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July 16, 2006

Thailand: Death Toll Rises In Muslim South

We last covered the mounting cases of violence in the southern provinces of Thailand on July 12.

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.

On Thursday, 13 July, in Yala province, security officers taking teachers to Ban Lak Ket school were attacked by insurgents. One soldier was injured. One of those who led the attack was later named as 20-year old Rommuelee Jeh-ha Samoh, an ambush unit leader of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) insurgent group.

This group was said by the caretaker deputy prime minister to have been responsible for an explosion which happened in a market in Waeng district on the same day, which killed one officer.

On 14 July, according to TNA English News and the Bangkok Post, a remote controlled bomb went off in Narathiwat at a school. Activated by a mopile phone, security officers first noticed a suspicious object wrapped in a plastic bag. As it blew up, the bomb injured a security officer, Snr Sgt-Major Pongpraram Phewlueng, aged 46, and also two girl students from the Thairath Wittaya School in Sungai Padi district. 8-year old Sahira Sahae-Duerus and 12-year old Asari Wati Dueloh were slightly injured.

Shortly afterwards, a booby trap bomb went off as a unit of eight soldiers were removing spikes laid in the road, on the way to the school. The tactic of laying spikes to hinder security access to scenes is an increasingly common tactic. The bomb did not injure the soldiers, but injured a 16-year old civilian, Anirue Jehpor, who was driving behind the military vehicle.

In Muang district, Yala province on the same day, a village headman, 52-year old Tuanyunu Pasae, was shot dead by two drive-by gunmen.

It was announced that in the three southern provinces where the insurgency has been carried out, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, several rubber-pressing machines have been stolen. The cylinders from these machines can easily be made into bombs, much as fire extinguisher bombs, but with more explosive power.

On Friday, 14 July, states TNA English News, in Muang district in Pattani province, a roadside bomb exploded in the morning. Its intended targets were three Buddhist monks, who were being transported with a military unit acting as escort. No-one was hurt. Insurgents had previously targeted monks on their morning alms rounds.

Also on Friday, a 38-year old villager, Korya Saha, was shot in front of his home as he returned from a mosque in Nong Chik district, Pattani.

In Kho Pho district, a house was shot at in the same province yesterday, with no-one being hurt. In Nong Chik district yesterday, a retired police officer was killed in a drive-by shooting. 71-year old Police Sub-Lieutenant Sawat Wassadaeng was exercising in front of his house when he was shot two times.

Security forces on high alert, as the Permuda, the youth wing of Runda Kampulan Kecil (RKK) are in the region hiding in villages. The areas include Yala's tambon Bacho in Bannang Sata district, tambon Tathong in Raman district and Ban Klong Sai in Kabang district, Pattani's Thung Yang Daeng, Nong Chik, Kapho districts and Narathiwat's Rueso, Chanae and Sukhirin districts.

Hundreds of young Permuda, having completed courses of military training, are hiding out in the villages, waiting for instruction. There is rumoured to be a large insurgent attack to happen at the end of this month.

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On May 19, a mob of Muslims, comprising several women, beseiged a school in Gujingruepo village in Rangae district, Narathiwat province. The mob wanted to know which teachers were Buddhist, and as a consequence two women were identidied. The two women teachers, 26-year old Juling Pongkanmul and 30 year old Sirinat Thavornsuk, were held captive in a room in the school, where they received a violent beating with sticks and fists.

As the women teachers were assaulted, other villagers, again with women amongst them, placed spikes and obstacles across the roads leading to Gujingruepo, hindering access to security forces. After being beaten for more than hour, the women were finally rescued, but for Ms Juling Pongkanmu, the beating had been to severe for her to make a recovery.

Her brain suffered lesions and bleeding, and since that time, she has been in a coma, kept on a life support at Prince of Songkhla Hospital in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province. A talented artist, Ms Juling had only started to teach at the school this year. If she does recover, she is expected to be severely disabled and mentally impaired.

On Thursday, an exhibition of the art of Juling Pongkanmu was put on display in Chiang Rai Rajabhat University. The exhibition is to continue till the end of the month, and also features the work of Thawan Dachanee and Chalermchai Kositpipat.

Thawan (the Santa Claus figure in the picture) is regarded as Thailand's national artist. He said that the Queen has been concerned about Ms Juling and has asked doctors responsible for her care to update her on the teacher's condition every day.

He described Ms Juling as a "model of sacrifice, love and faith who feared no danger and made a brave decision to work in the deep South."

Ms Juling graduated with a degree in fine arts from Lampang Rajabhat University in 2002. She painted murals in temples across the country. She took a course in education science and became a teacher.

The exhibition has already had hundreds of visitors. Proceeds from sales of the paintings will be donated to Ms Juling's family.

On Friday, Thailand's Education Minister, Chaturon Chaisang, said that the education of pupils in the deep south has been badly affected by the chaos and uncertainty caused by the insurgency.

He said: "Their scores in every subject are getting worse, which leads us to believe that the region's ongoing violence is having an impact on their learning. Everyone understands that to improve the quality of education in the south we must respect the local culture and language, which are unique."

"Education can help ease the problem," he said. "Even if it takes us five or 10 years to develop people and to win their hearts and minds."

He said he was planning to increase the use of Malayu in schools in the region. Most of the Muslims in the south, who comprise 80% of the population, are ethnic Malay, and speak Yawi, a dialect of Malayu.

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Today, TNA English News reports that Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the opposition Democrat Party, will be visiting the deep south next week. He intends to meet Anand Panyarachun, former head of the now disbanded National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), to discuss the crisis in the south.

And in The Nation, a scholar in a British university has said that the main reason for the insurgency has been a lack of democracy and social exclusion.

Dr Sajjad Hayder Rizvi of the University of Exeter's Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies has lectured earlier this month at the Prince of Songkhla University and Yala Islamic College as part of a British Council programme on engagement with the South.

He says that there is no doubt that the reasons for the insurgency stem from historical and political factors. He also believes that Yawi should be made part of official Islamic education in schools.

On July 1 we discussed the conclusions of a Thai academic, Kritaya Archavanitkul, who believes that a large part of the disaffection of the Malay Muslims in the south has come from a century of official neglect by Thai authorities.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 16, 2006 12:30 PM

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