire erupted yesterday at dusk after a team led by Lt Col Issara Jantakrayorm, commander of the 12 Yala Task Force, surrounded a rubber plantation in Lee Seng Nai village.
The soldiers launched the operation after receiving an intelligence report that Mahama Maseera, 25, the RKK's alleged local leader, planned to meet his underlings at the plantation.
The report said the group was plotting to carry out a terrorist attack against authorities.
Militants hiding in the bush opened fire on the troops when they saw they were surrounded. The gunfight lasted about 20 minutes before the insurgents withdrew.
Soldiers inspecting the scene after the rebels fled into the bush found the body of Mahama holding a 38-calibre pistol.
He had sustained a number of wounds including a fatal shot to the head.
Troops are tracking the RKK members who fled.
Raman district police claim Mahama was involved in the killing of a local defence volunteer on Sunday.
bangkokpost.
Pattani village headman killed by three gunmen
28/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
Three gunmen have killed a village headman in Muang district of Pattani.
Sakarin Waedao, 36, was ambushed by three men armed with assault rifles early yesterday as he was walking home, police said.
He was shot in the head and body. Sakarin fell to the ground and the attackers shot him again before firing their weapons in the air and fleeing, witnesses said. He died at the scene.
Stray bullets struck another man, identified as Maruding Te, 32, as he was watching television with his children in a house. Mr Maruding was wounded in the arm and stomach.
Police said Sakarin was a former member of the Pakaharang tambon administration organisation.
Meanwhile, a document on counter-insurgency has been completed and is being scrutinised by a panel of scholars and officials before it is used to try to combat the separatist campaign, said Prasit Meksuwan, a member of the peace-building advisory council under the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre.
The document is the SBPAC's latest response to attempts by separatists to cause divisions between the government and the Thai Muslim population.
The document states that separatist ideology claims that the ethnic Malay people in the lower South are subject to racism.
This alleged persecution is being used to justify autonomy for Pattani and nearby provinces.
Mr Prasit said the government had to understand the separatist ideology if it was to improve its handling of the security problems.
"Without knowing the insurgents' core thoughts, it will be difficult to bring back peace to the far South," he said.
bangkokpost.
Injured insurgents escape govt troops
27/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
Government forces believe they have wounded at least one member of a group of armed insurgents in a gunfight at a deserted house in Narathiwat.
The clash took place yesterday in Rueso district in a mountainous forest area in Ban Tanyong in tambon Batong. The suspected insurgents are believed to be connected to the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) group.
Government forces exchanged fire with six or seven insurgents for about 10 minutes before the insurgents fled from the house and escaped.
Security officers seized a 38-calibre pistol, two mobile phones and three knives at the house. They also found bloodstains nearby and assume some of the insurgents were wounded.
In Sungai Padi district, a team of border rangers suffered minor injuries in a bomb attack on a road in Dohe village, tambon Riko, about 11am yesterday.
The bomb damaged the pickup truck the rangers were travelling in.
The five-member team were identified as Mongkhon Phromplod, Theerawat Sukwanna, Somnuk Kaeosri-on, Ekkawit Kaeowihok and Sorboree Sareeka.
Cpl Mongkhon, the team leader, said the bomb exploded as the pickup truck was passing the spot where it was planted.
He said the bomb was hidden in a fruit basket on the roadside and was set off with a mobile phone. Security officers have detained two suspects.
Meanwhile, Chaiyong Maneerungsakul, a member of the Advisory Council for Peace Building in the Southern Border Provinces, said yesterday the council had asked the government to pay
members of the provincial Islamic committees in the five southern border provinces a 3,000 baht a month allowance to boost morale. Each Islamic committee has 30 members.
Only the chairman of each provincial Islamic committee is entitled to a 3,500 baht a month allowance from the government, a committee source said.
bangkokpost.
Soldier wounded by Yala bomb
21/07/2010 at 10:48 AM
A soldier of the No 13 Yala special force providing protection for teachers was wounded when a bomb exploded on an intra-village road at Baehor village in Yala’s Krong Penang district on Wednesday morning, said Yala deputy police chief Pol Col Phumpetch Pipatpetchphum.
The 3kg home-made bomb was detonated by mobile phone as the soldiers patrolled the road on foot, slightly injuring Corp Chirasak Sappaso, 28.
He was taken to Yala hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Villager murdered in Pattani
21/07/2010 at 09:55 AM
A villager was killed in a drive-by shooting in Pattani’s Nong Chik district on Wednesday morning, said Nong Chik police chief Pol Col Chatchai Wongsuna.
Rawhaman Arwae, 33, was shot with an M16 assault rifle on Khoke Pho-Baan Prang road at Kuan Kuha village of Nong Chik district about 7am while on his way home from a tea shop, according to the district police chief.
He was shot three times in the body and died at the scene.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Security team narrowly escapes bomb blast
21/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
A team of security officers escorting a group of teachers has narrowly escaped injury in a roadside bomb attack in Narathiwat's Rueso district.
The blast was reported to Rueso district police at about 8.30am yesterday while the six-member security team was clearing the road for the teachers to travel to Ban Samakkhi and Ban Suwari schools.
No one was injured as the impact of the explosion went in the opposite direction, Pol Lt Ukrit Sangkhamani, who is heading the investigation, said.
The bomb was home-made, weighed 5kg, was stuffed in a metal box and detonated by mobile phone, he said.
The blast left a crater in the ground and mobile phone fragments were found nearby, Pol Lt Ukrit said.
In Sungai Kolok district, one of nine military ranger volunteers wounded in a bomb attack on Monday was rushed from the district hospital to a larger one in Songkhla's Hat Yai district after his condition became critical.
Phairot Suemae, 33, sustained severe injuries after being hit by shrapnel in the chest. The shrapnel pierced his chest and entered his lungs, doctors said.
Sungai Kolok police were still trying to determine the identities of two male teenagers captured on a surveillance camera at a roadside pavilion the day before the the bomb went off.
In Yala, the provincial police commander has ordered all eight police stations in the province to be careful when responding to bomb attacks as a second bomb is often set to target investigators.
bangkokpost.
People's Voice In Southern Provinces Will Be Considered - Abhisit
July 20, 2010 14:24 PM
BANGKOK, July 20 (Bernama) -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his government would take into consideration the voice of the people in the troubled southern provinces, in drawing up the new legislation to be passed in parliament soon.
He acknowledged that such approach was significant to ensure that the long-standing issues in the three provinces, namely Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani, would be resolved.
"With the new law that is going to be passed, the government will seek input directly from the local people in the southern provinces."
Abhisit said this when addressing 14 journalists from Asian countries, attending a media familiarisation programme here (from July 18-24), at his office.
More than 4,100 people have died since separatist groups resumed their armed campaign in January 2005 to seek independence for the three Muslim-majority provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
Bangkok has despatched more than 60,000 security forces to fight the insurgent groups that often employ roadside bombing, shooting and other guerilla tactics.
Abhisit said the Thai government had already held regular talks and dialogues with the locals including religious leaders in the provinces, on what they wanted.
He said so far, no individuals or groups had come forward to claim responsibility whenever a violent incident took place in the southern provinces.
Abhisit said the Thai government had also drawn up a comprehensive development programme, including on the economy and security for local residents in an effort to resolve the conflict in the southern provinces.
With various plans in place, he was confident the Thai government was on the right track to solving the long-standing conflict there.
As addressing issues in the southern provinces is an important part of the government's policy, the Thai government formed a committee on the development of the Five Southern Border Provinces Special Zone, chaired by Abhisit, to carry out various development projects to meet the real needs of the local population.
In October 2009, the Thai government launched a four-year development plan (2009-2012) for the five southern provinces with a budget of 68.7 billion baht (RM220 million) to support and promote tourism, the fishery industry, rubber and palm oil production, and the halal food industry.
Meanwhile, ambassador attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Isorn Pocmontri, said violence had reduced in the southern provinces and more local residents had returned home.
"It's safe to go to the southern provinces if you abide by the law," he added.
bernama.
Emergency law revoked in three provinces
20/07/2010 at 01:55 PM
The cabinet on Tuesday agreed to lift the state of emergency in three more provinces, deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said.
The three provinces are Lampang in the North and Sakon Nakhon and Roi-et in the Northeast.
Mr Supachai said the cabinet reached this decision because there have been no unusual activities in the three provinces, where the situation is under control.
The decree was originally imposed in Bangkok on April 7 and extended to 23 other provinces, during the protests of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship.
On July 6, the cabinet decided to lift the decree in five provinces - Nan, Kalasin, Nakhon Pathom, Si Sa Ket and Nakhon Sawan.
The decree is now still in force in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Ubon Ratchathani, Maha Sarakham, Nong Bua Lamphu, Mukdahan, Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Chon Buri and Samut Prakan.
Mr Supachai said security officials in the other 16 provinces reported continued political activities such as using community radio to incite unrest. There were also fears of sabotage and the possible assassination of important people.
Two months of mass anti-government rallies by the red-shirts, who were seeking immediate elections, sparked outbreaks of violence that left 89 people dead, mostly civilians, and about 1,900 injured, ending in a bloody army crackdown in May.
Critics say the government may be fanning the crisis as it clamps down and censors the protest movement -- which broadly supports fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra -- rather than addressing its grievances.
A visiting senior US envoy last week called for the state of emergency to be lifted "as soon as possible".
William Burns, the State Department's number three, said that to retain these powers indefinitely was "not healthy for a democratic system".
The authorities have used the powers to arrest hundreds of suspects -- including most of the top leaders of the UDD's protest movement -- and shut down anti-government TV channels, radio stations and websites.
New York-based group Human Rights Watch said earlier this month the government was "systematically using" the emergency decree to hold suspects without charge for up to 30 days in unofficial places of detention.
Many detainees have been held at military camps but their exact numbers and whereabouts are unknown to their families, it said.
According to Human Rights Watch, putting detainees in the hands of security personnel who often lack training and experience in civilian law enforcement increases the risk of serious abuses.
The government has rejected calls from the opposition for the decree to be lifted in Bangkok for a parliamentary by-election in the capital on July 25 in which red-shirt co-leader Korkaew Pikulthong detained on terrorism charges is running.
A separate state of emergency has been in place since 2005 in three Muslim-majority southern provinces where a separatist insurgency has left more than 4,100 people dead in six years, with no end in sight to the violence.
bangkokpost.
Nine wounded in bomb blast
20/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
Nine people - three soldiers, three defence volunteers and three villagers - have been wounded in a bomb explosion at a roadside bus shelter in Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district.
The blast took place yesterday about 5pm while a six-member patrol unit from Narathiwat Task Force 36 was stopped at the shelter near a three-way junction on the Asian Highway in Sungai Kolok municipality.
They were preparing to set up a checkpoint in front of the shelter when a bomb placed in a 5kg metal box behind it exploded.
District police said nearby insurgents had activated the blast using a mobile phone.
Three soldiers, three defence volunteers, one male and two female villagers were wounded in the attack and admitted to the district hospital.
Weera Parnton, 50, a teacher at Pattani Technical College, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Pattani's Muang district on Sunday while standing in front of a laundry about 10pm.
Three men on a motorcycle approached Weera and shot him three times before fleeing in a waiting vehicle, witnesses said. Weera was later pronounced dead.
Somphan Lampa, 46, was also attacked by two unidentified gunmen in Nong Chik, although he survived the attack.
Mr Somphan was driving a pickup when he passed by two men standing by the road, each wielding a pistol, police said. One fired at Mr Somphan, hitting him in the cheek.
bangkokpost.
Nine wounded in Narathiwat
19/07/2010 at 06:39 PM
Three each of soldiers, defence volunteers and villagers were wounded in a bomb explosion at a roadside shelter in Sungai Kolok district of Narathiwat province on Monday afternoon, police said.
The incident took place at about 5.15pm while a six-member patrol of Narathiwat Task Force 36 stopped for a rest at the shelter near a three-way junction on the Asian Highway in the Sungai Kolok Municipality.
A bomb placed in an iron box behind the shelter went off when it was activated by insurgents hidden nearby with a mobile phone.
Wounded in the explosion were the six patrol members and a male and two female villagers.
They were admitted to the district hospital.
bangkokpost.
Three officers hurt after setting off trap
17/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
Three police have been injured after they set off an explosive while investigating the site of a bomb incident in Yala's Than To district.
Pol Sen Sgt Maj Chuchart Komkham, Pol Cpl Pipob Srikanya and Pol Lt Peerachat Lordkaew from the Southern Border Province Police Bureau were injured while inspecting a bomb blast that had taken place earlier in the day at the plantation.
In the first incident, which took place at 11.30am yesterday, villager Daeng Maneechote, 50, was badly wounded after stepping on an explosive. She was later pronounced dead at hospital.
Pol Sen Sgt Maj Chuchart set off another explosive during his inspection of the scene, seriously injuring his leg.
The two other officers suffered minor injuries.
In Pattani, Arong Hama, 29, who was wanted on murder charges, was nabbed during a raid by a joint military and police team at his hideout in Pattani's Nong Chik district.
The man was accused of killing and beheading the owner of a shrimp farm in the district before absconding with the victim's pistol last year.
Meanwhile, Pattani police chief Pichet Pitisethaphan said he had ordered his forces to work with village volunteers to tighten security in the province after rumours that rebel groups were plotting another round of violence to get revenge on security officers.
bangkokpost.
Militant killed in Pattani gunfight
15/07/2010 at 12:44 PM
One separatist militant was shot dead in a gunfight at Tuyong village in Pattani’s Mayaw district early Thursday morning, commander of the Pattani 25 Special Force Lt-Col Prathan Talabthong said.
The dead militant was identified as Sabuding Deng, a suspect wanted under eight arrest warrants on charges of threatening national security.
Lt-Col Prathan said after receiving a tip off that suspected militants were hiding in the village from an uncover-agent, he led his force to surround the targeted village 4pm on Wednesday.
The authorities found Isma-air Yana while walking with Mr Sabuding. Mr Isma-air was arrested but Sabuding fled to a nearby house.
The soldiers surrounded the house and asked the kamnan and village headman to talk to Sabuding, encouraging him surrender to the authorities. After about nine hours of discussion, the talks collapsed and Sabuding opened fire at the soldiers, who fired back.
After the gunfight, Sabuding's body was found inside the house.
Sgt Anucha Sapsin was shot in his left arm and was taken to hospital.
bangkokpost.
Defence volunteer killed in Yala
15/07/2010 at 08:53 AM
A defence volunteer was shot dead in front of his home in Yala’s Bannang Sata district on Thursday morning, Bannang Sata police chief Pol Col Suwat Wongpaibul said.
Isma-air Hulu, 48, was attacked in front of his residence in moo 4 tambon Bajoh of Bannang Sata district as he was leaving to tap rubber at his nearby plantation.
He was shot several times in the body and died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Emergency In Islamist Thai South Extended
July 14, 2010 00:10:00 EDT
(RTTNews) - The Thai cabinet extended emergency rule Tuesday in three insurgency-hit Islamist southern provinces for another three months amid continuing violence in the region that left more than 4,100 persons dead in the last six years.
The cabinet agreed to extend the life of the decree--due to expire Monday--in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces on the Malaysian border until October 19, a government spokesman said.
"This law is still crucial for enabling security officials in the south to do their jobs," he said.
The state of emergency was first proclaimed in the three provinces in mid-2005 after Islamist insurgency flared up in 2004, and since then it is being extended.
The latest extension means the army will retain its special powers, including the right to detain suspects for questioning without charge, in handling the Islamist rebels.
The southern region till 100 years ago was an autonomous Malay sultanate until Buddhist Thailand annexed it, provoking decades of tension resultling in the continuing unrest.
quote.
NSC to be revamped, decree extended in South
13/07/2010 at 04:23 PM
The cabinet on Tuesday approved the restructuring of the National Security Council to improve its efficiency, deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said.
Mr Supachai said the revamp was proposed by the NSC itself.
The proposal said reforms were necessary to better cope with the changing situation, to improve its intelligence gathering and generally increase its efficiency.
NSC secretary-general Thawil Pliensri said the entire security
organisation needed to be overhauled to better cope with the changing regional and global situation and the more complex security threat facing the nation.
The NSC chief said globalisation and movements of the superpowers have caused changes in regional and global situations.
"Because of this, we face new security threats which are more complicated.
"The NSC last underwent a structural change during the bureaucratic reforms of 2002. There have also been adjustments in
the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) and related laws such as the executive decree for administration in emergency situations and the Internal Security Act (ISA)," Mr Thawil said.
In order to cope with changing situations and more complicated demands, not only the NSC but also the entire security system structure must be reviewed to ensure its effectiveness," he said.
The NSC chief, however, said there is no need to change security policy. What needs to be changed is the entire work process, to make it tidy and more effective, he added.
The cabinet also approved a request to extend the emergency decree in the three southernmost border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat for another three months, from July 20 to Oct 19.
The request was made by the Internal Security Operations Command.
In addition, the cabinet endorsed a budget of about a billion baht to pay for the annual bonus for low-ranking government officials, as proposed by the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission.
bangkokpost.
Bail plan for 500 suspects in far South
JUSTICE OKS TEMPORARY RELEASE SCHEME
11/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
The Justice Ministry is poised to hire private firms to act as bail agents for some 500 people in the deep South who have been detained on security-related charges.
The ministry hopes the bail initiative will earn trust from and ensure justice for suspects in the region who, without bail, might be detained for months before their cases go to court.
Deputy permanent secretary for justice Thawee Sodsong said the programme would allow the suspects, most of whom are the breadwinners in their families, to work while the charges against them are processed.
"Their families are in agony because most cases take months, if not years, to be heard in court.
"These suspects just don't have money to secure bail. Some have to take loans because bail in some cases is as high as 700,000-800,000 baht," he said.
See also: Bilingual education pays off in South
Under the bail scheme, the Justice Ministry will sign a contract with private companies who will be employed to post bail for some 500 suspects in security-related cases. The process is due to be completed in September.
Provincial courts must first examine and register these firms to act as bail agents.
They would be licensed to pledge their funds or assets to secure the suspects' release with the Justice Ministry acting as guarantor.
Currently, there are 514 people detained in security facilities in Songkhla, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
Pol Col Thawee said that bail would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Before being granted temporary release, detainees must first be vetted by the Internal Security Operations Command, prosecution, security forces and local administrators.
"Temporary release will allow them [the suspects] to go about their business. It is a chance for them to behave if they have done something wrong. And if they are innocent, they will have confidence in the justice system," he said.
He said the bail scheme was introduced because statistics showed that many security cases are dismissed by the courts due to a lack of evidence, but in the meantime suspects lose their ability to earn an income.
In some cases, the suspects had been detained under the state of emergency decree and their confessions were inadmissible in court, he said.
Angkhana Neelaphaijit, chair of the Working Group for Justice and Peace, yesterday welcomed the bail programme, but called for careful implementation.
She said bail must be considered on a case-by-case basis and all parties concerned, including local leaders, must give assurances that the suspects will not intimidate witnesses or meddle with investigations.
"Some cases have been dismissed because of a lack of evidence when the freed defendants are the real culprits.
"It is a good scheme because most suspects are poor. Even so, all the agencies concerned must carefully consider their eligibility for bail," she said.
Ms Angkhana said the bail initiative would at least raise the level of trust people in the region have for the state.
Meanwhile, Niphon Phadungthong, deputy chief of the State Attorney Region 9 office, said his office has laid down guidelines about security cases after most had been dismissed in court.
Since October last year, his office decided that security cases based on hearsay and confessions and lacking in substantial evidence would be dropped.
According to Mr Niphon's office, 190 security cases were accepted for trial last year, three of which were later withdrawn.
Of 23 cases that were heard, 18 were dismissed, while five ended with convictions.
About 60 security-related cases were heard in court during 2007-2008. Of these, 40 were dismissed and 20 were ended with convictions.
State Attorney Region 9 office covers the following courts: Narathiwat, Na Thawi district in Songkhla, Betong district in Yala, Pattani, Yala, Songkhla and Satun.
bangkokpost.
Soldiers wounded by Bajoh bomb blast
10/07/2010 at 03:16 PM
Three soldiers of the Narathiwat No 32 special unit were slightly injured when a roadside bomb exploded on the Attorheereeya-Dugu village in Narathiwat’s Bajoh district on Saturday late morning, said Pol Capt Suchart Meelampong.
The suspected separatist militants detonated the 20 kgs home-made bomb while the pickup truck carrying the soldiers was passing on the intra village road on the way back to buy food sullies.
After that they started spraying assault rifle bullets at the soldiers who fired back.
The militants fled the scene after five minutes gunfight.
The wounded soldiers were sent to Bajoh hospital. They were later allowed to return to their barrack in Narathiwat.
bangkokpost.
Ranger wounded in Yala
8/07/2010 at 11:45 AM
A ranger was seriously wounded on Thursday morning by a bomb explosion while patrolling a road near a village in Bannang Sata district of Yala province, police said.
The improvised bomb, which was planted on the road near Tuera village, went off when a seven-member patrol providing security for teachers passed over it.
Wichien Rasmiwuthithorn, 27, was serioudly wounded in his left leg. He was admitted to Yala Regional Hospital.
bangkokpost.
Thai south braces for more attacks
05 juli, 2010
Two separatist Muslim groups in the south of Thailand are threatening more violence after joining forces.
One of those groups has told Al Jazeera they are fighting for an independent state.
In the past six years, there have been several attacks in the majority Muslim south, claiming more than 4,000 lives.
Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay reports from Pattani in southern Thailand.
youtube.
Inadequate intelligence raises fears
5/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
Inadequate sharing of intelligence is making security officers in the lower South highly susceptible to insurgent attacks, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says.
Poor communication has hindered officers from fighting effectively against the violence, he said yesterday.
Aspects of the security measures being implemented in the region must be adjusted and additional measures need to be put into place to strengthen the defence against violent attacks, Mr Abhisit said.
The prime minister called an urgent meeting of security agencies to figure out what had led to two deadly bomb attacks late last week.
Five members of a security patrol in Narathiwat were killed in a bomb blast on Thursday and three soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Yala a day later.
One volunteer military ranger was killed and three others seriously injured in the latest bomb attack late yesterday afternoon while patrolling a road in Yala's Betong district.
The dead ranger was identified as Songkhram Thamrongrak, 30. Injured were Samai Makluea, Suriyan Ketkhao and Sompong Kerdsombat.
They were among 10 volunteer military rangers patrolling Yala-Betong road when the explosion went off.
The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) said it will speed up supplementary measures to tackle the southern violence by improving the region's economy.
SBPAC head Phanu Uthairat said the centre aims to nearly double the average yearly household income of more than 600 villages in five provinces in the southernmost provinces to 120,000 baht from 64,000 baht.
Work on raising the incomes through occupational development is about 15% complete and the centre plans to speed up implementation of the rest of the programme, Mr Phanu said.
The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 said it is stepping up security measures to curb the rise in drug trafficking problems in the southern border areas.
bangkokpost.
Police point to rebel group in Yala blast
4/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
Police investigating a bomb blast in Yala's Yaha district that killed three soldiers are pointing the finger at a rebel group led by Abudila Romli.
Officers investigating Friday's blast said they suspected Mr Abudila of masterminding the attack because his group had previously been active in tambons Patae and Baroh in Yaha.
Three soldiers on patrol - Sgt Weerawuth Wangklin, Private 1st Class Thirachart Boonkua, and Private Kamaruding Tuwee - were killed when the pickup truck carrying them was blown up by a bomb buried under a road in Ban Bayo village in tambon Baroh.
Police said Mr Abudila is wanted on many charges related to the southern insurgency, and that his group had also been accused of involvement in a 2008 bomb attack on the vehicle of Amorn Chumchuay, assistant to the Yaha district chief.
Mr Amorn was injured while two territorial defence volunteers accompanying him were killed.
Security officials attended the funeral ceremony for the two soldiers held yesterday in Yala's Muang district. Joint Security Command chief Lt Gen Kasikorn Kirisri presided over the bathing ceremony, while deputy Yala governor Apinan Suethanuwong gave 500,000 baht to each of the victims' families.
The blast in Yaha district was one of two bomb attacks in recent days. The other occurred on Thursday, killing five members of a patrol team comprising a soldier, two rangers and two civilians as they were travelling on a road in Narathiwat's Rueso district.
Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 said the two attacks showed that the insurgents had changed the way they plant bombs to maximise impact.
Isoc spokesman Banpot Poonpian said in both cases the insurgents had planted their bombs in the middle of the roads instead of at the sides or at the necks of bridges. The explosives were also buried deep enough to ensure a more powerful blast.
The changes worry security officers, as roadside blasts had been considered less deadly than other types of attacks, Col Banpot said.
"Our forces in every area have often used X-rays to prevent bomb attacks," he said. "But there are so many roads that we can't oversee them all and that's a flaw for insurgents to exploit."
bangkokpost.
Nine killed in two days of attacks in Thai south: police
Fri Jul 2, 12:04 pm ET
NARATHIWAT, Thailand (AFP) – Nine people, including six military personnel, have been killed in two days of bomb and gun attacks in Thailand's insurgency-plagued southern provinces, police said Friday.
A roadside bomb late Thursday killed three military rangers on patrol in Ruso district in Narathiwat, one of three troubled Muslim-majority provinces near the Malaysian border.
A security volunteer and a deputy village headman travelling with them also died in the attack by suspected Islamist separatists, police said.
The bomb, containing about 20 kilos (45 pounds) of explosives, was buried in a dirt road and detonated by wire. The attackers then opened fire on the vehicle and seized weapons before fleeing the scene.
In a separate incident, three soldiers were killed when a bomb blast ripped through their patrol vehicle Friday in neighbouring Yala province, police said.
A 46-year-old Muslim village leader also died on the way to hospital after she was shot Friday in a drive-by shooting in Mayo district in Pattani province, police said.
They said her son, a security volunteer, had been shot dead two months ago.
More than 4,100 people -- both Buddhists and Muslims -- have been killed in the region in six years of attacks led by a shadowy mix of Islamist and separatist militants.
The rebels have targeted both Buddhists and Muslims with shootings, bombings and gruesome methods such as beheadings and crucifixions.
The Muslim-majority region was an autonomous Malay Muslim sultanate until it was annexed in 1902 by mainly Buddhist Thailand and tensions have simmered there ever since, flaring up into the current insurgency in January 2004.
Successive governments have struggled to contain the unrest in the area, where there is a heavy military presence and emergency rule has been imposed for nearly five years, giving the army broad powers.
Rights groups have warned that alleged abuses by the security forces in the region risk stoking the unrest.
According to New York-based Human Rights Watch, separatist militants appear to have stepped up their attacks in retaliation for the death in "suspicious circumstances" of a 25-year-old suspected insurgent in May.
yahoo.
Three soldiers killed in Yala
2/07/2010 at 02:45 PM
Three soldiers assigned to provide security for teachers were killed by a bomb explosion in Yaha district of Yala province of Friday afternoon, a police source said.
The source said the attack occurred around 1pm while the soldiers were on patrol duty, but gave no details.
On Thursday night, five membes of a security patrol - a soldier, two rangers and two civilians - were killed in a bomb explosion in Narathiwat's Rueso district.
bangkokpost.
Rubber tapers shot, wounded in Yala
30/06/2010 at 09:00 AM
A married couple were seriously injured in a drive-by shooting while they were on their way to tap rubber on Wednesday morning, Raman police said.
Maming Samae, 48, and his wife, Jehsa-air Jehteh, 45, were attacked by two men on a motorcycle on a local road at Kapong village in Yala’s Raman district.
They were admitted to Raman hospital.
Police blamed separatist militant.
It was reported that since Wednesday morning, police have implemented stringent security measures in Yala municipality after the militants' leaflets saying the city’s restaurants were next targets of bomb attacks were distributed.
bangkokpost.
Soldier, 2 teachers wounded in South
28/06/2010 at 01:37 PM
A soldier and two female teachers were wounded by a bomb explosion in Sisakhon district of Narathiwat province on Monday morning, police said.
The accident occured about 9am as a team of nine soldiers from Narathiwat Task Force 37, one on a motorcycle and the others on a humvee vehicle, was escorting teachers riding their motorcycles to Buenae Nako School.
The bomb was buried in the road and detonated by mobile phone as the convoy passed over it.
Pvt Surachart Naraki, 22, and two female teachers, Porntip Jaiyen and Somjit Suwanna, were wounded in the explosion.
The school close for the rest of the day
bangkokpost.
Soldier wounded by Yala bomb blast
25/06/2010 at 09:03 AM
One soldier in a squad providing security for teachers was seriously injured when a bomb exploded on a village road at moo 1, tambon Sa-eh of Yala’s Krong Penang district on Friday morning, police said.
The bomb victim, Pvt Wattana Saensima, 22, was admitted to Yala hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Grenade tossed into mosque injures woman and 2 boys
21/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
PATTANI : A woman and two boys were injured when a suspected insurgent threw a grenade into a mosque in Sai Buri district.
Police and soldiers examine a car that was fired upon with an assault rifle in Pattani’s Muang district on Saturday night. Paramilitary ranger Muhammadsukree Wadong, 35, and his wife were killed in the attack, while their two-year-old daughter was shot in the arm. ABDULLOH BENJAKAT
Aranya Tokayor, 43, Romsu Aming,9, and Amran Kwaeng, 9, were wounded by the explosion as they gathered for morning salah, daily Islamic prayer, at the Nuru Lamuttakin Tabing mosque.
The three are being treated at Sai Buri Crown Prince hospital.
Investigators said one of two men riding on a motorcycle past the mosque threw a grenade at villagers gathered for prayers.
Police who inspected shrapnel at the spot have not identified the grenade type.
In Muang district of Yala, about 500 residents of the Nakhon Yala Municipality yesterday joined religious services to bolster the spirits of people in the area which has been plagued with insurgent attacks.
The event, presided over by Yala governor Krissada Boonraj, combined Buddhist, Islamic and Chinese religious activities aimed at praying for peace and victims killed in the attacks.
Thirty-nine monks were invited to a Buddhist merit-making ceremony in the morning. Twenty-one Islamic leaders then performed prayers. Traditional Chinese kong-tek and Teh Krajad (emptying basket) ceremonies were held in the afternoon to make merit for the dead.
Mr Krissada said the grand ceremony was held in the wake of two bomb attacks on the municipality's Ruamit Road on May 26, which killed two and injured 52 people.
bangkokpost.
Parents shot in front of daughter in Thai attacks
20 June 2010
PATTANI, Thailand (AFP) – A two-year-old girl was injured in a shooting that killed both her parents in the latest bout of violence to hit Thailand's restive south, police said Sunday.
The attack -- which targeted a former ranger driving with his wife and daughter in Pattani's Muang district on Saturday -- came just minutes after a grenade attack on a mosque in Sai Buri that wounded two nine-year-old boys.
Around one person a day has been killed in recent weeks as a bloody anti-government insurgency continues to rage in the Muslim-majority south.
More than 4,100 people -- both Buddhists and Muslims -- have been killed in six years of attacks led by a shadowy mix of Islamist and separatist militants who never publicly state their goals.
yahoo.
2 dead, 2 injured in Pattani violence
17/06/2010 at 11:52 AM
Two villagers were shot dead and two soldiers were injured by a bomb in the insurgent-plagued southern province of Pattani on Thursday morning, reports said.
Attackers armed with AK-47 and M-16 rifles opened fire at Gorya Hayee, 27, as he was on his way home in Pattani's Saiburi district. He was shot four times in the back and died on the spot.
In a separate incident, two gunmen on motorcycle shot 48-year-old Januwae Buesa while he was drinking tea at a stall in Mayor district. He was hit by four bullets from a handgun and died on the way to hospital.
Later in the morning, two soldiers were wounded by a bomb explosion as they were escorting teachers in Thung Yang Daeng district.
They were taken to Thung Yang Daeng Hospital.
The southern insurgency has claimed more than 4,100 lives since it erupted afresh in January 2004.
bangkokpost.
Registering gives boost to security
17/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
Residents and vehicle owners in the South are responding well to a campaign asking them to register with authorities, the Internal Security Operations Command Region4 says.
Col Banpot Poonpian, spokesman for Isoc, which oversees security in the lower South, said yesterday the agency had asked the public to register their names and their vehicles for greater protection.
Registered vehicles can pass through checkpoints more quickly as fewer checks are needed, Col Banpot said.
Of the vehicles registered, 124,125 are cars and 461,655 motorcycles. Almost 933,500 people have registered their names with authorities.
Narathiwat has the highest number of registered vehicles.
Meanwhile, a five-year-old girl, Aleesa Dahsae, who was seriously injured in a June 8 grenade attack in Yala municipality, is now out of danger.
The girl sustained serious shrapnel wounds to her head and underwent brain surgery at Yala Hospital.
In Pattani, Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai yesterday presided over the opening of an annual trade and economic development project for five southern border provinces at CS Pattani hotel in Muang district.
The project is a collaboration between the public and private sectors to revive the economy hurt by the insurgency.
It promotes local sustainability, economic enhancement and getting local goods such as Muslim food and fashion products to global markets.
bangkokpost.
Rights group questions suicide of suspected Thai Muslim insurgent
17 Jun 2010 04:17:17 GMT
Bangkok - Human Rights Watch on Thursday called on the Thai government to investigate the alleged suicide last month of a suspected Muslim separatist held in army custody.
Sulaiman Naesa, 25, hanged himself with a towel on May 30, at the Inkhayuthboriharn army camp in Pattani province, 650 kilometres south of Bangkok, according to army officers.
But Sulaiman's relatives and local human rights groups told Human Rights Watch that they saw signs of torture on his body, including blood dripping from his genitals, a wound on his neck, and one apparently from a sharpened object on his back.
"Sulaiman's death raises concerns that soldiers are once again using torture and other illegal methods against detainees," said Elaine Pearson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
Army personnel told Human Rights Watch that Sulaiman was accused of involvement in 14 insurgent attacks on civilians and security personnel. Following his arrest on May 22, Sulaiman was detained without charge under the Emergency Decree.
The decree effectively provides security forces with legal immunity and broad powers to detain individuals without charge for up to 30 days.
In retaliation for Sulaiman's death, several insurgent cells have stepped up attacks in Pattani province that included shooting of four civilians, Human Rights Watch said.
"Insurgents justify attacks on civilians by saying they are retaliating against abuses by Thai security forces, and the army responds in kind - it's a deadly and vicious circle," Pearson said. "Prosecuting troops for mistreatment could help calm the situation and rebuild trust with the Muslim community."
More than 4,100 people have died in the violence in Thailand's deep South, comprising Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala provinces, since January 2004 when separatists raided an army depot killing four soldiers and making off with 300 weapons.
The insurgents, an amorphous group of Muslim militants fighting for greater autonomy or independence from the predominantly Buddhist state, have adopted tactics to avenge any show of force by the authorities.
The incident sparked a series of brutal government crackdowns, which turned many of the area's 2 million people, 80 per cent of whom are Muslim, against the central government.
earthtimes.
Hunt on for militants over bombing near school
16 June 2010
Yala - A school in Yala's Bannang Sata district was closed as authorities hunted for insurgents who planted a bomb nearby, killing one paramilitary official and injuring three others yesterday morning.
The bomb attack took place at 8am on the road 300 metres from Ban Bacho School, injuring four paramilitary officials, one fatally.
Corporal Sakkarin Maneeprawat, 26, was pronounced dead on reaching hospital. Forensic officials suspect the bomb weighing about 3-5 kilograms was placed in a metal box and detonated by cellphone.
The bomb went off when |the eight-strong paramilitary| unit patrolling the area on foot to provide security to local teachers passed by.
Bannang Sata district chief Methree Kanchanapangkha said that following the bomb attack, Ban Bacho School was temporarily closed for the day to allow security officials to carry out investigations.
The schoolteachers' to-and-from-home routes must be secured as the Malayu-Pattani National Day approaches. Southern insurgents have given importance to the day and increased attacks that particularly targeted teachers and state officials, he said.
Meanwhile, Anwa Tosae, a 36-year-old villager of Ban Hutae Majae in Pattani's Sai Buri district, was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle on Monday night.
The victim was riding his motorcycle back home from a football field. Police are unclear whether the killing was due to a personal conflict or a part of the ongoing violence in the region.
nationmultimedia.
Rangers wounded by Yala bomb blast
15/06/2010 at 09:27 AM
Three paramilitary rangers providing protection for teachers were wounded when a home-made bomb went off at Baan Bacho school in Yala’s Bannang Sata district on Tuesday morning, police said.
The three rangers were admitted to Bannang Sata hospital.
Soldiers and police were surrounding the incident area to hunt down for bomb attackers believed to be separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
5 wounded by bomb blast in Songkhla
14/06/2010 at 11:21 AM
Two soldiers and three civilians were injured when a bomb exploded at the morning market in Thepha community of Songkhla’s Thepha district on Monday morning, police said.
The home-made bomb was hidden inside the fuel tank of a motorcycle parked in front of the market.
The victims were admitted to Thepha hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
Thepha is one of the four districts of Songkhla province where southern separatists are active. It is adjacent to Nong Chik district of Pattani.
bangkokpost.
Defence volunteer shot dead in South
14/06/2010 at 11:06 AM
A defence volunteer at Bango Rana village in Narathiwat’s Rangae district was killed in a drive-by shooting on Monday morning, said Pol Col Suchart Assawajindarat, Rangae police chief.
Maravee Yamabala, 37, was attacked by two men on a motorcycle on the Bango Rana-Bukebuning road, tambon Maruebotok, while on his way to buy food at a shop in his village.
He was shot twice, in the head and back, and died at the scene.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Bomb planted in road injures three army officers
14/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
YALA : Three army officers have been injured when the military truck in which they were travelling passed over a bomb in Muang district, police say.
The bomb, buried under the road surface, went off as the truck passed by. The troops were travelling along Ban Batan-Ban Lidon road from a military base in Ban Batan in tambon Lam Mai.
Capt Suwan Saengchali, Sgt Pricha Panya and Sgt Manit Pimtoom suffered serious injuries to their heads and faces. They are being treated at Yala Regional Hospital.
The military truck suffered heavy damage as it was overturned in the blast, a police inspection found.
Police who examined the explosive materials found near the truck believe insurgents fitted the bomb into a fire extinguisher, weighing about 20 kilogrammes, and buried it under the road.
In Pattani's Khok Pho district, a staff member of a food shop was injured on Saturday when an attacker threw a grenade into the building, police said.
Sanit Duanglek, 39, sustained shrapnel wounds.
Shop owner Prateep Intaklom told police two male attackers fled on a motorcycle along Naket-Na Pradu road after the attack.
They are still at large.
In another development, the House of Representatives committee on national security wants the Interior Ministry to install more security cameras in insurgency-prone areas in the lower South.
The cameras would greatly help security officers in their inquiries as it has been found that many witnesses are reluctant to give information about criminal suspects for fear for their safety, committee chairman Jeaming Totayong said.
He was speaking at the weekend with security officers during the committee's trip to the South.
bangkokpost.
Bombs and shootings kill 5, wound 24 in southern Thailand: Police
AFP, Jun 13, 2010, 01.11pm IST
BANGKOK: Suspected insurgents killed five people and wounded 24 in a bloody day of bombings and shootings in Thailand's troubled south, police said on Sunday.
Militants threw two homemade grenades into busy eateries late on Saturday, killing a 35-year-old Buddhist man and injuring another 24.
On the same day, four Muslim men were killed in shooting incidents across the restive southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.
More than 4,100 people -- both Buddhists and Muslims -- have died during a six-year anti-government insurgency across the south, led by a shadowy mix of Islamist and separatist militants who never publicly state their goals.
The Muslim-majority region was an autonomous Malay Muslim sultanate until it was annexed in 1902 by mainly Buddhist Thailand and tensions have simmered there ever since, flaring up into the current insurgency in January 2004.
indiatimes.
Four injured in Yala blast
13/06/2010 at 05:49 PM
Four soldiers were wounded early Sunday after a bomb detonated by suspected insurgents destroyed their pickup truck while travelling on a road in the troubled southern province of Yala, police said.
Combined government forces rushed to the scene of the incident and found the army pickup truck overturned in front of a factory in the provincial town, police said.
They found an electric wire from the scene of the explosion, dragged into a nearby roadside rubber plantation.The four wounded soldiers were sent to the provincial hospital for treatment.
In another incident Saturday evening, also in Yala, one person died and 14 others wounded after an unidentified man threw grenades at two restaurants.
By early Sunday, police searched more than 30 houses in the province where the bomber is suspected to be in hiding. However, no one was arrested.
In a related incident in the neighbouring province of Pattani on Saturday night, police Sunday looked for more evidence at a karaoke bar which was hit by a grenade attack and where the owner's son-in-law was wounded. Police found a number of the grenade fragments inside the bar.
bangkokpost.
Two simultaneous bomb attacks on Yala eateries
12 June 2010
Yala -- More than 20 people were injured from a simultaneous bomb attacks on two eateries in the heart of Yala's Muang district on Saturday evening amid a growing fear that the worse is yet to come, officials said.
A culprit on a motorbike tossed the bomb hidden inside a metal box inside a Korean-style barbeque restaurant, forcing customers to run for cover. But the bomb didn't go off until three minutes later. The shrapnel hit young man who was cruising by on his motorbike.
Almost at the same time at another part of town, another home made bomb was tossed at a rice porridge eatery, known locally as the Khaotom Khon Chon, injuring at least 20 people. At this incident, the bomb went off within three second after it hit the ground.
One senior official at the scene said both bombs were set off by time clock but could not explain why the discrepancy over the length of time for each bomb to go off.
nationmultimedia.
Volunteer ranger gunned down at bike repair shop
12/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
A volunteer ranger has been shot dead in Pattani's Mayo district.
Madaree Sa-ao, 29, who was a member of the 44th Ranger Regiment's peace building unit, left the outpost for his home in another district on a motorcycle about 1am yesterday, police said.
He stopped at a motorcycle repair shop on Mayo-Palas road to pump up his tyres and was shot in the head, dying instantly.
Police found a spent shell casing from a 9mm pistol at the scene.
In Narathiwat's Chanae district, Rusadee Jehteh, 37, was shot and injured outside his house by an unidentified assailant about 10pm on Thursday.
Mr Rusadee told police he was walking to the toilet outside his house and he was shot in the leg by someone who had hidden behind a bush.
An investigation into the attack is under way.
Meanwhile, police said they are making progress with their investigation into a grenade attack in the old market area of Yala municipality on Tuesday that left 23 people injured.
The attack had reportedly targeted a military truck driving past the market.
There had earlier been conflicting reports on the grenade's point of origin.
Sugree Wangha, a witness to the attack, yesterday said that shortly after the blast he heard a teenager shout to the crowd that someone had hurled a grenade at the military truck.
He told bystanders to help people who were injured, Mr Sugree said.
Mr Sugree said most people who were at the scene saw a teenager hurl the grenade, but did not tell the police for fear of reprisals.
A five-year-old girl, one of the victims of the blast, was reportedly unconscious yesterday after undergoing brain surgery at Yala Hospital.
The girl sustained serious shrapnel wounds to her head.
bangkokpost.
Authorities put militant numbers at 9,400
11/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
The total number of active insurgents in the lower South has reached more than 9,400, the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre says.
The centre yesterday quoted security intelligence reports as saying there were 9,417 militants across the restive South.
Of the total, 1,529 were leaders, 2,708 were operatives and 5,180 people were classified as supporters. The figures were updated in February by intelligence officials working in the southern border provinces.
Security forces have arrested 17 leaders, 17 operatives and 154 supporters alleged to be involved with insurgent groups, the SBPAC said.
The southern militants see themselves as having gained the upper hand in their guerrilla warfare campaign against the government, the report said.
The rebels believe they can attack the security forces anywhere and at any time as well as create more casualties in retaliatory strikes, it said.
Meanwhile, Rookman Daemahreng, 22, an undercover intelligence agent with the 38th Narathiwat Task Force, has been found shot dead by suspected insurgents in Narathiwat's Rangae district.
Rookman's body was discovered yesterday by a resident in a rubber plantation. He is believed to have been dead for three days.
bangkokpost.
Ranger killed in Pattani
11/06/2010 at 11:42 AM
A paramilitary ranger was shot dead in front of a motorbike repair shop in Mayo district of Pattani province on Friday morning.
Pol Col Tani Ramdit, chief of Mayo district police, said Madari Sa-o, 29, attached to the 44th Ranger Regiment, was killed by shot in the head from a 9mm handgun as he was putting air in his motorcycle tyres at the repair shop on Mayo-Palas road in tambon La-nga.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Yala Islamic leader condemns bomb attack in front of central mosque
09 June 2010
The Yala Islamic leader Wednesday condemned Muslim insurgents for launching a bomb attack in front of the central mosque in the province Tuesday night.
The attack at 7:30 pm injured six people.
Authorities said two men riding pillion on a motorbike tossed a fragmentation grenade at a moving military vehicle. But the grenade failed to go off upon impact and bounced back on the road where it explode, injuring the six local residents.
Abdulrohmae Jaesae, chairman of the Yala Islamic Committee, said he had never imagined that the insurgents would have launched an attack within the area of the religious place.
"This severely affected the morale local people because the assailants launched an attack within an important area of the province," the Islamic leader said.
"I would like to condemn the assailants. Their act did not only injure innocent people but the act was committed near the crucial religious place where no violent incident should have taken place."
nationmultimedia.
Bomb blast near mosque wounds 23 in restive southern Thailand; teen girl in critical condition
09 June 2010
PATTANI, Thailand (AP) — A drive-by bombing near a mosque wounded 23 people in Thailand's turbulent south in what police said Wednesday was an attack by Muslim insurgents.
Witnesses saw two men on a motorcycle throw an improvised explosive device at a government pickup truck in Yala town Tuesday evening, but the bomb missed the vehicle and landed just across the street from the mosque, Police Superintendent Col. Piyawat Chalermsri said.
Most of those hurt were Muslims. Two victims were in intensive care, including a 14-year-old girl in critical condition.
Thailand's southernmost provinces, the only ones with Muslim majorities in the predominantly Buddhist country, have been gripped for the past six years by a separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 4,000 lives.
Southern Muslims have long complained of being treated as second-class citizens, and the government has put more effort into suppressing the insurgency than dealing with the root causes of their disaffection.
Piyawat said he believed Islamist insurgents targeting the government were behind Tuesday's bombing. Surveillance video broadcast on Thai TV stations showed an explosion seconds after an army truck drove by a teahouse.
However, one analyst was skeptical about the government claim because no previous attacks had been carried out in that area of Yala, which is a wholly Muslim sector filled with people going to the mosque.
Buddhist vigilantes in the region have also been known to carry out attacks seeking revenge against Muslims.
"This smells very fishy," said Don Pathan, a journalist and co-author of a recent book on the southern insurgency. "It doesn't make sense that this is an insurgent-related attack."
foxnews.
Grenade attack on soldiers in Yala's Old Market
09 June 2010
Six people were injured Tuesday night when a grenade exploded on the main road in Yala's section of predominantly Malay Muslim residential area.
Authorities said two men riding pillion on a motorbike tossed a fragmentation grenade at a moving military vehicle. But the grenade failed to go off upon impact and bounced back on the road where it explode, injuring the six local residents.
The attack took place at about 19:30 hrs, which is one of the business time of the day when local residents stroll up and down the street's food stalls, restaurants and teashops in this neighbourhood where insurgent attacks are rare.
A senior government officials said authorities have been on high alert for fear of retaliation following the Monday assassination of Ustaz Mae, a prominent Muslim cleric in Yala's Banang Sata district believed to have been killed by government death squad.
Moreover on May 30, there was also the questionable death of a suspected militant, Sulaiman Naesa, who died in his detention cell eight days after he was taken to the Fourth Army Forward Command in Pattani where he was being questioned about insurgency activities in the region.
Yala is one of the three southernmost provinces that has come under a spate of attack since this wave of violence broke out in late 2001 but picked up the pace in 2004. More than 4,100 people have died since January 2004 in insurgency related incidents.
Most of the victims are ethnic Malays. Police blamed a shadowy militant network of separatists bent on carving out a separate homeland for the Malays in the three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
nationmultimedia.
Three hurt in shooting, knife attacks
9/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
A married couple have been shot and seriously wounded and a female vendor stabbed in separate attacks in Pattani's Thung Yang Daeng district.
The couple were ambushed yesterday morning as they were on their way to tap rubber in a plantation at Ban Saraphi.
Anan Salae, 39, was shot in the head and critically injured while his wife Sunisa Pudpor, 41, received a serious gunshot wound to her right leg.
Vendor Jaruwan Sarit, 32, was attacked while she was riding her motorcycle to sell yoghurt in Ban Paseputeh.
Two men on a motorcycle followed her before the pillion rider stabbed her in the neck with a knife.
In Yala, local authorities plan to train villagers' dogs to sniff out explosives following a recent booby-trap bomb attack in Than To district which left two rubber tappers seriously wounded.
Than To district chief Surachai Wongsupaluck said local officials told him that dogs raised by local residents could be trained to detect explosives.
Owners of rubber plantations earlier called for an increase in security for tappers after two received serious shrapnel wounds from a booby trap.
The Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre yesterday called a meeting of Islamic religious leaders in 13 districts of Narathiwat.
Kitti Surakhamhaeng, director of the centre's justice administration office, called the meeting with 77 Islamic leaders at a hotel in Narathiwat.
The meeting pointed to the May 19 dispersal of anti-government red shirt protesters as a lesson illustrating the repercussions of the lack of mediation between the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship and the government.
bangkokpost.
Tom yam link to Thai bombings
07 June 2010
(NST) KOTA BARU, Malaysia - Several Thais suspected to be involved in a series of bombings in the three southern provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala were believed to be posing as tom yam restaurant workers in several states in the peninsula.
Thai authorities have identified several tom yam restaurants in Malaysia who were working in cahoots with the suspects by hiring them, most of whom hold both the Malaysian and Thai citizenships.
Thai security sources believe the restaurant owners were also giving financial help to the separatist's groups.
"Our checks show that besides working at these restaurants, the suspects are also working at construction sites. Some of them entered Malaysia legally while the rest are illegals.
"It is believed that after carrying out attacks, the suspects would run across the border to Malaysia and hide from the Thai or Malaysian authorities."
The source added that the tom yam restaurant network started in Malaysia many years ago and it had been estimated that there were about 1,000 members.
Another Thai security source said they were trying to get the co-operation of the Malaysian authorities to investigate the matter.
"It is learnt that each restaurant owner contributed RM50 per month to the network and the money is used to finance the separatist's activities," he claimed.
The source said the network played an important role as it supplied financial aid to several separatist groups.
malaysia.
Insurgent shot dead outside his house in Narathiwat
6/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
A recently released convict involved in the southern insurgency has been shot dead in front of his home in Narathiwat's Yi-ngo district.
Police identified the dead man as Abdullah Dao, 34, who had been released from Narathiwat Provincial Prison a month ago after being jailed for stealing motorcycles in Muang district to sell to militants who would use them to stage roadside bomb attacks.
Abdullah was shot three times as he was leaving home.
He died instantly, police said.
Police found two spent shell casings from a shotgun and four unused shells, which the assailant might have left at the scene.
Meanwhile, in Pattani's Khok Pho district, police arrested a 19-year-old man, whose name was withheld, in connection with the murder on Thursday of Boonnam Yotnui, 41, a teacher at Ban Tha Khlong School.
Police said they were awaiting forensic test results to determine whether the man was involved in the killing.
Boonnam was killed by gunmen while travelling home from work on a motorcycle.
Boonnam had left school early before a security team that was scheduled to escort him home could do so.
The Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, which oversees security in the lower South, yesterday expressed condolences over the teacher's death and asked teachers to adhere to their travel schedules strictly to prevent future attacks.
Fourth Army commander Pichet Wisaijorn has instructed forces protecting teachers to step up their efforts to avoid similar incidents.
bangkokpost.
Bomb blasts injure 5 in lower South
3/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
A soldier in Yala and four police officers in Narathiwat have been injured in three bomb blasts as insurgent groups launch fresh attacks, police say.
A village head was also seriously injured in Narathiwat yesterday when he was ambushed by gunmen.
Sgt Ruangdet Pothi was wounded yesterday in a roadside bomb in Yala's Krong Pinang district.
Pol Cpl Sothaya Udli and Pol Cpl Wirapong Srisawas were injured in a bomb blast in Narathiwat's Bacho district.
Two other police officers, Pol L/C Pornchai Chanapote and Pol L/C Rewat Pairin, sustained injuries in another bomb blast later in the morning while they were guarding Rajaprajanugroh9 school in the same district, police said.
Village head Nawi Waehama, 51, was seriously injured in Rueso district when he was ambushed by an unknown number of gunmen while driving his car home, police said.
There were up to 43 incidents reported of tyres burning, trees being felled and suspicious objects being found.
bangkokpost.
Police injured by bomb blast in South
2/06/2010 at 09:41 AM
Two policemen providing security for teachers were wounded when a 5kg home-made bomb exploded in front of a school in Paluka Nako village of Narathiwat’s Bajoh district on Wednesday morning, police said.
The bomb victims, Pol Cpl Sonthaya Butlee and Pol Cpl Veerapong Srisawasdi of Bajoh police station, were admitted to Bajoh hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Policeman wounded in Pattani blast
1/06/2010 at 01:47 PM
A policeman was wounded by a bomb explosion on the Pattani-Narathiwat road in Sai Buri district of Pattani province on Tuesday.
Police said the mine planted on Highway 42 near Ba-ngo Bulong village was remotely activated by insurgents when a patrol car with six policemen on board passed over it.
Pol Cpl Manit Kaewpakdi, 28, was wounded in the neck.
bangkokpost.
Soldier loses foot in Yala explosion
1/06/2010 at 12:56 PM
A soldier was seriously injured by a bomb explosion in Yala's Raman district on Tuesday morning, police said.
Pol Lt Jirayu Poorahong of Raman district police station said M-Sgt Pisitpong Pimwapi, 49, was inspecting a cloth banner saying "Pattani State" put up near a mobile phone signal tower in tambon Kayu Boko when the bomb went off. It was apparently detonated remotely by mobile phone.
The explosion caused M-Sgt Pisitpong's right foot was severed from the ankle. He also lost some fingers from his right hand and was injured in his right eye.
Another soldier, Cpl Nampol Chanmanee, 32, suffered a minior concussion.
Col Banpot Poonpian, spokesman of the Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command, said this and other recent incidents in Yala were the work of insurgents who wanted to disrupt the Red Cross fair being held in the province.
bangkokpost.
Man found hanged
31/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
A suspect detained under the emergency decree in the restive lower South has been found hanged at Ingkhayutborihan military camp in Pattani.
Sulaiman Naesa, 23, from Pattani's Sai Buri district, was discovered yesterday hanging by a towel attached to a window bar in his room.
Police say his room showed no signs of a scuffle.
An initial investigation found Sulaiman probably committed suicide, they said. However, many who know him believe foul play was involved and are calling for an inquiry.
Sulaiman was arrested on May 22 at his house on suspicion of being an insurgent. His father, Jehwae Naesa, said he did not believe his son would commit suicide. "His body was bruised in several places. I want answers from authorities about what happened," he said.
Col Piyawat Nakvanich, chief of detention at the camp, said Sulaiman played sport and ate a meal with other detainees on Saturday night. Nothing seemed amiss. Yesterday morning when a staff member took breakfast to his room, he was found hanging.
bangkokpost.
Man, 50, shot dead at tea shop in violent day in South
30/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
A man has been shot dead by a suspected insurgent posing as a security officer in Pattani's Panare district.
Yusoh Bahtou, 50, was killed as he was drinking tea with friends in a tea shop.
Police said four attackers on two motorcycles stopped near the shop.
One of them, who openly carried an assault rifle, approached the shop, pulled out an 11mm pistol and shot Yusoh three times.
He died instantly, and the attacker returned calmly to his motorcycle.
Police were told that the way the man carried the weapon publicly had made onlookers think that he and the other three assailants were security officers.
Elsewhere in the province, an M67 grenade was thrown into the health centre compound of tambon Pak Lor in Mae Laen district. No casualties were reported as the grenade failed to go off after it landed.
Police said four men arrived on two motorcycles and one threw the grenade into the centre after staff had left.
In Yala, Arnon Sakulthong, 19, a rubber tapper, was badly wounded by a booby-trap bomb in a rubber plantation in Than To district.
Mr Arnon lost his right ankle and sustained serious wounds to his other leg in the blast.
Police found the remains of electronic circuitry and shrapnel at the scene.
A couple were seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat's Waeng district.
Police identified the victims as Surin Musor, 34, and Narahae Jeh-sarae, 24, both goldsmiths.
bangkokpost.
Local official shot dead in Pattani
29/05/2010 at 09:15 AM
An official of Tambon Bor Hin Administration Organisation was killed in a shooting in Pattani’s Panare district on Saturday morning, police said.
Yusoh Masoo was attacked by four men on two motorcycles who sprayed bullets from M16 assault rifles at him while he was sitting in a tea shop at Bor Hin Village of the Panare district.
He was shot several times in the body and died at the scene.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Councillor hurt in blast
28/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : A municipal councillor was injured when a bomb mounted on a motorcycle exploded in Si Sakhon district.
Police said Abdul Suko, 38, a councillor with the tambon Si Sakhon municipality, was hit by shrapnel from the blast as he was having lunch yesterday at a food shop close to the district office.
Chaichana Kongchamnan, 40, told police he saw a teenager park a motorcycle in front of his convenience store and disappear.
Six soldiers arrived a few minutes later and parked their motorcycles near the motorcycle left by the teenager while they went to buy newspapers. Mr Chaichana said the blast damaged the motorcycles and goods in his shop, but the soldiers were unharmed.
Police inspecting the area said the bomb was contained in a 5kg metal case, which was hidden under the motorcycle seat. It was detonated by a mobile phone.
In Yala, police are gathering more clues to a series of bomb blasts in Nakhon Yala municipality on Wednesday.
Investigators found there had been three previous explosions outside the car showroom which was at the centre of the main blast on Wednesday, Yala police chief Sayan Krasaesaen said.
Wednesday's explosion outside the showroom was followed shortly afterwards by another blast about 50 metres away and several others further off.
Two people were killed in the blasts and 55 were injured.
Police have identified two suspects - Azori Uma and Arifin Bahae - and have found a motorcycle they believe was used in the attacks. The motorcycle had been stolen from a villager in the province last August.
They will call in the two witnesses fore questioning.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday said it was not always possible to keep up with those behind the attacks in the lower South.
In Pattani, police yesterday arrested Morhama Kade, 31, in connection with a bomb attack on April 21 in which a policeman was killed and 45 other officers injured in central Pattani.
Mr Morhama denied any involvement in the attack but was held for further questioning in connection with security breaches in 2008.
Meanwhile, soldiers clashed yesterday with a suspected Runda Kumpulan Kecil guerrilla group near a canal in Ban Bomi in Narathiwat's Rueso district.
The militants retreated after a five-minute exchange of fire and no casualties were reported.
bangkokpost.
How Thailand Can Avoid a New Insurgency
By Andrew Marshall
Bangkok Thursday, May. 27, 2010
This week's most depressing statistic comes courtesy of an unnamed Thai government source quoted in the Bangkok Post. The source reveals that the military had been willing to kill "between 200 and 300 people" and injure "several thousand" in its operation last week to storm the Red Shirt protest site in Bangkok's commercial district.
Compared with this grim estimate, the actual toll on May 19 — 15 dead, hundreds wounded — must seem almost satisfactory. But the official death toll from all clashes and bomb attacks since April 10, when the military botched an attempt to clear another Red Shirt protest site in old Bangkok, is hardly a cause for celebration: 85 are dead, and 1,402 have been injured.
Many Thais have compared recent events to "Black May" of 1992, the last time troops fired live rounds on Bangkok protesters. Back then, 48 people were killed, possibly many more. (The number is disputed.) But there is a much more recent example of the Thai military killing its own citizens, and one that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva might bear in mind as he tries to heal his divided country.
It was an atrocity that began as a protest. On October 25, 2004, hundreds of people gathered outside Tak Bai police station in the southern province of Narathiwat to protest the arrest of six local men.
Thailand is a predominantly Thai-speaking Buddhist country, but most people in its three southernmost provinces are Malay-speaking Muslims who have chafed against rule from faraway Bangkok for more than a century.
In January 2004, a raid on an army camp, also in Narathiwat, sparked a region-wide uprising against the government.
The events at Tak Bai quickly turned nasty. Protesters hurled rocks and reportedly tried to storm the police station. Police and soldiers opened fire, killing seven people, then arrested hundreds of protesters, most of them young Muslim men. With their hands bound behind their backs,
they were thrown five or six deep into military trucks. Seventy-eight of them suffocated or were crushed to death.
Though various insurgent groups had been violently resisting Bangkok's rule for decades, Tak Bai radicalized a new and arguably more ruthless generation of fighters. Harrowing footage of soldiers beating and kicking protesters, then tossing them into trucks,
was quickly banned by the authorities, but still secretly circulates through households in the south. Six years on, the ongoing conflict has killed more than 4,100 people, most of them civilians.
Tak Bai took place under former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose brutal policies helped ignite the southern insurgency. (On Wednesday, a Bangkok court issued an arrest for Thaksin on terrorism charges for allegedly masterminding the Red Shirts' violent resistance.) But it could still provide a lesson for Thailand's current leader.
Could the Rajaprasong crackdown radicalize the Reds as Tak Bai did the southern insurgents? Could Red strongholds in the north or northeast become no-go zones for soldiers and government officials, just as many districts in the southern provinces already are? After recent events in Bangkok, neither scenario feels so far-fetched. Politics is so polarized,
and both sides are evidently so willing to use deadly force, that many Thais fear that other parts of their nation could become "just like the south."
There is also another parallel. Part of Abhisit's post-Rajaprasong reconciliation plan is to set up what his government has called "an independent fact-finding committee" to investigate the recent violence. This is vital: Justice is a great healer, something Abhisit acknowledged just six months ago in a speech about the southern insurgency.
"A heavy presence of security forces was not the only answer to the conflict," he said in late November. "We believe in development and an unbiased justice system."
But biased justice — which of course is no justice at all — doesn't heal. It poisons. This is especially true when the main agents for maintaining law — soldiers and police — effectively remain above it. Again, consider Tak Bai: Almost a year ago, on May 29, 2009, a provincial court ruled that soldiers and police bore no responsibility for the protesters' deaths.
Predictably, a surge of violence followed the verdict, both by Muslim insurgents and Buddhist vigilantes. It culminated less than two weeks later the slaying of 11 worshippers at Al-Farquan mosque in Narathiwat province — one of the deadliest attacks the south has ever witnessed. A police investigation of the attack implicated pro-government militiamen.
By promising "unbiased justice" but presiding over further atrocities, Abhisit has lost the south. Without a full and impartial investigation of the recent deadly clashes in Bangkok, he might yet lose the rest of the country. Both Thai and international human rights activists, including New-York based Human Rights Watch,
have called for an independent inquiry to scrutinize, among other highly contentious issues, the use of deadly force by both soldiers and armed Red Shirts.
Privately, however, they admit that such an inquiry might go nowhere. Abhisit is now engaged in two struggles: one against insurgents in the far south, the other against Red Shirts in the north and northeast. In both, he relies utterly upon the powerful Thai military. That's why he might be reluctant to offend the top brass by investigating the actions of their soldiers.
This would be a mistake. "It's in the interests of a united Thailand to come up with a credible inquiry," says Sunai Phasuk, a researcher with the New-York based Human Rights Watch. "Without justice and accountability there can be no reconciliation."
Here's another body count: 19. That's how many lives the southern conflict has claimed in Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani provinces from April 10 to May 19.
During the same period, four times that number died in Bangkok, but only for those six angry weeks. The people of southern Thailand have been dying by the thousands for years,
and, with yet another government in faraway Bangkok distracted by its own political survival, will probably be dying for many years to come.
time.
One wounded in Narathiwat bombing
27/05/2010 at 03:27 PM
A member of a municipal council was wounded by a motorcycle bomb that exploded in Sisakhon district of Narathiwat on Thursday morning.
Pol Lt Sirak Boonyak, duty officer at Sisakhon district police station, said the attack occurred about 10am in front of a grocery shop about 80 metres from the district office.
Chaichana Kongchamnan, 40, the shop owner, told police he saw a young man park a motorcycle in front of his shop and walk away.
A bomb hidden in the motorcycle exploded after six soldiers of Narathiwat Task Force 37 arrived on three motorcycles and walked into the shop to buy newspapers. He believed the bomb was remotely detonated.
The explosion seriously injured Abdul Suko, a member of the municipal council from tambon Sisakhon, who was eating in another shop on the other side of the road.
The six soldiers, the likely targets, were not hurt in the explosion.
bangkokpost.
Two dead, dozens hurt in twin blasts in Thai south
May 26, 2010, 4:55 pm
YALA, Thailand (AFP) - Twin bomb blasts rocked a town in Thailand's south on Wednesday, killing two people and wounding dozens in the latest violence of a six-year insurgency, police and hospital staff said.
The rebellion across the southern provinces by a shadowy band of separatist Islamists fighting for greater autonomy in the area bordering Malaysia has left more than 4,100 people dead.
There have been fewer attacks recently in the south because insurgents knew their cause had been overshadowed by two months of deadly anti-government protests in Bangkok, said analyst Srisompob Jitpiromya at Deep South Watch.
At least 55 people were wounded -- five seriously -- in the blasts in Yala, the main town in the province of the same name, said the provincial hospital.
The bombs were hidden on motorcycles and exploded near the business district of the town, police said, pointing the finger at Islamist militants.
"Provincial authorities had been warned of the attack beforehand, but the warning was for May 28 to 30," said Krisada Boonrach, the Yala governor.
"Currently there is an 11-day provincial fair until June 5 and as security is strict in the town centre, the militants chose to attack in the outer part of town," he added.
The first bomb detonated at 10:15 am (0315 GMT) in front of a car showroom and the second went off close by ten minutes later, wounding rescue workers and police who had come to investigate the first attack.
The rebels have targeted both Buddhists and Muslims with shootings, bombings and gruesome methods such as beheadings and crucifixions.
There is no link to the anti-government "Red Shirt" protests in the Thai capital, which were broken up last week by the army and had sparked several outbreaks of violence that left 88 people dead since mid-March.
"In the last few days they've tried to increase their operations because the situation in Bangkok has quieted down," said Srisompob of Deep South Watch, an independent monitoring group.
"In the coming days or weeks maybe there will be more attacks. That is part of the political tactics of the insurgency," he added.
The region was an autonomous Malay Muslim sultanate until it was annexed in 1902 by mainly Buddhist Thailand and tensions have bubbled there ever since, escalating into the current insurgency in January 2004.
Successive governments have struggled to contain the unrest in the southern provinces, where emergency rule has been imposed for nearly five years.
Rights groups have however blamed the continued state of emergency for encouraging a culture of impunity for alleged rights abuses by the security forces.
yahoo.
Colonel rejects claims rebels are targeting health officials
24/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
The army has rejected reports that health officials are the main target of insurgents trying to instigate violence in the troubled southern border region.
Col Panpote Poolpien, a spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command in the lower South, said the strategy of the separatists remained unchanged: They attack "all soft targets".
The spokesman referred to unarmed officials and people who are otherwise vulnerable.
Concern about the safety of health officials has risen after suspected insurgents shot and killed five people over the weekend, including a pregnant Muslim woman, in the latest bout of violence.
Maj Narathip Kaewthaworn, 48, was shot dead on Saturday while riding a motorcycle from her house in Khok Pho district in Pattani to work at Ingkayuthaboriharn Hospital inside an army camp in Nong Chik district.
Two Muslim women, one aged 52 and the other a 25-year-old who was six months pregnant, were both shot in the head while they were riding home from a market in Yala. Both died instantly, the police said.
Two men, aged 25 and 27, were killed later on Saturday by militants on a pickup truck on a road in Narathiwat.
In Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has urged the Organisation of Islamic Conference to broaden its cooperation with Thailand in various fields in order to build and strengthen relationships with Thai Muslims rather than focusing on a single issue.
"We believe that there is much more that we can do together," Mr Kasit said.
"Many of the the OIC's objectives are areas where Thailand could lend its expertise, such as agriculture, food security, public health, halal industry, tourism, sustainable development and sufficiency economy."
Thailand, with almost 10 million Muslims, has been observing OIC activities since 1998.
Mr Kasit was at the OIC meeting last week to lobby the association not to mention problems in southern Thailand in its statements.
But he accepted the issues of Thai Muslims in the southernmost region were highlighted at the meeting because there had been no progress on the investigations of various cases.
They included the disappearance of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit, the massacre at Tak Bai district in Narathiwat in 2004 and the killing at the Krue Se mosque in Pattani's Muang district in the same year.
"The Foreign Ministry will ask for cooperation from various agencies like the police, prosecutors and court to expedite the progress of investigation without interference," he said.
Trying to solve the problem in the southern region was a top priority of the government, he said.
bangkokpost.
Statement by Secretary General of the organization of the Islamic conference at the 37th session of the council of foreign ministers
Date: 18/05/2010
DUSHANBE– REPUBLIC OF TAJIKISTAN
4-6 JUMADUL THANI 1431 H
(18-20 MAY 2010)
By Patanipost 23 May 2010
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am deeply honoured and privileged to welcome you at the opening of this important 37th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, hosted in this beautiful city of Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan.
I avail myself of this opportunity to salute the people of Tajikistan. My thanks and gratitude go to His Excellency Emomali Rahman, the honourable leader of this great country, for patronizing this important conference, and for the enormous efforts he and his government have deployed to ensure the adequate and smooth running of the proceedings of this ministerial meeting.
I would also like to put on record our thanks and gratitude to the Syrian Arab Republic, its people and government, for their dedicated and constructive efforts in hosting the 36th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers. We also acknowledge and value their chairing of the subsequent activities and meetings, as well as for their positive contribution to the consolidation of the joint Islamic action over the past year.
Honourable Ministers
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Allow me at the outset, and as the OIC has moved to a new headquarter in Jeddah, put at our disposal by a generous gesture of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, I would like on behalf of all of you to record our deep thanks, appreciation and gratitude to His Majesty and to the government of Saudi Arabia. The new premises allows us to work in more comfortable surrounding and more favourable atmosphere. This noble gesture is supplemented by His Majesty’s most generous gift of building a new, up to date and splendid headquarter for the Organisation. The work on this superb edifice is progressing. I would like, in this context, to renew to the Custodian of the Two Holy mosques, on your behalf, our gratefulness and sincere gratitude.
Before I go to any other business, I would like to share with you the sadness and sorrow on the passing away of the late Nigerian President Umaru Musa YARADUA, who died on 5th May 2010 as a result of long illness. At this sad occasion I would like on behalf of all member states to express to the people and government of Nigeria and the family of the defunct President our profound and sincere condolences at this great loss to Nigeria, the family of the OIC and Africa.
The late President YERADUA will be always remembered for his vision and commitment to deepen Nigeria’s OIC relations, and for his valuable services to the Ummah. He has devoted great attention to the question of peace and security in Africa and beyond, and was keen to consolidate democracy and good governance in his country and in OIC Member States. We fondly remember his sincere friendship and wise leadership as a great statesman. We pray to God to bestow His mercy upon him. I would like you to join me in reciting the Fatiha on his soul.
Honourable Ministers
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
The Dushanbe meeting is all the more important as it is the first CFM held in one of OIC Member States from Central Asia, which joined our ranks after achieving their independence. We warmly welcome them, and pin the hope that the five Muslim sister countries, given their glorious past in enriching Islamic civilization, will become a driving force to strengthen our organization and consolidate Islamic solidarity.
The chronicles of the history of Islam bear an eloquent testimony to the abounding wealth of cultural and the edifying legacy, conferred to the Islamic civilization, by the illustrious sons of this region of Islamic world, who were true trailblazers of ingenuity in knowledge and scholarship it is this knowledge and scholarship that prompted one of the renowned and acclaimed sons of this region, Abu Abdullah Jaafar Rodaki known as the Sultan of poets, to say during the mid of the 3rd Hijri century the following:-
“It is knowledge and scholarship that kindle the flame of the heart, and with this illumination shield from evil, all humans”.
Today, we meet in Dushanbe at a crucial time of the history of Islam and Muslims. At this defining moment we stand at a critical cross-road. We are facing daunting challenges which target our identity, our faith, our culture, our interests, and more importantly, our destiny. In the face of this mounting menace, I have committed myself to summon all my energy and resources, and those of my colleagues in the General Secretariat, to do our utmost - at our level - to stand up to these challenges.
Beginning from the interior front, and over the last few years, we have made it possible for the standard of the Organisation to expand and broaden in scope, extent and amplitude. The long awaited reforms of the Organisation have already taken roots. The activities of the General Secretariat were enhanced and diversified. Innovative approaches to better conduct our works were introduced. As a result, OIC performance has witnessed instant rise in serving and championing Muslim causes and concerns. The stature of the Organisation, in the eyes of the world, has been raised and elevated. Our voice became more respected, and our efficacy became firmly entrenched.
A remarkable achievement was realized when we have managed to consolidate and unify the voting pattern of our member states in international fora, on core issues of interest. In so doing, we have created a powerful voting block of our 57 countries, making their approval almost indispensible for the adoption of major international decisions or resolutions. In this context, I would like to seize this opportunity to appeal to Your Excellencies, to urge your representatives in international fora to stay the course in respecting the voting pattern agreed upon by the OIC official meetings, or by the OIC groups abroad.
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Over the past few years, and in a bid to stem the tide of Islamophobia, we undertook direct contacts with many members of Western Foreign Ministers. We approached senior officials, academics and intellectuals in Europe and the United States. Among those contacted are Foreign Ministers of Switzerland, France, Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, Spain, Holland, Finland and the USA. These efforts also included the ranking officials of the relevant International Organisations in the West. Among those addressed, are the European Union, the Organisation of the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Human Rights Institutions, UNESCO, Research Centres, and fora of dialogue among civilization based in the West, and UN “alliance of civilization” with which we have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding.
As for the United States, we took advantage of Mr. Obama election as President to address to him an open letter at the first day of his inauguration. In this letter we conveyed to him a plea of goodwill through ushering in a new era of mutual understanding and cooperation between his country and the Muslim world. Our call met with positive response manifested in President Obama speech at Cairo University. Our contact with the American side continued unabated at high level. I met U.S. Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Clinton at the U.S. State department in Washington D.C. alongwith a high ranking OIC delegation. Very fruitful discussion took place on issues pertaining to the Muslim world and Muslim causes. A top priority was reserved for the questions of Palestine, Jerusalem, Afghanistan, Islamophobia etc.
Mrs. Clinton returned our visit by visiting the OIC headquarters in Jeddah at the head of U.S. high-level delegation on 16 February 2010. An important meeting took place, addressing the major issues of the Muslim world. She also introduced, on this occasion, Mr. Rashad Hussain the new special Envoy of President Barak Obama to the OIC.
These activities were supplemented by numerous contacts with eminent U.S. figures from civil societies, research centers and think tanks in both New York and Washington D.C. Among them Brooking Institution, U.S. Institute for peace in Washington, George Town University and the U.S. National Press Club and wide range of similar centers. These activities has had positive effects on the relations between the Muslim world and the U.S. in particular.
Honourable Ministers
Ladies and Gentlemen
We were gravely upset by the decision to ban the building of minarets in Switzerland, which came as a result of a referendum approved by the Swiss people, and became a law. I had many meetings with the Swiss Foreign Minister on this issue since 2007. The Swiss government indicated that they were against the ban, but cannot reverse the outcome of the referendum. We perceived this act as an ominous paradigm shift, raising the manifestations of Islamophobia in Europe from the level of individuals to that of laws. It has also institutionalized and constitutionalised prejudice against Muslims and contravened Muslims’ human rights regarding their liberty of religion.
We have called for a meeting of the permanent representatives of member states, which convened on January 31st. The meeting denounced the new Swiss law as a discriminatory act that should be repealed. The new Swiss law has engendered grave ramification. In fact, the hate wave against Islam and Muslim immigrants became a “political commodity” and a “winning chip” in the hands of political parties during their election campaigns. Given the gravity of the situation and as we look and work for the future, I would like to say that achieving any real progress in this area needs a direct and dedicated interaction on the part of Member States with the officials of the West. I would, therefore, suggest that a high level ministerial meeting be convened to evolve an Islamic plan for interaction with the West, regarding Islamophobia, and defending our just causes and in facing up to the mounting hate wave against Islam. I also suggest that the question of Islamophobia be included in all member states’ interactions wi
th their Western counterparts.
Honourable Ministers
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The situation in Palestine and the city of Al Quds Al Sharif are going from bad to worse since the coming to power of the Israeli radical right-wing parties. Those parties came with a declared agenda to confiscate the maximum of the Palestinian occupied territories, building settlement on them, and completing the judausation of the holy city of Al Quds.
The new situation calls for a firm and united stand on the part of all Muslim countries, before it is too late. At our level we have held a ministerial meeting of the OIC Executive Committee on the first of November 2009 to examine this serious matter. We dispatched a joint OIC/IDB mission to Al Quds to gain information on the general conditions in the sectors of housing, education, health and the social status of the Palestinians in East Jerusalem. We started to finance certain priority projects in the vital sectors of that holy city. Moreover, I sent urgent messages to scores of Ministers of leading countries of the world drawing their attention to the unfolding and explosive new situation there.
In the aftermath of the Israeli aggression on Gaza strip, we sent relief caravans and medical supplies to the inhabitants of the strip. On the political front we have called for an urgent meeting of the UN Human Right Council to examine the Israeli aggression. We succeeded in convincing the Council to dispatch a UN fact finding mission to Gaza, led by the International Judge Goldstein. We worked hard to have the report of Judge Goldstein adopted by the Council and to be referred to the United Nations as a preliminary step towards handing it over to the international Criminal Court.
In Iraq, we have welcomed the legislative elections which was carried out in adequate manners. We regret that forming a new government has entered in a protracted process of contentions. I would like to appeal to the Iraqi leadership to cooperate and join forces in setting up a new government, and avoid creating any political vacuum during this critical and unstable circumstances.
The situation in Somalia is still very elucive and perilous. The onslaught of the rebel groups has foiled all attempts to put an end to the civil strife. We hosted at the OIC headquarters the 16th Meeting of the UN International Contact Group on Somalia in December last. I appeal to all Member States to extend every material and political support to the Somali strategic plan for 2010 on recovery and construction. Another high segment meeting of UN international contact group on Somalia is scheduled to be held in Istanbul during this month.
We feel tormented to see Afghanistan going through the agony of a protracted war since more than eight years. I have already declared that the military approach in Afghanistan will not yield a lasting solution. The solution in our view resides in reaching a comprehensive settlement that combines the political, economic, social and cultural dimensions on the ground. Afghanistan needs a joint Islamic effort. I would be happy to receive proposals to that effect from member states. I think that the proposal of the United Arab Emirates to designate an OIC special envoy to Afghanistan and to reopen the OIC Office in Kabul is pertinent and worthy of considering. From my side I have had a number of contacts with Afghanistan neighbouring countries to set up a joint regional committee, whose task would be to help in establishing a process that would facilitate the efforts leading to reconciliation. This action may pave the way to reaching solution, promoting peace, and favouring development and reconstructions.
As for Sudan, we have welcomed and appreciated the progress achieved by the Doha peace process in Darfur to which the OIC was a party. We have also welcomed the legislative and Presidential elections which took place in the Sudan. It is our hope that this election will move Sudan forward on the road of democracy. As Sudan is heading toward an important referendum next year, I would like to appeal to all Sudanese to earnestly rally their efforts to preserve the unity of their country. On the other hand, I would like to state that the OIC along with the governments of Egypt and Turkey have co-organized a donor conference for the benefit of development and reconstructure in Darfur. Almost nine hundred million dollars were pledged to that purpose.
In Kashmir, the OIC has constantly expressed its concern over the absence of any significant progress in implementing the U.N. Security Council decision on the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people. A new representative of the OIC Secretary General for Jammu and Kashmir was recently nominated, and will be visiting the area in the near future. And as for Azerbaijan, we support the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and call for speedy implementation of the relevant UN Security Council on this issue.
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies
The case of Muslim minorities and communities outside OIC Member States attracts our attention and interest. In this context we carry out a wide range of contacts with senior officials in host countries and with the representative of Islamic communities outside the OIC Member States.
Among the key activities figuring in this domain are, inter alia, the situations in the Southern Philippine and Thailand. Moreover, we put forth serious efforts to look after the Muslim minorities in Europe, North America, the region of the Caucasus, the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, autonomous province of Uygur, Bulgaria, Myanmar etc.
Honourable Ministers
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the economic field, we have been able to develop the necessary framework for a common regime of preferences, with the entry into force on 5 February 2010 of the Protocol on the Preferential Tariff Scheme (PRETAS). With this success, we have been able to lay the necessary foundation for an integrated OIC economic system. The volume of intra-trade among Member States has grown from 14.5% in 2004 to 16.60% in 2009.
It is my hope that the resumption of the trade negotiation rounds, after the coming into force of the additional agreement on the Rule of Origin, would reinforce our collective desire to create a dynamic multilateral framework for a real economic cooperation and coordination in the OIC Member States. This will give expression to the vision of creating a growth–oriented and vibrant economy in the OIC Member States. The last session of COMCEC and the Economic Summit which were held consecutively in Istanbul to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of this committee had rekindled the hopes of attaining the various targets set for the consolidation of material cooperation and solidarity in action among Member States. In this context, I would like to hail the efforts of the government of Turkey for its unceasing support in facilitating trade negotiations which yielded concrete results.
Poverty alleviation remains one of the key themes of the OIC economic cooperation agenda. The various poverty alleviation programmes have continued to address the condition of the poor and vulnerable groups of our countries. I should also mention the ongoing efforts to implement the Dakar –Port Sudan Railway Project, which remains one of our flagship projects, following the success of the ministerial meeting of the 13th countries participating in the project which was held in Khartoum.
I would like at this juncture to commend the efforts of the OIC institutions and organs such as the COMCEC, the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Centre for the Development of Trade, the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and training Centre for Islamic Countries, and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
As for the OIC humanitarian activities, it is worth noting that the institutional work has been completed for the establishment of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (ICHAD). To this end, many initiatives and activities have been undertaken in the Swat Valley in Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Comoros, Darfur, Somalia, Banda Aceh in Indonesia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Gaza, Yemen and Sierra Leone. Furthermore, it is worth noting that more intra-OIC coordinated efforts are needed to increase awareness with regard to natural disasters.
The Islamic Solidarity Fund has witnessed a new fresh start after the nomination of a new Executive Director. The new agreements concluded with various philanthropic organizations on cooperation and mutual financings of some projects have enhanced the capacity of the fund allowing it to further its activities in many domains and in many OIC countries. This was possible thanks to the generous contributions of a number of OIC member states. I would like to appeal to the Member States that did not contribute to the fund to do so.
I would like to invite your kind attention to the utmost importance we attach to implementing the Ten Year Programme of Action. And you are no doubt aware that proper implementation of this Programme is a unique historical occasion for the Islamic Ummah, and for its progress and development to meet the challenges of our time.
At the level of the General Secretariat, we have proceeded on implementing almost all the required tasks assigned to us by the Ten Years Programme of Action. A new Charter had been written, examined, adopted and entered into force and signed by 41 Member States. Then we turned to discharge our duties of implementing the new requirement of the new charter such as the establishment of independent permanent commission of human rights and the draft rules on observer status. Consensus texts were drafted and thoroughly examined by official experts of Member States and are ready for your consideration. The establishment of the independent permanent commission on human right will be hailed and well received mainly human right circles. It will be a major achievement in the annals of the OIC.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Dialogue among civilizations is central and a priority on the OIC’s agenda. We have remained focused on and have participated in various fora to highlight the importance of dialogue in combating intolerance and hatred. We have welcomed and supported the initiative of His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on interfaith dialogue and disseminated its message through our activities on dialogue among civilizations.
The initiative is, rightly, considered the highest and most effective one presented by the Muslim world. It has obtained wide spread recognition and acclaim. We have also engaged with leading Western organizations in this field, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR).
We remain closely involved with the UN Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) with a view to strengthening dialogue among civilizations. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and the visit of the AoC High Representative, Mr Jorge Sampao,
to the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, bear testimony to the growing cooperation between the OIC and the AoC.
In this context, the OIC has called for and hosted the 1st Meeting of the AoC Focal Points of the OIC Member States last month. I am pleased to inform you that the General Secretariat is also actively involved in holding a sideline event during the 3rd AoC Annual Forum to be held in Rio de Janeiro later this month in cooperation with the Council of Bureau Turkey and Spain. Another seminar on Islamophobia will be held during the OSCE meeting in Astana to be held in next June.
On the same lines, we are taking measures to intensify our engagement with the international media. We will organize this year a follow up on the 2007 Baku Media Conference to be held under the title: “Media as Bridge among Civilizations”. We have completed the restructuring of the International Islamic News Agency (IINA) and are currently in the process of finalizing the restructuring of the Islamic States Broadcasting Union (ISBU).
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
The General Secretariat took the initiative in drawing up the OIC draft Plan of Action for Advancement of Women (OPAAW), which was deliberated by Member States and adopted by the last Council of Foreign Ministers session. In the same vein, the Council has also approved the establishment of a Women Development Organization to be based in Cairo. I am confident that the draft statute of the organization will be adopted by the present meeting.
Another Ministerial Conference on “Women’s Role in Development of OPIC Member States,” will also be held in Iran during this year, while similar activities took place concerning youth and children.
On the other hand, we have managed to upgrade the performance of the two OIC Universities in Niger and Kampala as well as the Islamic University of Technology in Dhaka. I would also like to praise the efforts of the OIC organs active in the field of cultural and social affairs, particularly the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, ISESCO, IRCICA, Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation and the Islamic Conference Youth Forum on Dialogue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC).
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the field of Dawa, the OIC has sought to bring together Islamic institutions and organizations specialized in Dawa activities under its umbrella in the framework of the Committee on the Coordination of Joint Islamic Action in the Field of Dawa. This Coordination Committee has started to put in place a number of executive programmes, including the establishment of a short wave and FM radio station to broadcast to Africa.
The seventeenth session of the Coordination Committee to be held in Brazil in May 2010, will consider Dawa issues in Latin America.
In the field of Science and Technology, a meeting took place recently at the General Secretariat and brought together OIC specialized institutions on science and technology, higher education, health and the environment. The aim of the meeting was to review achievements and assess challenges facing the General Secretariat.
Our leaders recognized the urgent need to bridge the gap between our Member States and the advanced countries and decided in the OIC Ten Years Programme of Action to allocate 2% of their GDP for investment in Research and Development. We have also success stories in the area of health which include eradication of polio, and malaria campaign as well as in the domain of mother and child care.
All the aforementioned progress and achievements were possible thanks to your trust in us, and thanks to your wise guidance and sound decisions and resolutions. We can only promise you to stay the course, redouble our efforts and deepen our dedication to work deligently on all levels and in all fields. The present international context in which we act is not easy. It is crammed and riddled with hardships, adversity and challenges.
The only arm in our hands is our unity, loyalty to our causes, and the solidarity that we display here whenever we take common decision or action. But above all and what remains more paramount is our profound believe in our Ummah, its greatness and strength and in its bright future.
oic.
Two villagers shot dead in Yala
22/05/2010 at 04:07 PM
Two women were killed in a drive-by shooting in Yala’s Muang district on Saturday afternoon, Yala police said.
The two victims were attacked on the Yala-Baan Niang road at Tha Talad village of Muang district. They died at the scene.
No details of the dead villagers were given.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Thailand - Statement by His Excellency Mr. Kasit Piromya Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand at the 37th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM 37) Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan 20 May 2010
Mr. Chairman,
Mr. Secretary General,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
22 May 2010
It gives me great honour to be here amongst such distinguished gathering at this important meeting in Dushanbe, the Islamic Culture Capital of 2010. First and foremost, may I reiterate the sentiments already expressed by all our colleagues, by thanking the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for the warm hospitality and the excellent arrangements. My thanks go also to the OIC Secretary General and the General Secretariat for the close cooperation and continued support extended to Thailand over the past years.
I wish to also take this opportunity to express my appreciation to all my colleagues here who have expressed empathy and inquired about the situation in Bangkok. Your understanding and support at this testing time is overwhelming, and I can reassure you that the Thai Government is doing everything it can to seize control of the situation, while minimizing the loss of lives, and restore peace and normalcy to our country.
Mr. Chairman,
Meetings such as this allows us, Members and Observers alike, to come together to promote better understanding, share experiences, and enhance cooperation for the mutual benefit of the world Muslim community as a whole. Thailand is proud to be an Observer of the OIC, and we are honoured that since gaining the Observer status in 1998, we have constantly participated in OIC activities and continually intensifying our close collaborations with the OIC, member countries and the Muslim world at large.
As home to almost 10 million Muslims, Thailand is proud of our Muslim community, who has harmoniously coexisting with Thais of other faiths for centuries. The over 3,000 mosques all over the country is a testament to the freedom enjoyed by the Thai Muslims to practice their faith without any inhibitions or restriction, and today more than ever, our Muslim brothers are engaged at all levels in all spectrum of the Thai society, contributing tremendously to the development of our country, while enriching our society and history in the process.
The present Government is determined to promote and protect the interests of our Muslim community by stepping up efforts to support good Muslim life, in areas such as Islamic education, Islamic Bank, Halal industry and the Haj pilgrimage. We are thus thankful that these efforts have been supported by many OIC countries, and we are also grateful for the various assistance rendered to us by the OIC member countries, such as scholarships and funding for academic and religious institutions.
Mr. Chairman,
Thailand also appreciates and supports the OIC’s call for commitment to a shared vision of security and prosperity – the core message of this year’s meeting.
Our Meeting is taking place at a time when the world is standing at a crucial junction. The issues that are being discussed ; economic meltdowns, global warming, Islamophobia, poverty eradication, drug trafficking, nuclear weapons, terrorism amongst others - are issues that affect each and every one of us to a varying degree, regardless of our geographical location, faith or race. These trans-border issues cannot be dealt with by any one country alone, but it needs concerted effort and solidarity.
Thailand shares many common interests and aspirations with the OIC member countries. We want to achieve a more prosperous and peaceful world. We hope to live in peace and security, to have education and opportunities, to work with dignity pursue a better life, and seek a brighter future. We share a common mission in alleviating poverty and in fighting illiteracy and epidemic diseases and we have a common interest in handling the financial crisis, in confronting climate change as well as in defeating extremism and terrorism.
In that regard, Thailand has always been supportive of the Muslim world and the OIC’s important causes and undertakings. We also have a common interest in building a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and have been a consistent advocate of a just solution to the Palestinian cause based on the principle of Two–State Solution. We are deeply concerned with the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and in respect of the international humanitarian law and international human rights law, Thailand voted in support of the UNGA64 resolutions on Goldstone Report.
Thailand also fully supports the OIC’s efforts to fight violent extremism and reject attempts to identify terrorism with any religion or culture. Furthermore, we will continue to support the OIC’s noble cause in promoting dialogue among cultures, including our strong support of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative.
I believe that the vision we share and the world we seek could be achieved through a partnership of all nations.
Mr. Chairman,
Let me turn to the situation in the Southern border provinces of Thailand. Since the visit to Thailand of H.E. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in 2007, the Joint Press Statement agreed upon by the OIC and Thailand has laid the foundation for the close cooperation based on mutual understanding and respect.
Resolving the situation in the southern provinces remains the current Thai Government’s national priority, and we continue to adhere to the peaceful and reconciliatory approach based on His Majesty the King’s advice to “understand, reach out and develop”. Thailand has taken a number of initiatives since CFM36 in Damascus to further enhance our effort to reestablish peace and stability in the South.
The Government launched, on 12 October last year, the 4-year Development Plan for 5 Southern Border Provinces, with a budget of USD 2 billion. The Plan has set the target of almost doubling the income of the people through assistance in agricultural projects, where most importantly, implementation is done by adopting a “people-centred approach” in which the local communities at the village level will decide for themselves what kinds of projects to undertake.
On the issue of administrative reform, the draft Act on Administration in the Southern Border Provinces is now being deliberated in the Parliament, with inputs from the people from the Southern Border Provinces. Once approved, this legislation will formally establish the “Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre” to oversee and coordinate all development policy for the southern provinces, and provide for enhanced participation of the local population in governance and administration. This is a unique setup for Thailand, which demonstrates our recognition of the Provinces’ unique heritage and cultural identity.
We are also addressing a long-standing call to address the issue of language, and for the first time in history, the Thai government has facilitated the use of the local Malay language in public and educational premises. Since March of this year, 150 Thai-Malay interpreters are available in state hospitals, district offices, police stations. A pilot scheme to introduce bi-lingual Thai-Malay instruction has been implemented in 40 primary schools since last year, with an aim to gradual expansion to cover all public schools in the Southern Border Provinces. Moreover, a special education curriculum has been drawn up to integrate Islamic education into the general curriculum at secondary level.
To promote Islamic affairs, the Government has been working closely with prominent Islamic scholars and exchanging views with our friends in the OIC to study the possibility of expanding the application of Islamic law in civil cases related to family and inheritance matters throughout Thailand, in addition to its application in the four Southern Border Provinces since 1946.
Mr. Chairman,
Violent incidents continue to exact a heavy toll on the people of the Southern Border Provinces, despite the Government’s best efforts. This wanton violence cannot be justified and must be condemned. Legitimate and democratic means must be used to resolve political differences, not violence and intimidation. To help the victims of violence, the Thai government has allocated USD 30 million for rehabilitation and assistance, in the form of monthly monetary assistance, stipends and scholarships for the victims’ children. Psychological assistance centres will also be set up in all hospitals in the Southern Border Provinces by 2015.
The Government has placed utmost importance on good governance, transparency and accountability of state agencies and officials. A special committee has been set up in November 2009 to set the framework, unify the administration of complain procedures as well as expedite the administration of justice. The Government is engaging with civil society and non-governmental organizations to ensure fair and equal access of justice.
I, myself, had led diplomatic representatives from the international community, including those from the OIC to see for themselves the situation in the Southern Border Provinces, and none have returned without acknowledging the sincerity and openness of the Government’s efforts. We continue to welcome positive and constructive exchanges with our friends to help resolve the situation.
I can assure you that there is no previous Thai Government that upholds democracy, transparency and accountability as highly as this government. With integrated efforts of governmental agencies and full engagement of the local communities in all aspects of the Southern affairs, I am confident that security, justice and development will soon flourish in the
Southern Border Provinces of Thailand.
Mr. Chairman,
Having said all this, let me stress that the relationship between Thailand and the OIC shall not be defined by one single issue. We believe that our future cooperation should be wide-ranging and comprehensive. We believe that there is much more that we can do together. Many of the OIC’s objectives are areas where Thailand could offer its particular expertise. Those sectors include agriculture, food security, public health, Halal industry, tourism, sustainable development, and sufficiency economy.
We hope to expand our cooperation as well in non-political matters such as education and culture. For this, we are pleased that last February,
Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), visited Thailand to explore ways of expanding cooperation in the field of education for Thai Muslims. And following my meeting with him yesterday, I am delighted to inform you that Thailand and ISESCO share a common vision of education, scientific and cultural cooperation being at the core of future cooperation for the benefit of our Muslim communities.
We also hope to enhance our cooperation with specialized organs of the OIC such as the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC).
And therefore, we welcome that the OIC is now working to review the Rules for Observer Status to the OIC. We hope that the revised rules will adequately take into account the desirable roles and rights of Observer States. We also hope that this will afford the Observers, such as ourselves, to participate and contribute to the OIC work and activities and to contribute to the OIC vision as a true partner.
Mr. Chairman,
In conclusion, let me stress that Thailand is strongly committed to becoming an active Observer of the OIC. We look forward to working together with you to confront our common challenges, to seek new cooperation, and to live in peace, security and lasting prosperity, insha’allah.
Thank you for your kind attention.
isria.
Yala bomb blast wounds five soldiers
22/05/2010 at 09:15 AM
Five soldiers were injured by a roadside bomb explosion in Yala’s Krong Penang district on Saturday morning, reports said.
The suspected separatist militants detonated the bomb when the military patrol squad was passing on the intra-village road at Na Tham village of Krong Penang district.
After receiving report about the bomb attack, Pol Lt Sutichai Kammee, on duty office of Krong Penang police station, had led joint police and military force to the scene and tried to take the injured soldiers to Yala hospital. But the attempt failed as the militants cut trees to block the road.
However, the security force and local villagers had later managed to move the trees out and rush the bomb victims to hospital.
bangkokpost.
Nurse shot dead in Pattani
21/05/2010 at 01:07 PM
A senior nurse at the hospital inside Ingkayuth Boriharn military camp in Pattani was killed in a drive-by shooting in Pattani’s Thung Yangdaeng district on Friday morning, police said.
Maj Narathip Kaewthaworn, 47, was attacked while riding a motorcycle to the hospital on the Pattani-Yala road at Yangdaeng village of Thung Yangdaeng district by two men on a motorcycle.
She was shot in the head and pronounced dead soon after being taken to the nearby Khok Pho hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Five people shot dead in restive southern Thailand: Police
AFP, May 20, 2010, 06.21pm IST
NARATHIWAT: Five people have been shot dead in Thailand's troubled south, including three villagers and two Islamic militants hit in gunbattles with authorities, police said on Thursday.
In Yala province suspected insurgents killed a 46-year-old Muslim man in a drive-by shooting on Wednesday before setting him and his motorcycle alight. In the same district a Buddhist woman was shot dead in her grocery shop.
Early on Thursday, two Islamic militants were shot and killed in an hour-long clash with security officials in Narathiwat province.
Later in the same province, a 56-year-old Muslim man was shot dead in another drive-by shooting by militants, police said.
Police commander Major General Sayan Krasaesen instructed Yala police to be on high alert for insurgents seizing opportunities for attacks, after chaos ensued in Bangkok when the army cracked down on anti-government protesters.
More than 4,100 people have been killed in a six-year insurgency in the Muslim-majority southern provinces which border Malaysia, where the shadowy militant groups never publicly state their goals.
The region was an autonomous Malay Muslim sultanate until it was annexed in 1902 by mainly Buddhist Thailand and tensions have bubbled there ever since, flaring up into the current insurgency in January 2004.
indiatimes.
Militant killed in Narathiwat clash
19/05/2010 at 01:48 PM
A suspected separatist militant was shot dead in a clash with No 30 Narathiwat special military force in Narathiwat’s Rue Soh district early Wednesday afternoon, police said.
The military unit was ambushed by gunmen while they were surrounding Katong village in tambon Rue Soh of Rue Soh district to look for supporters of southern insurgents.
The soldiers fired back and after about a 10 minute of gun battle, they found the body of a suspected militant at the scene. No soldiers were hurt.
There were no further details.
bangkokpost.
More women join ranger units
19/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
Cabinet has approved plans to establish two more platoons of all-female rangers to reinforce troops in the lower South.
The 188 women would form the 6th and 7th ranger platoons of the 4th Army, which oversees security in the southern provinces, deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said after yesterday's cabinet meeting.
The Defence Ministry said violence in the insurgency-plagued lower South had dropped but the situation remained fragile.
The Budget Bureau has promised more than 28 million baht for the army's emergency reserve fund from this year's fiscal budget.
The army is expected to seek an additional amount of nearly 48 million baht to form the female ranger platoons in the coming fiscal year, Mr Supachai said.
In a related development, a joint force of 70 police and soldiers shot dead Sulaiman Suwae, 30, who is believed to be a key member of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil insurgency group in Yala's Bannang Sata district yesterday.
Sulaiman, who was the subject of many arrest warrants, is accused of involvement in the March 12 bomb attack which killed Yala police chief Sompien Eksomya and two aides.
The force sealed off the suspect's house in Ban Kamponglalae in tambon Bacho after receiving a tip-off from intelligence officers.
Sulaiman, carrying a 38-calibre pistol, fled from the house to a plantation and began shooting at the officers, who returned fire.
He was hit by bullets to the head and body during the five-minute gunfight.
Jirapong Chotiakaranit, 35, a civil engineering chief for the Tah Kam Sam Tambon Administration Organisation in Pattani's Khok Pho district, was shot dead yesterday by suspected insurgents while parking his pickup truck at the office.
Three assailants came on a motorcycle and the two pillion riders, one carrying a M16 rifle and the other a 9mm pistol, sprayed nearly 30 bullets at him. He died instantly.
bangkokpost.
Official shot dead in Pattani
18/05/2010 at 12:42 PM
The chief of the public works office of Tha Kam Sam tambon administration organisation in Nong Chik district of Pattani province was killed by gunmen on Tuesday.
Pol Lt-Col Veerachart Khuhamuk, deputy chief of district police, said the attack took place about 11am while Jirapong Choti-akranit, 35, chief of the public works office of Tha Kam Sam TAO, was driving a pick-up truck to his office along Hat Yai-Pattani road.
Three men followed him on a motorcycle and two opened fire at him with an M16 rifle and a 9mm pistol, killing him instantly.
Police were investigating the murder.
bangkokpost.
Village chief killed in Pattani
18/05/2010 at 11:29 AM
The village headman of Moo 7 tambon Phitain of Pattani’s Tung Yangdaeng was killed in an ambush on Tuesday morning, police said.
Abdulloh Mansamoh was attacked on an intra-village road at Buenae Lalae village in Pattani’s Kapor district.
He was shot several times in the body and died at the scene.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Man shot dead, 2 soldiers injured in blast
15/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
A man was shot dead and two soldiers were injured in separate insurgent attacks in the deep South yesterday.
In the first attack, a man in his 50s was shot dead while riding home on his motorcycle in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district.
Police identified the victim as Wae-ouseng Korleh, who worked at a public health centre in tambon Maruabo-ook.
Two attackers on a motorbike pulled up close to Wae-ouseng and the pillion passenger shot the victim several times with a 9mm pistol, police said.
He died at the scene after being hit in the head, abdomen and hand. Police said they suspected southern separatists were behind the attack.
In another incident, two soldiers from the 21st Pattani Task Force were injured by a roadside bomb in Pattani's Yarang district.
Cpl Surasak Sartnok and Pvt Uthit Sainetra sustained minor injuries.
The bomb exploded on Highway No.410 (Pattani-Yala) in Ban Porsan as a six-man patrol from the unit passed by.
Bomb disposal officers said 5kg of explosives had been packed inside a metal box and placed under a chair left by the side of the road.
Meanwhile, seven workers were shot and injured by an unknown number of gunmen in Pattani's Sai Buri district yesterday.
Two of the victims are in a critical condition.
The attack occurred when the workers were sitting down taking a break. Police found 20 AK-47 spent shell cases at the scene.
The injured are Kamnung Sankam, 21, Kamnuan Sankam, 16, Pairat Somrua, 30, Prawet Muanmee, 15, Yodchai Jampakate, 24, Preecha Pik-r, 19, and Leemauh Lapoo, 31.
Mr Kamnuan and Ms Leemauh sustained serious injuries.
All were taken to Somdet Phra Yuparat Hospital before being transferred to a Pattani hospital.
bangkokpost.
1 dead, 2 injured in attacks
14/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
A man has been killed and two volunteer rangers injured in separate attacks by suspected militants in Pattani.
Police identified the dead man as Nimare Baheh, 44, who was a temporary worker at the Irrigation Department bureau in Pattani's Yarang district.
Two assailants drove up on a motorcycle and a man, wielding a .38 pistol, who rode pillion, shot Nimare in the abdomen while he was walking home in tambon Maumawee yesterday. He died at the scene.
Earlier, just 300 metres from where Nimare was killed, a convoy of rangers and volunteer rangers was ambushed in a roadside bomb and shooting attack, leaving two officers wounded.
The two were Suchart Rattanathaworn, 24, and Sitthichai Aunseam, 25, who were hit by shrapnel in the abdomen.
The bomb was hidden in a basket which was left on the roadside and triggered by a radio signal.
Police said after the bomb went off, insurgents opened fire on the rangers and fled the scene.
A 70-strong ranger and police force immediately sealed off the area in a 1km radius from the blast. The force found a piece of red cloth tied to a tree and a paint mark on the road near the bomb.
The signs were thought to be the bomb locator and the meeting point for the insurgents. Police said at least six militants were involved in the ambush.
Meanwhile, a combined team of police and troops seized an M-16 rifle, a shotgun, ammunition and an amount of illegal drugs from a house in Panare district in Pattani after a tip-off from intelligence sources.
Police arrested Armah Jehte, the house owner, on suspicion of being involved in the weapons or drug trade and the insurgency in the area.
bangkokpost.
Health official shot dead in Narathiwat
14/05/2010 at 12:05 PM
A health official was shot to death in Cho Airong district of Narathiwat province on Friday morning, police said.
Pol Capt Mad-usen Mosani said Wae-using Doleh, 54, a health official of Pileng village of tambon Marubo-ok, while traveling on his motorcycle on Pileng - Marubo-ok road to work,
was shot six times in his head, chest and back by the pillion rider of another motorcycle at a point-blank range. He was killed instantly.
Police recovered six spent 9mm shells at the scene.
In another incident, two soldiers were injured in a bomb explosion while patrolling on foot on Highway 410 in tambon Yarang of Pattani's Yarang district on Friday morning.
The wounded, Cpl Surasak Sartnok and Pvt Uthit Sainet, were members of a 6-man patrol from Pattani Task Force 21.
The home-made bomb, weighing about 5kg, which was placed under a roadside bench, was detonated when the patrol arrived at the scene.
bangkokpost.
2 paramilitary troopers injured in Pattani ambush
13 May 2010
Pattani - Insurgents detonated a bomb to ambush a unit of paramilitary troopers and opened fire at them, injuring two troops.
The attack happened at 10:30 am on the Chonlaprathan Road in Tonmakham village in Yarang district's Tambon Mohmawi.
Police said six paramilitary troopers were travelling on three motorcycles and a pick-up truck heading to a base about 800 metres away from the clash side when the insurgents detonated a roadside bomb.
The insurgents opened fire at the paramilitary troopers and fled the scene.
The two injured troopers were identified as Suchart Ratanathaworn, 24 and Sitthichai Oonsiem, 25.
nationmultimedia.
Police wounded by bomb in South
12/05/2010 at 09:10 AM
Three policemen on a pickup truck were seriously injured when a roadside bomb went of on the intra-village road at Taloh village in Narathiwat’s Rangae district on Wednesday morning, said Pol Maj Gen Chaithat Inthanuchit, chief of Narathiwat police.
The wounded policemen were admitted to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin hospital.
Police were investigating.
In a separate attack, two M79 grenades were fired at a security checkpoint on the Jarusathira road at Tor Lang village in Narathiwat’s Muang district late Tuesday night, police said.
No one was hurt.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Reports of rebel M79 plot alarms schools
Officials warn teachers of a bloody start to term
12/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : Security authorities are panicking over intelligence reports of a dozen grenade launchers being distributed to southern rebels to attack schools when the next term begins.
Key insurgent suspect Masae Useng has distributed about 11 M79 grenade launchers to members of his group, according to the intelligence reports unveiled yesterday.
The information was released at a meeting on security preparedness for the new term between school administrators and security agencies. The meeting was told to expect an outbreak of violence within a week.
Most schools across the country will begin the new term on Monday.
Three districts of Narathiwat - Rangae, Chanae and Cho Airong - are in the so-called red zone, a classification denoting an area with a high risk of insurgent attacks.
The report has raised fears the suspected Masae-led group is plotting to carry out violent attacks when teachers and students head back to school.
Mr Masae is wanted by police in connection with the Jan 4, 2004 arms robbery at the 4th Development Battalion in Narathiwat in Cho Airong district. He is also suspected of being behind several more attacks carried out in the province.
Narathiwat police chief Pol Maj Gen Chaiyathat Inthanuchit has ordered all 19 police stations to increase surveillance for signs of possible rebel attacks when the schools reopen.
At the meeting yesterday, some teachers' representatives proposed security officers not carry weapons when they are not in uniform to make it easier for teachers to distinguish between real security officers and militants.
Also, if a security force planned to search an area near a school, teachers should be informed in advance, the representatives said.
Preecha Nuannoi, a senior assistant district officer in Rangae district, said 80% of teachers killed in past violent attacks in the deep South had been attacked while travelling alone or accompanied by an insufficient number of security personnel.
He said teachers were encouraged to strictly follow security measures stipulated by the security agencies. Teachers must not break away from their groups when travelling, the official added.
Those teachers who needed to stay longer at school after class or depart from their usual route between home and school and were therefore unable to travel with a group should inform security officers in advance to allow time for them to arrange special security.
bangkokpost.
Informer shot dead in Narathiwat
10/05/2010 at 03:41 PM
A man who worked as an informant was shot dead in Narathiwat's Ra-ngae district on Monday, police said.
Pol Lt Heraman Chedi, a duty office of Ra-ngae district police station, said the attack occurred about 11am on a road near Tanyongmat village while Maloding Luemae, 46, of tambon Bo-ngo.
The man was shot in the chest and the head by a gunman riding pillion on a motorbike. Two spent M16 shells were found at the scene.
The man had worked as an informant for government authorities, he said.
bangkokpost.
Yala bomb blast wounds official
8/05/2010 at 12:23 PM
Wichit Duangtem, assistant village headman, was seriously injured when a bomb planted under a rubber tree went off on Saturday morning, police said.
The explosion took place at Mr Wichit’s rubber plantation at Palas village in Yala’s Tarnto district while he was tapping the rubber tree.
Mr Wichit was admitted to Yala hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
UK lifts warning against travel to Thailand
8/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
The United Kingdom's Foreign Office has lifted its warning against non-essential travel to Thailand.
The decision reflects "a reduction in the level of political violence across the country in the last few days", the Foreign Office said yesterday.
The UK is maintaining its warning on travel to Bangkok, however, because it deems the situation to be more volatile.
Travellers should continue to exercise caution throughout Thailand and avoid demonstrations, the office said.
British nationals currently in Thailand, or those who are planning to travel here, should also closely monitor the office's travel advice.
"The situation is unpredictable and could change rapidly," the office's statement said.
British authorities also advise against all travel to the Preah Vihear temple area and all but essential travel to the restive southern provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla.
Other countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, still advise against all travel to Thailand.
bangkokpost.
Suspected rebels fire grenades at outpost
7/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : Suspected insurgents have fired three grenades at a military outpost of the Border Patrol Police in Narathiwat's Muang district.
No one was injured.
The attack took place about 7pm yesterday. The first grenade, fired from an M79 launcher, landed at the back of the outpost, while the other two hit the wall and ground at a nearby temple where the South's largest outdoor Buddha image is located.
Pol Snr Sgt Maj Komkid Soijantra, in charge of the outpost, said a witness saw a pickup slow down as it passed the outpost. In the back of the truck were two men, each with a launcher, who fired grenades. The pickup then sped off.
bangkokpost.
Yala bomb blast injures three polic
5/05/2010 at 03:33 PM
Three policemen were injured when a bomb exploded in front of a house on the Bannnang Sata Withee road in Yala’s Bannang Sata district on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
Earlier, Nimae Makajae, the owner of the house, reported to Bannang Sata police that he found suspicious object placed under a tree in front of his residence.
Police rushed to the scene and were trying to push the onlookers away when the bomb went off.
The injured policemen were admitted to Bannang Sata hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Police wounded by bomb in Yala
5/05/2010 at 11:29 AM
Two policemen were injured when a bomb exploded at the Government Savings Bank’s Bannang Sata branch of Yala province on Wednesday morning, police said.
The two policemen were admitted to Bannang Sata hospital.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Rangers wounded by Narathiwat bomb
4/05/2010 at 01:09 PM
Three rangers were seriously injured when a bomb exploded at Luboyoh school in Narathiwat’s Cho Irong district on Tuesday morning, police said.
Corp Suthin Kijprasong, ranger Yotsiri Intharasuk and ranger Sirirat Khaomorakot were admitted to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin hospital.
The bomb was hidden in a bamboo tree beside a multipurpose pavilion at the village school. It went off while the 11 rangers of a special unit were organising a function on the sufficiency economy to raise funds for lunches for the students. The new academic semester starts in mid-May.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Beef vendor killed in Pattani
4/05/2010 at 10:11 AM
A Muslim beef vendor was shot dead at a morning market in Pattani’s Muang district on Tuesday morning, police said.
Waebaraheng Waesani, 56, was attacked at the fresh market in front of Krue Seh mosque in Muang district, while he was setting up his stall. He died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Military base is attacked
4/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
Two grenades have been fired from an M79 launcher into a military outpost in Narathiwat's Rangae district.
No one was injured.
The incident occurred at about 1am yesterday, although police did not inspect the scene until after daylight to avoid ambush by the attackers.
Police investigators said the grenades were fired at a base housing members of a peace-building unit at Ban Ai Pa Seh school.
The first grenade landed in front of the school, while the other landed behind the school where the outpost is located.
In Narathiwat's Yi-ngo district, eight soldiers with the 32nd Narathiwat Task Force escaped injury when a bomb was detonated as they were patrolling a road yesterday.
A village headman in Yala's Muang district was not so lucky. He died after being shot by two gunmen yesterday.
Rorsalee Hamah, 47, head of Ban Moo 4 in tambon Sateng Nok, was attacked while waiting at a traffic light in Yala municipality in his pickup truck, police said.
He was shot in the face and was reported dead later at hospital.
Police suspect southern separatists were behind the attack but are not ruling out personal motives.
In Yala's Yaha district, a former village chief was also shot dead. Arci Rawying, 66, was attacked after he left a tea house.
bangkokpost.
Three wounded by bomb in Yala
30/04/2010 at 10:01 AM
Three people have been injured by a bomb explosion at a book store on Phiphitphakdee road in Yala’s Muang district on Friday morning, Yala police said.
The bomb victims were admitted to Yala hospital.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
One killed, two wounded in Pattani
28/04/2010 at 05:56 PM
A female health volunteer was shot dead and two villagers seriously wounded in two separate incidents in Pattani on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
Pol Col Viroj Boonyasak, the Yarang district police chief, said when Sina Waelae, 41, a female health volunteer of tambon Kolam in Yarang district, was
returning home from Pattani town on a motorcycle she was followed by two men on another motorcycle. The pillion rider fired a shot from an 11mm pistol into her head, killing her instantly.
In the other incident, two villagers - Ibrohim Wawaeni, 30, an employee of Yarang hospital, and Abdulroning Maming, 38 - were shot and seriously wounded after two men,
who followed them on a motorcycle, opened fire at them with handguns.
Ibrohim was shot in the abdomen and Abdulroning in the head.
The shooting took place while the two men were riding on a motorcycle with a boy, Su-aimi, 11, Abdulroning's son, sitting between them to Pongsata village in Yarang district. The boy was not hurt.
bangkokpost.
Police chief transferred after attacks
28/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Senior police have axed the chief of Pattani's Muang district station following a grenade attack and car bombing last week which killed one officer and injured 70 people.
The Police Operations Centre for Southern Border Provinces has transferred Pol Col Manas Sikasamat to its investigation division in Yala for an indefinite period.
The two attacks - in which a grenade was thrown into a parade of police officers, and a car bombing across the road from the police station two hours later - were the third and fourth bombings to occur in or near the Muang district station in the past two years.
Sai Buri district police chief Wallop Chamnong-asa has been transferred to the Muang district station to replace Pol Col Manas.
Pattani police chief Pichet Pitisethaphan said the teams investigating the two attacks would soon seek arrest warrants from the court for a number of suspects.
During the investigations, evidence was uncovered of three more vehicles having been stolen for use as car bombs, he said. The details of the Toyota Vios and two Toyota Vigo pickup trucks had been circulated to the public.
Meanwhile, a military ranger was killed in a gun attack in Narathiwat and a villager seriously hurt in an attack in Pattani's Khok Pho district yesterday.
hongsak Kaeonang, 33, a ranger from the 45th Military Ranger Division, was killed at a security operations base in tambon Bong of Narathiwat's Rangae district at about 0.45am.
The ranger was alone but still managed to fight back. The gunfight lasted about 10 minutes .
The victim of the second gun attack,
reported at 10.50am in Pattani's Khok Pho district, was identified as postman Wichet Chukhwan, 42. He sustained serious injuries after being attacked by one or more snipers while delivering mail on his motorcycle in tambon Chang Hai.
bangkokpost.
Ambush injures 15 troops
27/04/2010 at 01:42 AM
Pattani: A roadside bomb in Nong Chik district has injured 15 soldiers en route to neighbouring Yala, police say.
The bomb, hidden in a motorcycle with a sidecar carrying coconuts, was detonated by attackers yesterday when the soldiers’ car drove past on Road 418, which links Pattani to Yala.
The victims are being treated at Yala General Hospital. Two are in serious condition, police said.
In Khok Pho district yesterday, insurgent suspects ambushed five staff from tambon Na Pradu municipality, killing one and injuring four, police said.
The dead man was identified as Awut Auisakul. He died at Khok Pho Hospital. The other victims are being treated at the same hospital.
Attackers sprayed bullets at the five staff as they were driving a garbage truck to unload trash at a landfill in Ban Kuan Pra.
In Narathiwat’s Cho Airong district, the 45th military ranger division is holding special training for 150 male and female military rangers
to brace for possible violence in the wake of a report that a rebel group was planning simultaneous attacks in many districts.
Security officers say insurgents have smuggled 100 grenades from a neighbouring country and plan to use M16 rifles stolen from the 4th Development Battalion in Cho Airong district in 2004.
Their targets are the operation bases of soldiers, police and officials, the officers said.
bangkokpost.
Base attacked, ranger killed in South
27/04/2010 at 12:05 PM
A para-military ranger was killed in an attack by southern insurgents on a base of the 45th Rangers Regiment in Rangae district early Tuesday morning, Narathiwat deputy police chief Pol Col Apirat Sangkhao said.
The ranger base at Kutong village in tambon Bong was attacked by insurgents armed with assault rifles and shotguns shortly before 1am.
Troops returned fireand the insurgents retreated after about 10 minutes, leaving a large quantity of spent AK47 and shotgun shells at the scene.
Pongsak Kaewnang, 33, a ranger, was killed in the fight.
bangkokpost.
Fourteen soldiers wounded in Pattani
26/04/2010 at 01:47 PM
Fourteen soldiers were wounded, three seriously, in a land mine explosion on the Pattani-Yala road in Pattani's Nong Chik district on Monday morning, police reported.
Pol Col Kamthorn Chanthee, of Mae Lan police station, said the incident took place at about 10.30am on Highway No 418.
When a GMC truck taking 14 soldiers from Phetchabun province for a rotation of troops at the Task Force 16 base in Yala's Than To district approached Ton Krathon village in tambon Parai,
an unknown number of insurgents hiding on the side of the road denonated a land mine by remote control.
The explosion wounded all 14 soldiers on board, three of them seriously. The GMC truck was badly damaged.
bangkokpost.
Four blasts hit troops in southern provinces
25/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Three soldiers and one villager were seriously injured in a double bomb attack carried out in Yala's Than To district yesterday.
Construction worker Anurak Wensila was wounded in the first blast, and Lt Phongsathorn Thapphikorn, Sgt Maj 1st Class Manit Boonprakorb and Sgt Sithipol Chamnongpen
were wounded in the second blast about half an hour later, on the Yala-Betong Road in Ban Bo Hin of tambon Mae Wat.
The first explosion occurred at 11.05am, according to sources.
The three military officers, from the Yala 16th Special Task Force,
went to inspect the attack scene without being aware they were being lured into a trap by insurgents.
Lt Phongsathorn, the team leader, lost his left leg, while Sgt Maj 1st Class Manit received serious injuries to his eyes.
Sgt Sithipol and Mr Anurak suffered shrapnel wounds. They were taken to Yala Hospital.
Yala police chief Sayan Kasaesaen has ordered district police stations to beef up security to prevent insurgent attacks at government compounds after two recent bombings in neighbouring Pattani province.
Officers were told to inspect all vehicles and watch for suspicious characters in the area.
Two bombs went off at the Muang district police station in central Pattani on Wednesday, killing one police officer and wounding at least 60 officers and civilians.
In the first attack, two suspected insurgents threw an M67 grenade into the Muang district police station at 8.20am, killing one officer and injuring 45 others.
At 10.30am, a powerful car bomb went off in front of a pharmacy just 20m from the station, leaving 17 people injured, some seriously.
Police believe insurgents from the same group were behind the two attacks.
The Muang district police station had been hit by four bomb attacks before Wednesday's blast.
bangkokpost.
Bomb blast injures villager in South
24/04/2010 at 12:34 PM
One villager was slightly wounded in a roadside bomb attack late morning on Saturday, police said.
The bomb blast took place on the Yala-Betong higway at Bohin village of Yala’s Thanto district at about 11am today.
The bomb attack was aimed at killing the soldiers patrolling the road, but none of them was injured. Only one passing by local villager was slightly injured.
Police blamed separatist militants.
bangkokpost.
Pattani police on hunt for masterminds behind dual attacks
By The Nation
Published on April 23, 2010
The police force in Pattani is hunting for the attackers and masterminds behind the dual bomb attacks on their station on Wednesday, which killed one officer and injured more than 60 others including civilians.
The bronzecoloured Toyota Vios used for the car bomb was found to be carrying a fake licence plate, its serial number had been scratched off and the engine replaced with another one, also with its serial number scratched off.
Police are now looking for tips on how this vehicle was reassembled and managed to make it into Pattani through the tight security to be used as a carrier of explosives.
Police said the carbombing incident had been carried out in a manner similar to the bombing of CS Pattani Hotel two years ago, prompting the theory that both attacks had been carried out by the same group, provincial police chief Pol MajGeneral Phichet Pitisetthaphan said.
Five teams of detectives have been dispatched to hunt down the attackers while compiling evidence and seeking intelligence leads to solve the dual bombing, which included a grenade attack on policemen at morning assembly on Wednesday when an officer was killed.
More checkpoints have been set up and security tightened by both military and civilian security forces to prevent attacks or insurgent activities.
Apart from the round of rocketpropelled grenades (RPG) initially found near the parking lot where the car exploded, police found yet another RPG round in the area yesterday. Phichet said these rounds of explosives were probably meant to multiply the primary explosion but failed to go off.
LtGeneral Kasikorn Kheeree, chief of the civilianpolicemilitary command, said a joint investigation was underway to look into why insurgents were using war weapons instead of the homemade arms they used before.
Asst Prof Srisomphob Jitphiromsri, director of the Deep South Watch Network, said the public was very demoralised by the bomb attacks, and called in security agencies to block the access insurgents have to war weapons.
"It is possible that the armament is being smuggled into the South or it is being supplied to them systematically," he said.
nationmultimedia.
Pattani tops most violent province list
23/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Pattani suffered more violent attacks during the first three months of the year than other provinces in the restive South, a security source says.
The southern border security source said there were 234 violent incidents related to the southern insurgency in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla from January to March.
There were 100 incidents in Pattani, 75 in Narathiwat, 50 in Yala and nine in Songkhla.
Among the incidents were 157 ambushes and assaults on civilians, 63 bombings and 14 arson attacks.
The attacks resulted in 115 deaths and 174 injuries over the period.
The source said figures would be released officially in due course.
The Working Group on Justice for Peace, a local pro-peace group, yesterday issued a statement condemning those behind Wednesday's major bombings in Pattani.
There were two bomb attacks at the Muang district police station in central Pattani, killing one police officer and wounding at least 60 officers and civilians.
Yala police chief Sayan Kasaesaen yesterday ordered all district police stations in the province to beef up security to prevent insurgent attacks at goverment compounds after the bombings.
Officers were told to inspect all vehicles and watch for suspicious characters.
bangkokpost.
Blasts in Muslim region target Thai police
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 13:30
Tensions have simmered in the region since Buddhist-majority Thailand occupied once an independent Muslim sultanate in 1902.
A grenade attack and a car bomb in in Muslim south Wednesday killed a Thai policeman and injured dozens more police and civilians, officials said.
Two men riding a motorcycle tossed a hand grenade towards 50 police officers as they received a morning briefing from their commander at the Pattani provincial police station, a spokesman said.
Tensions have simmered in the region since Buddhist-majority Thailand occupied once an independent Muslim sultanate in 1902.One was killed and 43 others wounded.
Thailand has blamed most of the attacks on Muslim armed groups.Minutes later, a 20 kg (44 lb) bomb hidden in a car exploded less than 50 metres away from the police station,
wounding another 17 people and damaging more than 10 vehicles nearby, police said.
Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani provinces were once an independent Muslim sultanate known as Patani until occupied by predominantly Buddhist Thailand.
Local Muslims oppose emergency rule Thai government extended repeatedly and the presence of thousands of soldiers deployed including Thais armed by the state.
Human rights groups have previously accused Thai authorities of major abuses in the south, including the use of unnecessary force in the 2004 siege of a mosque in which 32 suspected insurgents were killed.
Agencies
worldbulletin.
Bombs kill policeman injure 53 people
21/04/2010 at 12:55 PM
A police sergeant was killed and 43 others were wounded when a grenade was thrown into their lines as they assembled for the national anthem in front of the Muang police station in Pattani on Wednesday morning, police said.
One of two men riding a motorcycle threw the hand grenade over the station fence, according to witnesses. It landed next to the flagpole, then exploded.
Police said the explosion killed a sergeant, who died on the way to hospital. Three others were in critical condition.
About two hours after the attack, a bomb hidden inside a car parked about 20 metres from the police station exploded, injuring at least 10 people, police said.
The explosion occurred about 10am as the commissioner of the Southern Border Province Bureau, Pol Lt Gen Peera Poompichet, visited the station for a briefing on the attack.
The bomb destroyed the car and damaged a pharmacy, food stalls, shops and vehicles nearby.
"Police have been overworked during the Songkran New Year holidays and everyone is tired, so this opened an opportunity for the separatists to attack us," said the station's superintendent Pol Col Poonsak Prasertmet.
A 40-year-old Muslim man was shot dead by suspected insurgents in neighbouring Narathiwat province on Tuesday evening, police said.
bangkokpost.
One Thai policeman killed in explosion
Published: April 21, 2010 at 7:42 AM
BANGKOK, April 21 (UPI) -- A Thai policeman was killed and several more wounded in explosions Wednesday in the country's violence-hit southern region, authorities said.
The officers were getting ready for morning duties at their station in Pattani province when the place was hit by explosions from a grenade and a car bomb, CNN reported, quoting an officer at the station.
The attacks killed one officer and wounded at least 44 others.Southern Thailand has long been the scene of violence blamed on Muslim separatists seeking to have their own state
in the region made up of Pattani, Yala and Narthiwat provinces, the report said. People in these regions are largely Malay-speaking Muslims while Thailand is mostly Buddhist.
upi.
Man held for bomb attack
17/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : A member of an insurgent group wanted in connection with a bomb attack on a teachers' escort unit four years ago that left five dead has been arrested in Yala's Raman district.
Isma-ae Dusu, 25, a native of Narathiwat's Rueso district and also a member of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) group, was arrested by a security team at his home in Raman.
Mr Isma-ae and members of his group were wanted in connection with a bomb attack on a police team that was escorting teachers in Rueso district on June 19, 2006.
Five police officers were killed and three injured in the attack.
Police made the arrest after receiving information that members of the RKK, which is led by Abdulpadaemol Salae, alias Tang Kobin-indo, were hiding in the area.
Mr Isma-ae was handed over to Rueso police yesterday.
He denied all charges before being detained at Yala's police forward command centre.
bangkokpost.
Defence volunteer brutally slain
15/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
A defence volunteer has died after being repeatedly slashed about the head with a sharp object and his body dumped under a bridge in Narathiwat's Si Sakhon district, police say.
Officers were called in yesterday to examine the body of Wiranan Api, 29, a defence volunteer for Ban Sriwarin in Si Sakhon district.
An initial investigation found Wiranan had left home on Tuesday by motorcycle to travel to a relative's home in the same district. Police believed he was attacked along the way by southern insurgents.
In Pattani's Yaring district, Salae Jehuseng, the head of Ban Takul in tambon Tatokapo, and his 15-year-old son Abduloh were shot and wounded about 7am yesterday, police said.
An investigation found their motorcycle was followed by a car before they were shot by unidentified attackers.
On Tuesday night, Hawae Yuso, 36, an assistant village head in Khok Pho district, was also shot and wounded by suspected insurgents. His assailants followed him on a motorcycle before opening fire.
All three victims are being treated at hospitals in Pattani.
In Narathiwat, two brothers serving as territorial defence volunteers in Rueso district came under attack yesterday from gunmen hiding among trees by the roadside as they were riding past on their motorcycles.
Bantao and Bancha Tosaeng returned fire after they came under attack, with the gunfight lasting about two minutes before the suspected insurgents fled. No one was hurt.
The two were ordered by the district chief to inspect Ban Na Da after there were reports of an insurgent group entering the village to plan acts of violence during the Songkran festival, police said.
Security officers also clashed yesterday with suspected insurgents as they stood guard at a house belonging to a family of Buddhists in Ban Thammachot in Rueso district.
Officers said they opened fire on an unidentified armed group after they attacked the house with weapons, including grenades.
The house belongs to the sole Buddhist family in the Muslim village. It had previously suffered other gun and grenade attacks.
In another development, the army has assigned the Engineer Department to continue roadworks in Yala and Narathiwat after the private contractors deserted the work for fear of violence.
The public relations chief for the Internal Security Operations Command's 4th Region, Col Banpot Pulpian, said yesterday about 600 soldiers had been sent to the sites since April 3.
They are building a road and bridge across the Bang Lang reservoir in Yala's Than To district and restoring and building a 25km road linking Yala's Raman district with Narathiwat's Yi-ngo district.
bangkokpost.
Policeman, villager killed in Pattani
15/04/2010 at 04:29 PM
A policeman and a Muslim villager were murdered in an ambush while riding a motorcycle on the intra-village road at Ban Luboh Bala in Pattani’s Yarang district late Thursday afternoon, Yarang police said.
Pol Sgt Maj Sakareeya Cheewa, 41, and Korday Karjay, 38, were both shot in the head and body and died at the scene.
Police blamed separatist militants.
Earlier this afternoon, a pork vendor was seriously wounded in a ride-by shooting on the road leading to Phasuk Real Estate in Muang district of Pattani, police said.
Suwit Noo-in, 39, was shot in the back and arm by two men on a motorcycle. He was admitted to Pattani hospital.
Police were investigating.
bangkokpost.
Bomb injures four in South
13/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Four people have been injured when a 5kg bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded in the parking lot of Narathiwat's Muang district office.
Police said the bomb went off about 8.30am yesterday.
Shrapnel from the explosion struck three defence volunteers guarding the parking lot and a man passing by.
The defence volunteers told police a man parked the motorcycle at the parking lot about two minutes before the bomb exploded.
The three volunteers were identified as Sayan Janwijit, 30, Abdulsasee Lateh, 46, and Jirayut Khongsuwan, 23. The other man injured was identified as local resident Usman Dorloh, 31.
The four were rushed to Narathiwat Ratchanakharin Hospital, police said.
Meanwhile, in Yala's Raman district, a joint task force uncovered an AK assault rifle yesterday that had been buried in a fruit orchard in tambon Jakwa.
The 50-strong force searched the orchard in Ban Pulasuenor after learning that guerillas had hidden weapons in the orchard.
The team found the assault rifle, a bullet magazine and 10 bullets wrapped in a black plastic bag, Yala police said.
bangkokpost.
Motorbike bomb wounds 4 in South
12/04/2010 at 11:53 AM
Three defence volunteers and one villager were wounded in an explosion at the parking lot of the Muang district office in Narathiwat on Monday morning.
Pol Sub-Lt Fahami Hengpiya said the Muang district police station was informed of the explosion about 8.40am.
A police team led by Pol Maj-Gen Chaithat Inthanuchit investigated and found the explosion was caused by a homemade bomb that was placed over the fuel tank of a motorcycle.
Four people were wounded: defence volunteers Sayan Chanwichit, 30, Abdullasi Latae, 46, and Jirayuth Kongsuwan, 23, and Usman Doloh, 31, a villager.
The wounded defence volunteers said a man parked the motorcycle near a guard kiosk before walking to the district office. The bomb went off about two minutes later.
The wounded were admitted to Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Hospital.
bangkokpost.
3 soldiers narrowly escape injury in roadside bombing
9/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Three soldiers attached to a peace-building force have narrowly escaped injury in a roadside bomb attack by militants in Narathiwat's Waeng district.
District police said the soldiers were travelling in a pickup truck to a village near their outpost yesterday when the bomb went off.
The blast only caused damage to the pickup's window as it was planted some way from the road.
Police said 5kg of explosives had been packed in a metal box and buried.
The bomb was manually detonated using a wire that extended about 30 metres into a wooded area.
Elsewhere, a joint police-military force yesterday arrested three men in Yala's Raman district and charged them with processing bomb-making materials.
Officials received a tip-off from a local intelligence source that suspected insurgents had infiltrated the village of Pulasanor in tambon Ja-kwa.
The force said numerous items used to make home-made bombs were found in the wood processing plant where the men were caught, and included metal boxes, batteries and mobile phones with Sim cards.
Police believe the three men might have been involved in making and supplying bombs used in attacks in Raman and neighbouring districts.
The suspects claimed they had been hired to make metal boxes and they had no idea about making bombs.
Meanwhile, 1,500 soldiers from the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions will be deployed to keep the peace in Narathiwat.
The deployment is part of the army's annual troop rotation to the violence-plagued South.
The soldiers will replace troops from the 3rd Infantry Battalion presently in charge of Chanae, Tak Bai and Sungai Kolok districts.
The soldiers attended a troop rotation ceremony held yesterday at Surasi Fort in Kanchanaburi.
Pimchana Phuwapongphitak, widow of slain Bannang Sata police chief Sompien Eksomya, yesterday lauded authorities for the recent arrest of 15 suspects in the March 12 bomb attack that killed her husband and a junior officer.
However, she called on the investigators to make sure they were real suspects, not scapegoats.
"I believe that the police can investigate further and bring the mastermind of the attack to justice," she said.
bangkokpost.
Fifteen suspects held for Sompien murder
Emergency decree extended to July 19
8/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Fifteen suspects have been detained in connection with the murder of Bannang Sata police chief Sompien Eksomya.
Southern Border Province Police Bureau deputy commander Paitoon Choochaiya said authorities yesterday arrested two more suspects under the Executive Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations, bringing the number of suspects to 17.
However, the two, who were not identified, were released after police found they were not involved, he said.
Among the other 15, the prime suspects are alleged militants Zainudin Safaru, 25, and Ismail Muzu, 26, who police say had twice previously attempted to kill Pol Gen Sompien.
The two were accused of involvement in many violent incidents, including the death of two police in 2008 in the troubled region.
Pol Gen Sompien died on his way to hospital after a roadside bombing on March 12. A subordinate died later in hospital.
Pol Maj Gen Paitoon said police had sped up their investigation.
The cabinet yesterday endorsed another three-month extension of the emergency decree in the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.
Supachai Chaisamut, deputy government spokesman, said the decree would be extended from April 20 until July 19.
The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre is working with Mahidol University's Research Centre for Peace Building to organise peace workshops for 240 teachers and students in pondoks, or Islamic traditional schools, in the strife-torn South.
The workshops, which will last four months, are intended to head off attempts by militants to use the pondoks as insurgent breeding grounds.
Teachers who take part will be encouraged to design peace-based religious teachings for their students, to fend off militant influence.
Meanwhile, the government has allocated 37 million baht from its economic stimulus package, Thai Khem Khaeng (Thailand: Investing from Strength to Strength), to promote sports and career opportunities for communities in the five southern border provinces.
bangkokpost.
Yala explosion hurts 7 officers
Bomb detonated during inspection of bridge site
7/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
Seven military engineers have been wounded in a suspected insurgent bomb attack in Yala's Than To district.
Four officers sustained serious shrapnel wounds and three others were slightly injured in the blast yesterday.
The four are Sgt Maj First Class Boonleh Kerdthong, 49, Sgt Nopparat Into, 40, Pvt Nuttawut Boonnam, 22, and Pvt Jakkrit Puangthong, 22.
The seven engineers, who are attached to the 111th Construction Engineering Battalion in Ratchaburi, were commissioned to build a bridge across the Bang Lang Dam beginning on April 1.
They were inspecting the bridge construction site when the bomb went off.
District police said insurgents buried a homemade-bomb thought to weigh between three and five kilogrammes under a tree near the site and triggered it by mobile phone when the officers arrived.
In Narathiwat, police yesterday arrested a suspected member of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) insurgent group accused of carrying out a motorcycle bomb attack that injured 15 people, including a six-year-old girl who suffered severe wounds, in April last year.
The man, identified as Masaheh Arming, 31, was the subject of an arrest warrant issued last Thursday.
A witness was called to identify Mr Masaheh after he denied all charges against him, police said.
The witness, who was not identified, said Mr Masaheh left a motorcycle in front of a noodle shop in Narathiwat's Rueso district.
A bomb, which the police said was concealed on the vehicle, exploded about three minutes later.
He fled on another motorcycle driven by a friend.
Meanwhile, officials in charge of security cases in the lower South yesterday showed a video clip of RKK rebels training villagers and youths, including some aged as young as 10 or 12 years old, in Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district on the use of an AK-47 rifle.
The four-minute long clip was obtained from the mobile phone of an unidentified insurgent who was recently detained.
The footage shows insurgents giving a lecture on the weapon followed by live fire practice from a sitting position at targets 50 metres away.
Anyone who hit the target was hailed with cheering and applause from the others present.
The training course was filmed in a rubber plantation near Ban Taseh Tai about five months ago.
Security sources said the RKK group had four or five teams of trainers and between 300 and 400 villagers and youngsters in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala might had received basic weapons training from them.
Officials believed shooting attacks at five military outposts in three districts of Narathiwat on Monday night might have been carried out by people who had been trained by the RKK.
However, evidence indicated the attackers did not mean to kill any officers as the shootings were intended as a test of the courage of new RKK fighters, the sources said.
Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat yesterday announced a plan to develop 48 pondoks, or Islamic traditional schools, in the three southern border provinces by providing each with a budget of 5 million baht.
Mr Chinnaworn said the plan aimed to create more flexibility for school administration and better opportunities for Muslim students over a 10-year span.
Money will go to nine pondoks this year and 39 next year.
Pondoks are regarded as life-long learning institutes among Muslims in the lower South to study religious teachings and learn the Islamic way of life.
bangkokpost.
Emergency decree in South extended
7/04/2010 at 02:21 PM
The cabinet has approved an extension of the use of the executive decree on public administration in emergency situations in three southernmost provinces for another three months,
deputy government spokesman Supphachai Chaisamut said on Wednesday.The emergency decree in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat will be extended from April 20 to July 19, Mr Suphachai added
bangkokpost.
SOUTH
Govt opposes OIC talks on insurgency
6/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
The government is lobbying Tajikistan not to put the southern insurgency on the agenda of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference being held next month.
Tajikistan, the host for the conference of which Thailand is an observer, will also chair the meeting.
The request was raised with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon and Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi when they made a brief stop-over at Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday evening. Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Panich Vikitsreth met the two at the airport.
Mr Panich said Mr Rahmon understood the situation in Thailand and said the OIC should not interfere in the internal affairs of another country.
"Thailand sees the southern problem as an internal affair and will prevent outsiders from intervening because it might further complicate the situation," Mr Panich said.
Thailand successfully lobbied to preclude the issue from the OIC last year in Syria.
Mr Panich conceded it might be a bit more difficult this year as the OIC secretary-general had tried to raise Thailand's southern problem as a separate resolution.
If the issue is brought up as a separate country resolution, the OIC will raise it for debate every year and that might cause some members to misunderstand the situation in Thailand, he said.
The OIC foreign ministers will gather on May 17 for a political committee meeting to decide which issues should be tabled for consideration by the OIC leaders. The summit will be held from May 18 to 20.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva lobbied Brunei and Bahrain over the southern issue during his visit to those countries last week. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has lobbied Pakistan and Bangladesh and given first-hand information about the situation to many Muslim ambassadors and envoys in Thailand.
bangkokpost.
Suspected killers narrowly escape early morning raid
6/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
A key insurgent group suspected of being behind the brutal killings of nine people has escaped a pre-dawn raid, although some members were injured.
Police and the military believe the group was responsible for the slayings of six villagers and the tea shop shooting that killed three and injured nine others last Thursday in Narathiwat.
About 3am, a combined police-military force raided a hut in a rubber plantation in Ban Ba Dong in tambon Bacho of Bacho district which was believed to be a hideout of the six suspected insurgents.
A gunfight followed in which some of the suspects were shot before they all escaped.
Another force tracking down the suspects using sniffer dogs found the gang had fled into the Budo mountain range.
Bloodstains believed to be from the suspects were found at the gunfight scene and a .38 calibre pistol with six bullets was seized.
The sub-group of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) insurgent group is led by Marozo Chantharawadino, a key RKK member.
Meanwhile, Yala police yesterday handed over Abdulloh Pradu, 32, who had been wanted in connection with the killings of two marines in Rueso district on Jan 29, to Rueso police.
Mr Abdulloh was arrested at a hideout in Yala. He denied any involvement in the murders of the two marines.
In Narathiwat's Tak Bai district, a bomb went off on a road in Ban Sri Phangan yesterday morning, injuring a soldier patrolling the area.
In Yala, occupants of a military Humvee escaped a bomb attack carried out in Ban Yupo in Muang district at about 8am yesterday. The explosion went off as the vehicle travelled along Yala-Don Yang road. The homemade bomb weighed about 15kg.
In Pattani, a group of men fired an AK-47 at Thirawat Lertwatthanachirakul, a 55-year-old vendor in Mayo district, while he was jogging in front of his house yesterday morning.
Mr Thirawat was severely injured.
bangkokpost.
Soldiers wounded in Yala bomb blast
6/04/2010 at 03:37 PM
Seven members of an army engineers unit were wounded by a roadside bomb blast in Yala’s Thanto district on Monday afternoon, and four were in critical condition, Yala police said.
The bomb went off at the kilometre 74 marker on the Yala-Betong road at Moo 5 tambon Maeward of Thanto district.
The soldiers were on security duty in the area. They were admitted to Yala hospital.
Security forces sealed off and raided nearby villages and arrested three men suspected of involvement in the attack. They were being detained for interrogation.
bangkokpost.
Muslim insurgency in Thailand grinds on
04 April 2010
The Thai army has ceded more power to paramilitary forces. Many of the troops are poorly trained and, critics say, further antagonize the Malay-speaking majority in three troubled southern provinces.
Reporting from Pattani, Thailand - The Islamic teacher sat on the wooden porch of his house smiling politely, his infant son playing at his feet. Those who study the Koran are automatically suspect, Dul Nasir Hama said, adding that he's not a terrorist nor are his students part of the insurgency.
As he spoke, a Thai army patrol skirted the grounds of his madrasa in Pattani, a jungle area of southern Thailand with a long history of violent clashes between Malay Muslims and Thai Buddhists.
"They're afraid to come in here," he said. "They think I'll put a spell on them."
Authorities see southern Thailand's network of Muslim religious schools as a key source of recruits for an insurgency in which more than 4,100 people have died in the last six years amid the rebels' bid for an autonomous state.
Each month, about 100 sectarian attacks take place in southern Thailand, down from a peak of approximately 200 a month in 2007, according to Pattani's Deep South Watch.
On Thursday, six Buddhist villagers in Narathiwat province were found dead, believed ambushed, and 10 police officers and soldiers were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded as they were going to the scene of the shootings, police said.
"It's considered the world's third most intensive Muslim insurgency, after Afghanistan-Pakistan and Iraq," said Benjamin Zawacki, an activist with Amnesty International, which condemns rights violations on both sides. "And it's not just going to go away."
As part of counterinsurgency efforts, the Thai army has ceded more authority to home-defense and paramilitary forces. Many of these troops are poorly trained, critics say, further antagonizing the Malay-speaking Muslim majority in the troubled provinces just north of the border with Malaysia.
Local militia member Apiyud Rattanapinyo, 52, shows off his weaponry at his dingy restaurant in Tan Yong Mas, a town ringed by army checkpoints. The Thai Buddhist has two rifles in his truck, a .357 magnum pistol on his belt, four amulets around his neck and half a dozen teeth missing from his smile.
"Islamic teachers may say they're not involved, but many are lying," he said. "The militants are afraid of people like me because I shoot at them."
Rattanapinyo, a self-avowed protector of traditional Thai values who said he's been shot at four times and survived a roadside bomb, believes that a solution lies in forcing Islamic schools to teach more Thai language and culture.
"This is Thailand," he said. "If they don't mess with my homeland, I won't mess with theirs."
Far more hidden are the insurgents and their weapons. An estimated 90% of villages in contested zones have secretive attack cells, security experts say.
The movement appears to have some contact with Southeast Asia's Jemaah Islamiah, a group linked to the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, said Srisompob Jitpiromsri, director of Deep South Watch.
But the strength of the ties is a matter of debate and the insurgency has so far avoided attacking Bangkok, the Thai capital, or tourist resorts, presumably wary of attracting unwanted global attention in a post-Sept. 11 world.
In the last several years, less-confrontational army tactics and better intelligence have helped reduce the number of daily attacks. About half of the more than 4,000 people killed since 2004 were Malay Muslims and half Thai Buddhists, Srisompob said.
Yet entrenched interests make the standoff more intractable, some analysts believe, including a Thai army that has seen its budget soar.
"Not solving this doesn't do any harm to a lot of army careers and bank accounts," said Anthony Davis, an analyst with Jane's Defense Weekly.
Many local Malay Muslims believe Bangkok is trying to assimilate them out of existence.
"Anyone who speaks up is considered an insurgent," said teacher Hama. "Our voices aren't being heard."
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In the adjoining madrasa, 125 boys in undershirts and sarongs are up at dawn for their daily routine: 12 to 14 hours studying the Koran.
Thai Buddhists, for their part, often write off the troubled provinces as a violent area racked by drug abuse. Mutual distrust is worsened by prejudice, mythology and years of tit-for-tat attacks.
"In southern Thailand, the truth gets distorted, lost and manipulated," said rights activist Zawacki.
Mali Jadarat, a teacher at Paknam Elementary School, saw her school administrator husband off to work one morning in 2006.
A few hours later, he was dead, killed in his car by assassins with a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol.
The community held a big funeral, but she was soon overcome by depression. A Thai Buddhist, she's more wary of her Muslim students now, despite being raised in a Malay Muslim village and speaking the local dialect.
A few miles away, Malay Muslim Khaliyoh Halee, 33, recalls the day in April 2004 when her 63-year-old father headed out for prayers.
A few hours later, his body was torn apart by an army grenade after insurgents tried to take over the local Krue Se mosque.
She still doesn't know whether he was part of a secret cell or got caught in the wrong place. But his death left a huge emptiness.
"I'm tired of crying," she said. "Still, it's difficult to find a way out of all this. Both sides are so uncompromising."
The area is the former site of a kingdom annexed in 1902 by Siam, now Thailand. The movement took inspiration from nationalist Haji Sulong Toemeena,
who in the 1940s and '50s called for cultural and linguistic autonomy before disappearing, by some accounts drowned by Thai police.
In subsequent decades, the insurgency ebbed and flowed, as did Bangkok's response. Around 2001, a younger, more radical generation of fighters took over, one favoring scorched-earth guerrilla tactics.
Its victims include police officers and soldiers, soft-target symbols of the Thai state such as teachers, and Muslims it considers collaborators.
The state has carried out various "hearts and minds" campaigns, interspersed with crackdowns: the fatal shooting of six protesters, the suffocation of 78 detainees in 2004 and a "war on drugs"
that saw many extrajudicial killings of young Muslim men. Thai officials have not been charged in any of the incidents.
"Police are bad anywhere in Thailand, but when you add a racial-religious element, it's even worse," Davis said. "What better recruiting tool for an up-and-coming Muslim organization?"
At a recent public forum at a local university, distrust and anger toward Bangkok welled up.
"I feel like we're talking to rocks," one activist told Kraisak Choonhavan, deputy head of the nation's main opposition party, who was sitting on the dais.
Kraisak, a Thai Buddhist, supports greater Malay Muslim autonomy and believes the state should conduct official business in Malay, but his views aren't shared by most Thais.
"Hearts and minds, it's crap," said local militia member Rattanapinyo beside his attack dog and home bunker. "We have to get serious. If you don't, they'll think you're soft."
mark.magnier@latimes.com
Special correspondent Don Pathan contributed to this report.
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latimes.
Hunt starts for rebel suspect
3/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
NARATHIWAT : Security officers have launched a manhunt for a key insurgent suspect thought to have been behind two separate attacks that killed nine people in Bacho district on Thursday.
More than 70 police and military officers searched houses in the district yesterday but did not find him.
The officers were looking for Marorso Jantarawadi, 30, a rebel suspect with a 2.5 million baht bounty on his head.
Police believed Mr Marorso and other insurgents shot and killed six game hunters at the foot of Budo mountain and three villagers at a tea shop on Phetkasem Road on Thursday.
The tea shop attack took place late on Thursday night. Two armed men stormed into the tea shop and sprayed bullets at customers. Three people - Hawae and his brother Harong Takearee and Niye Tuanwo - were killed and nine others were injured.
Yesterday, more than 300 Muslims in Narathiwat's Yi-ngo and Bacho districts held a mass prayer in remembrance of the victims.
Abdulaman Absulsamad, former chairman of Narathiwat's Islamic committee, said yesterday the two attacks, in which the victims were Muslims and Buddhists, might have been an insurgent plot to stir up religious conflict.
The attackers were thought to be either avenging the killing of key rebel suspect Muhamadwari Maeyu in a February clash with security forces or hitting back at government policy to win community support, said Col Banpot Poonpian, spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command's 4th Region.
He said insurgents might have been targeting unarmed villagers or those who knew where their forest hideouts were.
Security officials said Mr Marorso and his men are suspected of killing two marines in 2005, and shooting to death two land officials - Arun Sirirangsi and Prasit Sukjaroen - in Narathiwat's Bacho district in August last year.
An investigation found Arun's car was later used in a car bomb that went off near a restaurant in Narathiwat's Muang district on Aug 26 last year. The blast injured 26 people. Police believed Mr Marorso was behind the attack.
bangkokpost.
6 Buddhist villagers shot dead
1/04/2010 at 10:49 PM
Six people were shot dead by suspected militants and 10 police officers were wounded by a roadside bomb Thursday in the latest attacks in Thailand's restive south, police said.
Thai police officers inspect the bodies of six Buddhists shot dead by suspected separatist militants in the restive southern province of Narathiwat. Ten police officers were also wounded by a roadside bomb in the latest attacks in Thailand's restive south, police say.
Police were responding to a report of a number of villagers killed in the Bacho district of Narathiwat province when their vehicle was struck by the blast.
Six villagers who had been out hunting were later found shot dead by suspected militants.
A six-year separatist insurgency in Thailand's restive Muslim-majority southern provinces bordering Malaysia has left more than 4,100 people dead and thousands more wounded.
The shadowy militant groups never publicly state their goals but have targeted Buddhists and Muslims, civilians and security forces in their often gruesome campaign against central government control.
The region was an autonomous Malay Muslim sultanate until it was annexed in 1902 by mainly Buddhist Thailand and tensions have bubbled there ever since, escalating into the current insurgency in January 2004.
bangkokpost.
Defence volunteer killed in Pattani
31/03/2010 at 12:23 PM
A defence volunteer was shot dead in an attack by two assailants in Mayo district of Pattani on Wednesday morning, police said.
Pol Col Tanit Ramdit, the Mayo police chief, said the attack occurred on the Yuelapae-Lako road in tambon Ko Chan.
Som Baraheng, 45, a defence volunteer of Mayo district, who was travelling on a motorcycle, was followed by two men on another motorcycle and the pillion rider shot him twice in the head with a .45 handgun, killing him instantly.
Police believed the attack was a retaliatory action by separatist insurgents for the recent arrest of Tamisi Masae, a suspect in the murder of a Mayo police officer.
Earlier in Narathiwat, Saramiya Yuso, 50, and her son-in-law Dolo Koseng, 37, were seriously wounded when a lone gunman broke into their house in Sukhirin district and opened fire at them while they were watching television on Tuesday night.
Dolo's wife and son fled into the kitchen and escaped unhurt.
The gunman fled into the dark after neighbours rushed to the house to help the family.
bangkokpost.
The making of a terrorist
31/03/2010 at 12:00 AM
Saturday will mark the beginning of the 35th year of the organised separatist violence in the deep South. The violent gangs in the four southernmost provinces began their "armed struggle" in April 1976.
The self-styled "Pattani United Liberation Organisation" launched a series of attacks against government institutions and offices on the morning of April 3. It touched off a campaign that has waxed and waned,
but which has claimed thousands of mostly innocent lives. The southern violence is one of Asia's longest and most vicious little wars.
From 1976 through this week, a long line of prime ministers, army and police commanders and cabinet ministers have promised to slow and stop the bloody conflict. No promise has been kept on a permanent basis.
The current government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva made a similar promise when it came to power early last year. Mr Abhisit and his security chief, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban,
cited the fact the Democrat Party is more popular than other groups in the South.
In the event, the killings have continued and the barbarous gangs have become even more brutal. Bomb attacks have become more common in areas frequented by innocent bystanders.
Of the roughly 4,000 deaths recorded since the latest upsurge in gang violence began in January 2004,
most have been civilians and the majority have been Muslim. So much for the argument that one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter.
Today's gang members who claim to be fighting variously against the Thai government or for an Islamic region evolved unpleasantly from the odious "Pulo" and offshoot groups.
There are neither known groups nor public leaders of today's southern insurgency.
This supposedly makes the insurgents more intimidating, more credible in their terrorist threats and attacks.
No one seems to know where the gangs originate, train or recruit. While the southern groups have clearly rejected direct help from al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), members have trained with both groups.
Tactics, particularly brutality like beheading and burning their victims, have come directly from the foreign terrorists. The gangs are known to finance some of their operations through drug trafficking,
but the true sources of their funds are as mysterious as how they find young men to convert to such uncivilised atrocities against fellow Thais and southerners.
The International Crisis Group (ICG), reporting last week on the situation in Aceh, said that "talent scouts" try to find young men they can twist to the movement's cause in schools and in mosques. Prisons have become a recruiting ground,
where anti-social men mingle and the committed separatist has plenty of time to convert others. ICG analyst Sidney Jones said recruitment occurs in Indonesian prisons, where prayer time is perverted by a few pro-terrorist activists.
It is likely the same story in Malaysia and in Thailand. After the 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001, it was revealed that some 700 young Thais had visited al-Qaeda bases in Afghanistan for proselytising and terrorist training.
It is clear from the savage nature of the southern militancy that much of that training was brought back and applied.
The solution to the 34-year-old uprising is complex, including defeating the violent gangs, providing opportunity in many fields for all southern Thais, and reaching new political understanding with the deep South.
It will take great all-round effort to reach a solution which benefits everyone. This festering militancy must be dealt with seriously and competently.
bangkokpost.
Village chief shot dead at Yala wedding
29/03/2010 at 02:19 PM
A village headman was shot dead in full view other guests attending a wedding in Yala's Muang district on Monday, police said.
Police said Doromae Leedong, 46, chief of a village in tambon Thasap, and his wife were sitting in a tent among many other villagers at the wedding.
Two men arrived on a motorcycle and the pillion rider walked over to him and shot him three times in the head and twice times in the back, killing him instantly.
The gunman fled on the waiting motorcycle.
Police were still investigating.
bangkokpost.
Two injured in gun attack
25/03/2010 at 12:00 AM
Two brothers riding in a truck have been wounded in a drive-by shooting in Pattani.
Rohami Uma, 40, and his brother, Sakariya, 25, were attacked by two armed men on a motorcycle yesterday as they made their way along Phetkasem Road in Sai Buri district, police said.
The vehicle was transporting goods from Kanchanaburi to Rangae district in Narathiwat.
In Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district, a roadside bomb suspected of targeting members of a patrol unit was defused.
The bomb was found by security staff yesterday at Kawa village.
Police said the bomb was planted along a route used often by a patrol unit made up of police and soldiers.
Two grenades were fired into the house of a police officer in Rueso district on Tuesday. Nobody was injured.
Police and a bomb disposal squad yesterday inspected the home of Pol Snr Sgt Maj Prawit Chankaew, of Rueso police station, where they found fragments of grenades scattered about the house. Some personal belongings, roof tiles and ceilings were damaged.
The officer and his family were not inside the house at the time of the attack.
Police believed the grenades were fired from a nearby mosque using a M79 launcher.
bangkokpost.
Bomb murder drives plan to review South police welfare
21/03/2010 at 12:00 AM
The murder of Sompien Eksomya has made the Royal Thai Police Office's plan to award better welfare to officers in the deep South more urgent and significant.
The Police Commission decided on March 5 to review the salaries and benefits for police who are risking their lives in the insurgency-torn provinces.
However, before the plan could be discussed in detail, Pol Gen Sompien was killed in an insurgent bomb attack six days later.
Acting national police chief Pateep Tanprasert said he would call agencies overseeing budget and police personnel for a meeting to hammer out proposals on Tuesday, police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen said yesterday.
Improving living conditions for officers, special annual promotions for those stationed in the far South and improved welfare and allowances are among issues to be considered, he said.
The death of career officer Pol Gen Sompien has struck a chord with the public and prompted the Royal Thai Police Office to take action.
Pol Gen Sompien, who had worked in southernmost provinces for 40 years, saw his request for being transferred to Trang ignored. His dream to work in a more peaceful province and end his police life in safety before his retirement next year ended with his murder.
Disappointed by the rejection, Pol Gen Sompien personally viewed the latest police reshuffle as unfair.
A number of people have expressed an interest in donating money to help his family.
This led to the establishment of the Ja Pien Fund, which is currently being worked out by the Royal Thai Police Office and Channel 3 television, according to Pol Lt Gen Pongsapat.
Police have detained three men suspected of involvement in the bomb attack that killed Pol Gen Sompien and his aide Pol Col Sophon Intharabovorn.
They are Abduloh Alimama, 23, Lukman Alimama, 19, and Hagam Puta, 18, who were arrested on Friday.
The three, who were detained in Yala's Bannang Sata district, deny any involvement, according to Paitoon Chuchaiya, deputy chief for the southernmost police unit.
Pol Maj Gen Paitoon, who is assigned to look into the case, believes his team will soon make further arrests.
Police have information of insurgent groups in Bannang Sata, where Pol Gen Sompien was killed in a roadside bomb, and this would benefit the investigation, he revealed.
Pol Maj Gen Paitoon suspects the militants might have been working with other insurgent groups outside the area in a plot to kill Pol Gen Sompien.
Daily violence has continued in Pattani. An attempted bomb attack took place in the province yesterday and an arson attack on a school on Friday. In Muang district, the bomb disposal unit managed to defuse a device hidden in a plastic food box placed by 418 Pattani-Yala road.
In Mayo district, a building of Ban Ba Ngo school was torched after 15 armed insurgent suspects raided the premises on Friday and tied up four security guards, police said.
The attackers escaped with a shotgun seized from the guards.
bangkokpost.
Stolen weapons not connected to reds
ARMY INVESTIGATION FINDS SOLDIERS TOOK ARMS TO SELL TO SOUTHERN INSURGENTS
21/03/2010 at 12:00 AM
Weapons which disappeared from an arms depot in Phatthalung were stolen by soldiers who hoped to sell them to insurgents in the southernmost provinces, the army says.
The theft has nothing to do with the red shirt rally as earlier thought, according to a 4th Army investigation.
Disclosing the result of the inquiry yesterday, 4th Army commander Pichet Wisaijorn said the arms had been recovered and taken back to barracks.
The theft occurred at Fort Aphai Borir | | |
