Bus seized, torched in Yala while passengers safe

[webfact]

Bus seized, torched in Yala while passengers safe

Photo by Nakharin Chinnawornkomol

 

 

A group of assumed militants armed with war weapons on Sunday blocked and seized a public bus before torching it in Yala’s Bannang Sata district. All passengers were safe.

It was initially reported that a bus of Siam Dernrod company carrying 11 passengers was heading to Bangkok when it was forced to stop at about 2.30pm on Road No 410 in Bannang Sata precinct by a group of 10 armed men.

 

The men removed the passengers from the vehicle before burning it to the ground. Before fleeing, they cut down trees to block the road and deployed spikes to prevent officials from following them.

 

After being alerted, combined forces blocked the road out of fear that the militants might plant bombs and trigger them if the forces entered the area.

 

Before the attack, some militants were said to have set fire to villagers’ houses and cut down some trees.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30334154

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-18

[webfact]

Militants torch bus in Yala’s Bannang Sata, but passengers left unharmed

By The Nation

 

Photo by Nakharin Chinnawornkomol

 

MILITANTS armed with rifles yesterday torched a coach heading to Bangkok after removing the passengers in Yala’s Bannang Sata district in the latest violence in the South.

 

Prior to the attack, the militants, who authorities said were trying to create chaos, also set up roadblocks with trees that they had cut down and set fire to villagers’ houses.

 

Officials were alerted to the bus incident at about 2.30pm. When they rushed to scene, they found the double-decker bus belonging to the Siam Dernrod company on fire and firefighters trying to extinguish the blaze.

 

However, the fire was so severe that it gutted the bus.

 

Marohdi Ding, a staff member with the coach company who was on the bus, told police that the bus was from Betong district and heading to Bangkok with 13 people on board including himself and the driver.

 

While the bus was on Road No 410 in Bannang Sata district, the driver was forced to stop after seeing burning tyres on the road.

 

“After the bus stopped, a group of about 10 armed men emerged from the roadside and demanded that all the passengers, the driver and me get out of the bus, saying they didn’t want to harm us,” Marohdi said.

 

The men were dressed in camouflage like soldiers, he added, and spoke in the Yawi dialect.

 

The men poured petrol on the bus before setting it on fire and then fled on foot to the nearby forest.

 

The militants seemed to have prepared their escape route by using trees to block the road and deploying spikes to prevent authorities from following them.

 

Officials said the area of the attack was near that of an attack in April 2013 when a bomb exploded near the car of then-deputy Yala governor Isara Thongthawat and provincial district chief Chaowalit Chailerk. The attack killed both officials, who were heading to a festival in Betong district.

 

Officials said that before yesterday’s torching of the bus, militants staged minor attacks in other areas in the district in part to distract officials, including creating roadblocks with trees and setting fire to houses.

 

Officials said they believed about 20 militants had been involved in the attack, who then divided into three groups and were assigned to do different tasks.

 

The first group was responsible for cutting trees and deploying spikes, the second for burning tyres and the third torching the bus, officials said, claiming the attack was the work of a militant group led by militant suspect Ahama Luebesa, who operates in the area.

 

The objective was to create disturbances in the area, officials said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30334165

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-18

[wirat69]

Lucky that it was not one of those wooden frame and plywood buses that ply Thai highways!!!

[biplanebluey]

46 minutes ago, wirat69 said:

Lucky that it was not one of those wooden frame and plywood buses that ply Thai highways!!!

HaHa Why lucky----------- did you not see the state of the bus after the fire------- don't think there was much luck in it  !!!!!!!!!!

[lvr181]

Criminal cretins! 

[connda]

So much question is, for what purpose?  This insurgents have to have a stated goal either explicit or implicit that at some time has been conveyed to the authorities.  What's the actual message? 

[twizzian]

1 hour ago, wirat69 said:

Lucky that it was not one of those wooden frame and plywood buses that ply Thai highways!!!

 

ply Thai highways??

Eh!

[lvr181]

19 minutes ago, connda said:

So much question is, for what purpose?  This insurgents have to have a stated goal either explicit or implicit that at some time has been conveyed to the authorities.  What's the actual message? 

Don't screw with us? 

 

It seems that the 'authorities' know the name of the leader.

Edited December 18, 2017 by lvr181
Spelling correction

[Cranky]

Looks like a London double-decker, saw one just like in in Brixton in the '80's.

[johnarth]

36 minutes ago, connda said:

So much question is, for what purpose?  This insurgents have to have a stated goal either explicit or implicit that at some time has been conveyed to the authorities.  What's the actual message? 

Muslims are on the move, my question is how did the fire truck get there so quick? what with spikes and trees cut down.

[12DrinkMore]

33 minutes ago, connda said:

So much question is, for what purpose?  This insurgents have to have a stated goal either explicit or implicit that at some time has been conveyed to the authorities.  What's the actual message? 

 

The underlying theme is the desire for autonomous rule under islam for the three provinces of Pattani, Naratiwat and Yala.

 

However the current largest group of trouble makers Barisan Revolusi Nasional (National Revolutionary Front) are not interested in talks and have the aim of making the area ungovernable.

Roughly 500 people are killed every year by these ar5eh0les.

[hansnl]

53 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

Criminal cretins! 

Criminal?

Cretins?

Terrorist filth with a well known religious background.

The background that is making the world a bad place to live in.

[mercman24]

in answer to your question, well they did not get there quick as you say, they are just damping down a smouldering ruin, not putting a fire out

[twig]

Maybe it's the bus manufacturers trying to improve sales?

[Ossy]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The men poured petrol on the bus before setting it on fire and then fled on foot to the nearby forest.

The militants seemed to have prepared their escape route by using trees to block the road and deploying spikes to prevent authorities from following them.

Pretty vague reporting, again, especially regarding the militants' escape. Was it 'on foot to the nearby forest' or by road, ' . . .by using trees to block the road and deploying spikes to prevent authorities from following them.'? Whilst not the major issue of concern, here, I do feel that TN reporting should take more care over such a basic logistics aspect of the raid.

 

Of far greater concern, though, is the motivation behind the damage. For officials seemingly content to conclude that 'The objective was to create disturbances in the area,' makes me wonder who the 'officials' were and how informed - or uninformed - their comments were.

 

What is clear to me is that there are some people who are sufficiently unhappy about something or other to risk the consequences of being caught, prosecuted and probably imprisoned for their extremely drastic actions. Whilst not professing to be an expert on Thai political or social unease, I can't help feeling that this bus torching will be used as a precedent by hundreds - if not thousands - of like-minded 'prospective militants' who will be energised by this group's mission accomplished . . . the mission, of course, being to demonstrate SERIOUS DISCONTENT WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE IN THAILAND, AT THIS PRESENT TIME.

 

If I was a Govt House top dog, right now, I'd be looking over my shoulder and more than a little bit worried about the mess the soldier-boys are making.

[Juan B Tong]

Send the blimp!

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, connda said:

So much question is, for what purpose?  This insurgents have to have a stated goal either explicit or implicit that at some time has been conveyed to the authorities.  What's the actual message? 

That's classified. 

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed, the reply was removed as well. 

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, 12DrinkMore said:

The underlying theme is the desire for autonomous rule under islam for the three provinces of Pattani, Naratiwat and Yala.

Yingluck Shinawatra offered in her election campaign that she would turn the three provinces into a special administrative zone with one elected governor.

The proposal faced swift criticism from army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, “Any action that may serve to undermine our strength or weaken state authority should be of concern, ..... “What is important is that Thais are Thais.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-election-muslims/analysis-a-debate-over-autonomy-in-thailands-restive-south-idUSTRE75M0Q220110623

In fact after Yingluck was elected as Prime Minister she began peace talks in February, May and June 2013 with the insurgents over different forms of autonomy (ie., semi-autonomous Indonesia's Aceh province) that would keep the provinces within Thailand's national jurisdiction.

http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8f/entry-3293.html

The Thai military was not supportive of such peace talks. Perhaps Muslim semi-autonomy was a perceived danger by the military to Thailand's sovereignty that was a contributing factor in Prayut's overthrow of Yingluck's government in 2014.

 

[neeray]

Sounds like a good reason to stall the November election !!!

[NorthernRyland]

The religion of peace strikes again?

[Goanna]

3 hours ago, connda said:

So much question is, for what purpose?  This insurgents have to have a stated goal either explicit or implicit that at some time has been conveyed to the authorities.  What's the actual message? 

The message is, the islam is a religion of peace.

[PAIBKK]

One coffin on wheels less ....

[webfact]

Fourth Army chief suspects business conflict behind Betong bus hijack

By Thai PBS

 

 

The Fourth Army commander says he believed business conflict might be the probable cause for the arson attack on a Betong-Bangkok bus in Yala’s Bannang Sata district on Sunday (Dec 17).

 

Speaking after inspecting the scene on Highway 410 Betong-Yala at Ban Kasod, Lt-Gen Piyawat Nakwanich, commander of the Fourth Army overseeing the southern region, said the attack might link to conflict in illegal business or business that involved the travel on this highway.

 

About 10 armed men believed to be southern militants seized a bus, chased away all the passengers and set fire to the bus in Yala’s Bannang Sata district Sunday afternoon.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/fourth-army-chief-suspects-business-conflict-behind-betong-bus-hijack/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-12-18

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, Goanna said:

The message is, the islam is a religion of peace.

Not long back from a bike ride tour down south got as far Satun and high-tailed North. 

[Ossy]

Fourth Army chief suspects business conflict behind Betong bus hijack

What did the other three Army chiefs have to say . . . or did they just look, with that 'looks like a new bus to me' expression on their faces? Shrewd kids, these army types

Edited December 18, 2017 by Ossy
omission

[wvavin]

This is not going to stop for the next few decades because those fat cats have no balls to go down south for a direct talk. Everything is remotely controlled from Bangkok!

[Essaybloke]

5 hours ago, Ossy said:

Pretty vague reporting, again, especially regarding the militants' escape. Was it 'on foot to the nearby forest' or by road, ' . . .by using trees to block the road and deploying spikes to prevent authorities from following them.'? Whilst not the major issue of concern, here, I do feel that TN reporting should take more care over such a basic logistics aspect of the raid.

 

Of far greater concern, though, is the motivation behind the damage. For officials seemingly content to conclude that 'The objective was to create disturbances in the area,' makes me wonder who the 'officials' were and how informed - or uninformed - their comments were.

 

What is clear to me is that there are some people who are sufficiently unhappy about something or other to risk the consequences of being caught, prosecuted and probably imprisoned for their extremely drastic actions. Whilst not professing to be an expert on Thai political or social unease, I can't help feeling that this bus torching will be used as a precedent by hundreds - if not thousands - of like-minded 'prospective militants' who will be energised by this group's mission accomplished . . . the mission, of course, being to demonstrate SERIOUS DISCONTENT WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE IN THAILAND, AT THIS PRESENT TIME.

 

If I was a Govt House top dog, right now, I'd be looking over my shoulder and more than a little bit worried about the mess the soldier-boys are making.

Well you are absolutely right to be concerned by the motivation behind this criminal act. After all this time, all the bombings, the shootings (remember when nurses and school teachers were prime targets for these people?) and 'crackdowns', we're still at this point. Where are the Thai and Malay officials showing leadership on the 'restive border provinces issue'? This is bigger than the police, bigger than the military- it should be dealt with by skilled (civilian) diplomats. The brand new king could do worse than take the lead on this!

[BernieOnTour]

14 minutes ago, Essaybloke said:

Where are the Thai and Malay officials showing leadership on the 'restive border provinces issue'?

... I wouldn't be sure, Malaysian officials could really contribute a lot.

 

The Southern Thailand Malays can't even understand their "cousins" in Malaysia and vice versa -  their Jawi dialect is totally different to standard Bahasa Melayu and the script is still an arabic style, whereas Malaysia and Indonesia use Latin script. 

 

IMHO They are a breed in their own, not only the mountains dividing them from a modern Malaysian ... 

[Essaybloke]

3 minutes ago, BernieOnTour said:

... I wouldn't be sure, Malaysian officials could really contribute a lot.

 

The Southern Thailand Malays can't even understand their "cousins" in Malaysia and vice versa -  their Jawi dialect is totally different to standard Bahasa Melayu and the script is still an arabic style, whereas Malaysia and Indonesia use Latin script. 

 

IMHO They are a breed in their own, not only the mountains dividing them from a modern Malaysian ... 

Yes I got that and I understand your point, but are they really so far apart?  I think whether or not Bahasa Jawi or Bahasa Malayu or Bahasa Thai isn't the main issue. To me it seems to be the lack of 'Bahasa Leadership' or at least a firm commitment from BOTH parties to resolve this mess.