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June 15, 2007
Thailand: Islamists Kill Soldiers On Pattani "Anniversary" Day
Today was the 550th anniversary of the founding of the Sultanate of Pattani. The sultanate remained independent until 1786, when it was invaded by Thailand, and in 1902, it was officially annexed into Thailand. The sultanate comprised what are now the three southern provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, as well as Satun island and two districts of Songkhla province. These regions are predominantly Muslim, and the language spoken by the indigenous people is Yawi, a dialect of Malay.
SInce January 4, 2004, a raid upon a military camp in Narathiwat, in which four soldiers were killed and more than 300 weapons were stolen, began what has become an ongoing insurgency. On the same night that the current insurgency commenced, 20 schools were set on fire in the south. SInce that date, nearly 2,200 people have been killed in drive-by shootings, decapitations and bombings. Schools have been a popular target of the Islamist militants, most of whom wish to be autonomous or independent from Thailand. So far, more than 200 schools have been subject to arson attacks, and 77 teachers, both Muslim and Buddhist, have been killed.
Many insurgents wish to reestablish the Sultanate of Pattani. Most insurgents and many locals want the schools to have their business conducted in Yawi, rather than the national Thai language. Many see schools as symbols of the government of Bangkok.
Last year on June 15, a campain of mass bombing took place across the provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, with 65 small bombs set off at government buildings and other targets. Three people were killed and at least 16 were injured. The event had been warned of beforehand, as the date coincided with "Pattani Day". On June 16 at least a dozen more bombs went off in the south.
In the lead-up to today's 550th anniversary Pattani Day, there have been numerous attacks. On Monday, June 11, two Buddhist teachers were killed in front of their students. On Tuesday, June 12, an Islamic religion teacher was killed in Yala. 13 schools were burned on Wednesday in Yala and Pattani, and later a bomb was detonated in front of a Narathiwat school, injuring a security guard. On the same day, a soldier was killed and another wounded by a roadside bomb in Tungyangdeng district of Pattani province.
Additionally, according to the Guardian on Wednesday a severed head was found. It was believed to belong to one of three Buddhists killed in the village of Samakee in Narathiwat. The three bodies had been discovered, with one headless. The dead were salesmen who had managed to drive past roadblocks which had been erected on roads accessing the village. The decapitation was the 10th this year, and at least the 25th since the insurgency began.
Yesterday, three Buddhists were killed and eight soldiers were wounded in attacks. The soldiers and the Buddhists were attacked in Pattani province. Four Muslim village administrators were attacked in Mai Kaen district of Pattani late on Thursday. They were returning home from a party when their vehicles were ambushed by gunmen. Three of the men were killed, and another was wounded.
Also on Thursday, an insurgent killed himself while trying to set off a bomb. The bomb was aimed at security personnel in Batu Buesa village in Rangae district, Narathiwat province. The insurgent, 35-year old Satorpa Siroma was a suspected member of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK). Two other insurgents were injured in the explosion. They were later caught and detained. A .38 caliber pistol, bullets, three radio transceivers and a motorcycle were seized by police.
Today, according to Associated Press, the Bangkok Post, Agence France Presse and the Canada Post a patrol of seven soldiers was attacked with a roadside bomb. The bomb flipped over their vehicle, and insurgents shot the soldiers in their heads. The incident took place in Bannang Sata district of Yala province. A gun battle had broken out at a government health care center nearby, and a soldier was injured. The soldiers who were killed had been despatched to deal with the gunfight at the health office.
The roads around the scene had been littered with spikes, forcing the bodies of the dead soldiers to be airlifted from the location.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at June 15, 2007 7:54 PM
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