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May 21, 2006

Thailand: Muslim Insurgency Latest

We reported on Friday on the tragic events at Gujingruepo School in Kuching Lepas village in Ragae, Narathiwat. Here, a Muslim mob had attacked two teachers from a school. These women were singled out because they were Buddhist. The mob believed that by acting in such a barbaric way, they could have an Islamist militant released from custody. They failed in this.

26 year old Juling Pongkanmul and 30 year old Sirinat Thavornsuk were clubbed with sticks, and Juling was so badly injured she passed into a coma, with blood clots on her brain. Doctors treating Juling have said she will need a miracle to save her.

Today's Bangkok Post reports that all schools in Narathiwat province next week are likely to close, a week after they were reopened following a two-month spring break. As we reported on May 18, teachers had already started to be targets by the Muslim insurgents in the three southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.

Teachers are blaming the incident in Ragae district on security officers who did not enforce the strict security procedures which were expected. A teachers' spokesperson said: "We'll need to take a more serious approach this time. It happens again and again, no matter how hard we try to prevent it. It seems security authorities don't care much about it."

The security procedures relate to any raid upon a village in hunts for insurgents. Such a raid had happened which led to the arrest of a wanted militant, but though the procedures state that local schools should be informed and protected, these had obviously not been followed. A meeting, held today, will decide if schools will remain open or not.

Another teachers' spokeswoman said: "The officers didn't tell us they were coming. This is a real upset. They didn't follow the plan and their handling of the situation was flawed."

The president of the Federation of teachers in Narathiwat, Thawat sae Ham, said: "The villagers show no signs of remorse."

One person has so far been arrested following Friday's attack. The wife of a suspected militant was taken into custody yesterday (Saturday). 50 security officers surrounded the house of 24-yeear old Karima Masaleh. She had allegedly incited the villagers to capture and assault the non-Muslim teachers in the school.

Karima Masaleh is the wife of Muhamad sapaeing Buari, who was one of two suspected militants, accused of shooting at Thai marines at a railway station on April 12.

The tactic of women being involved in the prevention of security forces gaining access to sites is a repetition of an event which took place on September 21, 2005, in the same district of Ragae. Two Thai marines were held hostage and beaten to death, while women blocked access to the village where the men were imprisoned, preventing negotiators from rescuing the man.

On Wednesday (17 May) in the village of Gotorano in Yarang district, Pattani province, police tried to arrest a suspected militant, but were prevented from leaving by a crowd of women and children. All roads to the village were blocked with wooden obstacles, broken glass and spikes, delaying the arrival of back-up. In this case, the villagers were successful in getting the security officers to release the suspect.

Maybe, knowing that such behaviour succeeded in Pattani, Karima Masaleh hoped to secure the release of her husband. During Friday's attack on the school in Ragae district, a similar tactic was employed. Ongkorn Thongprasom. leader of the 4th army, said that spikes and wooden obstacles had similarly been left on roads to prevent access to the village. A pistol was recovered in the raid on Karima Masalej's home. It was believed to have been used in the April 21 train station attack upon Thai soldiers.

In separate news from the same district in Narathiwat, the Bangkok Post reports that two Muslim militants were shot dead yesterday. 33 year old Passadee Jeh Dolah and his younger brother, Sue-Ning, were riding on a motorbike when they were gunned down with a .9mm pistol.

The brothers were said by police to be bomb-manufacturers, and were wanted for explosions in Ragae and Chanae districts. Police believe that the men were silenced by members of their own clan, to prevent them revealing information when arrested.

A suspected religious conflict between Buddhist and Muslim students, at Sai Buri Chaengprachakarn School in Pattani, led to a school guard becoming shot in the hip after he stepped in to intervene.

In Mae Laen district, Pattani province, 22-year old Magayee Sanee was stabbed to death in a rubber plantation.

In Bannang Sata district of Yala Province, a house owned by 49-year old Thammanoon Thongnoon was attacked by gunmen, who shot at the building. No-one was injured.

Today, according to Australia's Daily Telegraph, a 69 year old Buddhist man and his wife were riding a motorcycle in Narathiwat when gunmen attacked them. Somboon Ratchusuwan was killed, and his wife was severely injured. Police Lieutenant Chairit Indum said: "We believe that the killing was committed by Islamic militants".

In Yala province, a Muslim who worked in a rubber plantation was shot dead in a drive-by shooting. The victim has not been named, but police have not yet worked out if he was killed by Islamic militants.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 21, 2006 10:59 AM

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