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June 27, 2006

Thailand: Violence Claims Seven Lives In Muslim South

We reported on the bombing campaigns in Thailand which have continued since June 15 when about 50 bombs were set off in the southern Thai provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. Three were killed and 16 injured. The bombs continued the following day, with a dozen devices exploding on June 16, injuring four. On June 17 a bomb in a karaoke bar in Muang district, Yala province killed one man and injured two women.

We reported on June 25 on the violence which continued throughout the subsequent week.

But today, bombs and shootings claimed the lives of seven people. The details have made their way into the mainstream media (MSM), being reported in The Scotsman, Agence France Presse via Softpedia, New Zealand's Stuff, Canada.com, South Africa's Independent Online, China People's Daily, by Reuters and in Thailand by TNA MCOT news and The Nation.

Early this morning, in Raman district in Yala province, a roadside bomb was detonated as a military vehicle carrying five people was passing. One soldier was killed instantly in the blast, which left a crater (pictured) two meters deep.

Following the explosion, the vehicle was ambushed by gunmen, and in the subsequent firefight the other four individuals were shot dead. About 20 (or a dozen) suspects are thought to have been in the group which ambushed the soldiers. According to Maj. Jeerasak Vikraicharoenying, four of the dead were security volunteers. Following the killings, the assailants stole the M16 rifles which were carried by those from the vehicle.

The 10 kilogram (20 kg according to one account) bomb had been hidden in a drain under a bridge, and had been detonated by a wire. The people in the vehicle were part of a patrol unit which provided security for teachers going to and from a local school. Teachers have been threatened, attacked and killed in recent actions by Muslim insurgents in the southern provinces.

Local district Chief Aya Ditapinan said that such protection for teachers was necessary. He stated: "That is the only route we can use every day to escort teachers going to school."

A second bomb went off in the neighbourhood of Wat Sountrawat nearby, but no-one was injured in this blast.

In Narathiwat, a 35-year old man, Mayainung Sa-ah, was riding his motorcycle in Rangae district in Narathiwat province. He was shot in the head at close range and died on the spot. He is said, according to Reuters to be a police informant. At neighbouring Rue So district in Narathiwat district, another individual was shot dead by assailants riding a motorcycle. This man was said to be a rubber trader.

A third bomb was set off in Narathiwat province, outside the home of a district chief, in Sunga Padi district. This bomb, weighing 5 kilograms, was detonated remotely, using a cell phone.

A fourth bomb went off in a Sunga Padi market, where it had apparently been hidden under a stall.

The last two bombs, according to Western news sources, were said to be the work of insurgents who were trying to target security agents working for the Teachers' Protection Unit.

A further bomb was discovered at Cho-I-Rong district, planted near the gate of a school. This bomb had failed to detonate. It was rigged to a timer mechanism, and had been set to explode at 7.45 am local time. Police later defused the device.

The insurgency, which seeks to have Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani provinces secede from Thailand, began on Jan 4, 2004, and has now claimed 1,300 lives. The insurgents believe in the re-establishment of the former sultanate of Pattani, which used to be independent, and comprised the territory of the three provinces, as well as two districts of adjacent Songhkla district. Following an invasion, the sultanate of Pattani was officially annexed into Thailand a century ago.

The population in the southern provinces is 80% Muslim and these are ethnic Malays. The local Muslims speak Yawi, a dialect of Malay. The three southern provinces are the poorest in the country, with high levels of unemployment. The national average of unemployment is 14%, but in Yala it is 35%, in Narathiwat it is 28%, and in Pattani the rate is 25%.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at June 27, 2006 3:54 PM

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Posted by: Christian at July 5, 2006 10:12 AM

Posted by: Giraldus Cambrensis at July 5, 2006 10:27 AM

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