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May 19, 2006
Thailand: Muslim Villagers Beat Buddhist Teachers With Staves
The Bangkok Post reports that two Buddhist women teachers were held hostage by a mob of 100 villagers in the troubled Muslim south.
The incident took place in Kuching Lepas in Ragae district in Narathiwat. Muslim villagers wanted security officials to release two individuals who are under arrest for committing acts of violence in the separatist insurgency, which has been going on since January 4, 2004. 1,200 people have been killed by Muslim separatists, who want the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, where the population is 80% Muslim, to secede from Thailand.
The villagers entered Kuching Lepas school around 1pm local time, and demanded to know which of the eight staff members were Buddhists. Once identified, the villagers grabbed the two teachers, Sirinart Thavornsuk and Julin Pongkanmul. The women were locked inside a room, and then men attacked the women with sticks, causing serious injuries to their heads and chests.
The head man of the village negotiated with the mob, and at about 3 pm, the women were released. They were taken to Narathiwat hospital and are currently in a critical condition.
Earlier in the day, two militants had been arrested in connection with a shooting which had taken place on April 12, where Thai marines had been shot at in a railway station.
As we reported yesterday, schools have been on high alert in the south, and security officials had warned of potential attacks as they opened after a two month spring break vacation.
On May 10, two teachers, one of whom was pregnant were killed in a bomb blast in Pattani province. They were standing by a tea shop, 200 yards from a school.
In February last year, five teachers were shot dead in one day in Yala province, provoking a one week strike. In Joh I Rong district in Narathiwat earlier this year, 32 teachers were held hostage by a mob of about 300 villagers. The mob had demanded that their local imam be released from police arrest. The rabble succeeded in gaining the cleric's release.
The Bangkok Post states that there are 861 shools in the three southern provinces, with 291,300 students being taught by 11,267 teachers. Following today's incident, the Kuching Lepas School has been closed indefinitely.
Since the insurgency began on Jan 4, 2004, when 20 schools were burned, a total of 49 teachers have been killed, and a further 55 have been injured.
Addendum: Narathiwat Governor Pracha Therat has said he will not bow to mob rule. He ordered officials to photograph and video the villagers involved in the hostage drama so legal action could later be taken against them.
In separate news, in the Sungai Padi district of Narathiwat province, a 30-year old man, Paosi Yuso, was killed today as he rode home from his work on his motorcycle. He was shot in the back and face three times and died instantly.
Supreme Commander Gen Ruangroj Mahasaranont has said that he is working with his Malaysian counterpart, Adm Mahammad Anwar bin Haji Mohammad Nor of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF). They have agreed to step up border patrols. The MAF has said it will step up the hunt for insurgents who fled across the border into Malaysia.
UPDATE: 20 May: One of the teachers brutalised by a Muslim mob has only a slim chance of surviving, states Mainichi News. The doctor treating Juling Kamphongmoon (Julin Pongkanmul) stated earlier today that she is suffering from severe injuries, including blood clots on her brain, and she has been in a coma since the attack yesterday.
Dr. Sumet Phirawut told a news conference: "There is slim chance that she will survive. I would like to urge Thais throughout the country to pray for a miracle to happen to Juling."
According to Australia's News.com, Juling is only 26 years old, and her colleague Sirinart Thawornsook (Thavornsuk) is aged 30. News.com said the mob which descended upon the elementary school numbered 500.
Mob rule by villagers in the same district of Narathiwat led to two Thai marines being beaten to death after being mistakenly identified as perpetrators of violence. The incident occurred in September last year. While the marines were held hostage, women blocked access to negotiators who were trying to help.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 19, 2006 6:49 PM
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