More Killings In Southern Thailand

[Jai Dee]

Southern border guards steps up security to intercept fleeing insurgents

The Betong Border Guard unit is conducting constant surveillance along the Thai-Malaysian in hopes of uncovering additional insurgent elements in the area.

Southern authorities report that the Border Guard unit 4405 of Betong district in Yala province will be tightening security along the Thai-Malaysian border following the declaration of curfew in some areas of the province. Warrants have also been issued for the arrest of suspected insurgent bombers, whom officials believe may make attempts to flee the nation following increasing efforts to apprehend them.

Southern authorities revealed that members of the insurgent RKK (Rundi Kumpulan Kecil) group in Betong district may have been involved in recent bombing attacks. Officials said that signs of cuts along wire fences along the border have been found. Border Guard units are therefore being stationed at border area 52A to intercept possible insurgent elements from escaping into Malaysia.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 19 March 2007

[John K]

Southern border guards steps up security to intercept fleeing insurgents

The Betong Border Guard unit is conducting constant surveillance along the Thai-Malaysian in hopes of uncovering additional insurgent elements in the area.

Southern authorities report that the Border Guard unit 4405 of Betong district in Yala province will be tightening security along the Thai-Malaysian border following the declaration of curfew in some areas of the province. Warrants have also been issued for the arrest of suspected insurgent bombers, whom officials believe may make attempts to flee the nation following increasing efforts to apprehend them.

Southern authorities revealed that members of the insurgent RKK (Rundi Kumpulan Kecil) group in Betong district may have been involved in recent bombing attacks. Officials said that signs of cuts along wire fences along the border have been found. Border Guard units are therefore being stationed at border area 52A to intercept possible insurgent elements from escaping into Malaysia.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 19 March 2007

Well finally a bit of good news if in fact it is true. They certainly are devoted to their cause and are standing up and fighting for it I see. Or do I see some animals running with their tail tucked between their legs.

If this is true then this matches bully mentality and not that of people looking to fight for a cause.

[blaze]

Southern border guards steps up security to intercept fleeing insurgents

The Betong Border Guard unit is conducting constant surveillance along the Thai-Malaysian in hopes of uncovering additional insurgent elements in the area.

Southern authorities report that the Border Guard unit 4405 of Betong district in Yala province will be tightening security along the Thai-Malaysian border following the declaration of curfew in some areas of the province. Warrants have also been issued for the arrest of suspected insurgent bombers, whom officials believe may make attempts to flee the nation following increasing efforts to apprehend them.

Southern authorities revealed that members of the insurgent RKK (Rundi Kumpulan Kecil) group in Betong district may have been involved in recent bombing attacks. Officials said that signs of cuts along wire fences along the border have been found. Border Guard units are therefore being stationed at border area 52A to intercept possible insurgent elements from escaping into Malaysia.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 19 March 2007

Well finally a bit of good news if in fact it is true. They certainly are devoted to their cause and are standing up and fighting for it I see. Or do I see some animals running with their tail tucked between their legs.

If this is true then this matches bully mentality and not that of people looking to fight for a cause.

And just who is fighting for a cause then? The Palestinian suicide bombers? The Colombian guerillas? How about the US? Are they fighting for a cause? The Taliban? Was the IRA fighting for a cause? Taksin shared your view that these people lacked ideology- that they were no better than animals- and now look what we got.

Do you know anything at all about guerilla warfare John? Whether engaged in by 'freedom fighters' or by 'terrorists'? If so you would understand the tactic of 'hit and run' and that your final statement is very very wrong. Dangerously wrong. They WILL fight for a cause- (though it might not be their cause- but that's a whole other realm) and while they may not engage in the kind of battles that John Wayne waged- it is, I think, very mistaken to think that because they retreat, they are not committed. It might be comforting to you to equate them to dogs- but such underestimation has been responsible for a lot of the worlds current problems.

If you are trying to understand the mentality of the terrorist but, finding it difficult to relate to, simply recategorizing them as non-human, you must know that there have been a plethora of psychological studies of terrorists published in the last few years- and John, I challenge you to find one psychologist who attributes their behavior to the fact that they are not humans. May I also suggest that you read up a bit on the Thahan Prahan who are now engaged in the south. Are they cowardly animals? Was it cowardly animals who, by all appearances, summarily executed the rebels in the Kreu Se Mosque? Who piled up the demonstrators at Tak Bai? Or are these the behaviors of people. People like those who would seek 'revenge', or 'domination' or ethnic cleansing- people who regard their victims as expendable because those victims are not human.

Edited March 19, 2007 by blaze

[John K]

Well some place along the way in one of the threads someone implied that a fighting retreat would be a tactic of trained fighters. It just struck me as odd that depending on what you choose to believe and the underlying reasons appear to be so fragmented you could easily select one and be totally right and at the same time be totally wrong. For all we could know there could be some sick people not even related to this issue running around killing to satisfy some morbid desire to kill people.

Trying to pin down some facts or should I say key points.

Training camps or not.

Bombers that don’t explode with their bombs.

Cowardly attacks and only when they are highly certain of getting away without injury.

Attacks on everyone in every religion.

Few if any attacks on the military suggesting multiple factions and reasons.

This list can go on for a long way and would certainly make more heads spin with all this micro analyzing.

As I said some place along the way if they are running they can’t be attacking. That is the only point I am making here. If being on their tails and chasing them in to Malaysia works for now, then for the moment keep it up.

[Jai Dee]

Southern violence in Yala killed 3 and injured 3

A group of gunmen opened fire at the villagers in Pattani province this morning (Mar 19), resulting in three deaths and three injuries.

The shooting took place in Nong Chik district of Pattani. The six villagers were the workers from the farming project under the Royal Patronage. Police say a group of unidentified gunmen opened fire at the workers’ vehicle when they were heading to work.

The attack killed three and injured three others. The dead victims include Mrs. Nangsaengchan Jomkaew, Mrs. Somjit Sawaengrak, and Mrs. Gewalee Sawaengrak. As for the injured workers, they include Mrs. Amorn Pongsri, Mrs. Chariya Thongchai, and Mrs. Chamnien Chaisongkram. Police assume the incident was caused by the southern insurgents.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 19 March 2007

[John K]

Soft approach in South failing

Army commander and Council for National Security chairman Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin participates in a quiz during a junta exhibition to promote good governance on Rajdamnoen Avenue yesterday.

An apology to the people of the restive South by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont when he took office in November sounded good for all.

It indicated the military-installed government was heading in the right direction to contain the trouble, but six months on, the reality is that the violence is getting worse.

As of the end of February, 6,214 violent incidents had killed 2,088 people and injured 3,920 others, according to Prince of Songkhla University's Intellectual Deep South Watch (IDSW). Violence erupted in January 2004 when a group of gunmen stormed a military unit in Nara-

thiwat, killed four soldiers and stole 400 weapons.

The previous government, led by billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, was blamed for a tough approach and misconduct that caused an escalation in the violence. Injustice and ignorance of local identity under Thaksin's direction were considered root causes.

The junta, which staged a coup on September 19 last year to topple Thaksin and all his wrongdoings, claimed it knew the situation and could do better.

The Council for National Security, led by army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, and the interim government were praised for employing a soft approach towards the deep South. For many people, it seemed there was light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Coup supporters had high expectations that with Thaksin out of power, the violence would quickly end, with the military having a free hand to deal with the situation.

However, the junta's approach has not yet delivered any concrete results to ease the situation.

Based on data provided by IDSW, the average number of violent incidents in the five months before the coup was 146 per month, but the figure rose to 169.4 in the five months after the military take-over.

Likewise, the number of deaths per month soared from 49.2 before the coup to 64.6 after the coup.

Disturbingly, the violence is becoming more brutal, highlighted by last week's attack on a mini-bus in Yala when eight Buddhist passengers were executed.

Prince of Songkhla University academic Srisompob Jitpiromsri noted in his recent report that a high number of deaths, mostly to Muslim civilians, occurred because militants frequently used more powerful weapons such as bombs. They tended to attack soft targets such as vulnerable civilians rather than armed forces.

He pointed out that the nature of the conflict had changed as militants employed terror tactics. They used new brutal weapons to keep local people living in fear and automatically destroyed the government's authority, with residents afraid to support the state's forces.

Data indicated that violence would continue to worsen, although the government tried to introduce positive elements such as reconciliation and peaceful means into the other side of the equation.

What went wrong? Why did the attempted solution yield negative results? It might be more of an operational problem than a question of policy. Surayud's government decided to employ a soft approach and a peaceful way of dealing with the situation but never changed the structure of ground operations dramatically.

The re-establishment of the Southern Border Province Administrative Centre (SBPAC) has not made an impact. It was merely a revival of General Prem Tinsulanonda's legacy. The former premier set up the centre in 1981 to run the predominantly Muslim region during the decline of the separatist movement, but Thaksin dissolved it in 2002.

The revival of the centre was just a political message to say Thaksin's action was wrong, but three months on it seems as though the centre has never existed.

A plan to recruit 190 staff has not been realised because many officials were reluctant to leave their current jobs. A security official said they had no incentive to work in a dangerous zone. "Better pay at the centre is not the key answer," he said.

Selection of the centre's head reflected only nepotism in the military. Pranai Suwanrath has no experience in the deep South beyond his two years' service in Pattani's Sai Buri district long ago when he began his career as a district clerk. He got the position because he is a younger brother of Palakorn Suwanrath, a former SBPAC chief who is currently a member of the Privy Council and close to Prem.

The intelligence network, which took a lot of blame for failing to trace the movement of militants, has never been overhauled. Changing the National Intelligence Agency chief from Jumphol Manmai - regarded as close to Thaksin - to career soldier Vaipot Srinual was meaningless.

Intelligence is a key element in all wars, but the unit was never improved. It is still as poor as usual, no matter who heads it.

Vaipot was about to be transferred back to the Army due to Surayud's disappointment over Vaipot's motion to grill the government in Parliament recently, not because of his intelligence work.

Before the coup, the military blamed the failure to contain southern violence on Thaksin on the grounds that the deposed premier held too much power and relied too greatly on the police.

Now, the junta and military-backed government can blame nobody but themselves as all power and resources rest with them. If they do not get the job done now, they never will.

Academic Srisompob suggested reform in the governance and administration of the region was a sustainable way to end conflict and violence. But such a suggestion was perhaps too big and too difficult a task for the junta and its government.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

[ColPyat]

As I said some place along the way if they are running they can’t be attacking. That is the only point I am making here. If being on their tails and chasing them in to Malaysia works for now, then for the moment keep it up.

I think then you should start familiarizing yourself with guerrilla tactics, especially the ones employed by Mao when hopelessly outnumbered and out gunned, and without any outside support, and how well a flexible hit and run approach succeeded.

[blaze]

Soft approach in South failing

What went wrong? Why did the attempted solution yield negative results? It might be more of an operational problem than a question of policy. Surayud's government decided to employ a soft approach and a peaceful way of dealing with the situation but never changed the structure of ground operations dramatically.

The re-establishment of the Southern Border Province Administrative Centre (SBPAC) has not made an impact. It was merely a revival of General Prem Tinsulanonda's legacy. The former premier set up the centre in 1981 to run the predominantly Muslim region during the decline of the separatist movement, but Thaksin dissolved it in 2002.

The revival of the centre was just a political message to say Thaksin's action was wrong, but three months on it seems as though the centre has never existed.

A plan to recruit 190 staff has not been realised because many officials were reluctant to leave their current jobs. A security official said they had no incentive to work in a dangerous zone. "Better pay at the centre is not the key answer," he said.

Selection of the centre's head reflected only nepotism in the military. Pranai Suwanrath has no experience in the deep South beyond his two years' service in Pattani's Sai Buri district long ago when he began his career as a district clerk. He got the position because he is a younger brother of Palakorn Suwanrath, a former SBPAC chief who is currently a member of the Privy Council and close to Prem.

The intelligence network, which took a lot of blame for failing to trace the movement of militants, has never been overhauled. Changing the National Intelligence Agency chief from Jumphol Manmai - regarded as close to Thaksin - to career soldier Vaipot Srinual was meaningless.

Intelligence is a key element in all wars, but the unit was never improved. It is still as poor as usual, no matter who heads it.

Vaipot was about to be transferred back to the Army due to Surayud's disappointment over Vaipot's motion to grill the government in Parliament recently, not because of his intelligence work.

Before the coup, the military blamed the failure to contain southern violence on Thaksin on the grounds that the deposed premier held too much power and relied too greatly on the police.

Now, the junta and military-backed government can blame nobody but themselves as all power and resources rest with them. If they do not get the job done now, they never will.

Academic Srisompob suggested reform in the governance and administration of the region was a sustainable way to end conflict and violence. But such a suggestion was perhaps too big and too difficult a task for the junta and its government.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

The headline doesn't really match the content. According to this- there hasn't been a 'soft' approach- there has been a 'non'-approach. Perhaps a better headline would have read, "Junta Incompetence in the South Failing."

Edited March 19, 2007 by blaze

[John K]

As I said some place along the way if they are running they can’t be attacking. That is the only point I am making here. If being on their tails and chasing them in to Malaysia works for now, then for the moment keep it up.

I think then you should start familiarizing yourself with guerrilla tactics, especially the ones employed by Mao when hopelessly outnumbered and out gunned, and without any outside support, and how well a flexible hit and run approach succeeded.

Yes however you know as well as I that the tactic of run and hide is not taught, it is very natural to a bully and a coward. You can see this in just about every school, however it certainly seems the people that they bully don’t run as much.

However I do enjoy your comment of no outside support, I guess they have properly turned just about everyone against them by going after children.

[blaze]

As I said some place along the way if they are running they can’t be attacking. That is the only point I am making here. If being on their tails and chasing them in to Malaysia works for now, then for the moment keep it up.

I think then you should start familiarizing yourself with guerrilla tactics, especially the ones employed by Mao when hopelessly outnumbered and out gunned, and without any outside support, and how well a flexible hit and run approach succeeded.

Yes however you know as well as I that the tactic of run and hide is not taught, it is very natural to a bully and a coward. You can see this in just about every school, however it certainly seems the people that they bully don’t run as much.

However I do enjoy your comment of no outside support, I guess they have properly turned just about everyone against them by going after children.

How much of political conflict- from the relatively benign to the jaw-dropping horrendous can be simply explained in terms of play ground dynamics? If that were the case, the UN and all foreign ministries as well as the Penatagon, the CIA, and their counterparts world wide- should be staffed with primary school teachers.

[Plus]

..the tactic of run and hide is not taught, it is very natural to a bully and a coward. You can see this in just about every school, however it certainly seems the people that they bully don’t run as much.

I seriously doubt that Buddhist Thais in the South, as well as the army/police/rangers themselves are so brave that they never run from the bandits.

After practically every incident the bandits are able to delay arrival of security forces by many hours. Simply possibility of road side bombs or ambushes serve as a good deterrent against advancing Thai army. They were brave when they mercylessly killed scores of defenceless muslims inside the Krue Sue mosque, though.

Muslim fighters there are not cowards, they are just young boys who recieve on site job training. A couple of years ago they probably didn't know how to use a gun or a knife. The progress is remarkable, just wait until the "graduate".

[ColPyat]

As I said some place along the way if they are running they can’t be attacking. That is the only point I am making here. If being on their tails and chasing them in to Malaysia works for now, then for the moment keep it up.

I think then you should start familiarizing yourself with guerrilla tactics, especially the ones employed by Mao when hopelessly outnumbered and out gunned, and without any outside support, and how well a flexible hit and run approach succeeded.

Yes however you know as well as I that the tactic of run and hide is not taught, it is very natural to a bully and a coward. You can see this in just about every school, however it certainly seems the people that they bully don’t run as much.

However I do enjoy your comment of no outside support, I guess they have properly turned just about everyone against them by going after children.

No, outside support meant Mao's communists during the early days of the revolution.

The southern rebels have outside support. Clear is that there are long standing relations between GAM and some southern rebel groups, and it is not clear how much support they get from Pakistan/Afghanisthan and/or JI, if it is just ideological, or also financial and tactical. Basically - intelligence about the insurgency still sucks, and increasingly so since the military has taken over here in Thailand.

And if you really believe that guerrilla tactics are not taught, you really should stop posting for a while and educate yourself first in basic general knowledge. This is even for you one of the more ridiculous statements i have read so far.

[blaze]

..the tactic of run and hide is not taught, it is very natural to a bully and a coward. You can see this in just about every school, however it certainly seems the people that they bully don’t run as much.

I seriously doubt that Buddhist Thais in the South, as well as the army/police/rangers themselves are so brave that they never run from the bandits.

After practically every incident the bandits are able to delay arrival of security forces by many hours. Simply possibility of road side bombs or ambushes serve as a good deterrent against advancing Thai army. They were brave when they mercylessly killed scores of defenceless muslims inside the Krue Sue mosque, though.

Muslim fighters there are not cowards, they are just young boys who recieve on site job training. A couple of years ago they probably didn't know how to use a gun or a knife. The progress is remarkable, just wait until the "graduate".

Absolutely true. The attack on the Islamic School report of yesterday had a high ranking army guy state that in these schools, not only are the kids being trained but outfitted. (True or not is anybody's guess in the current climate)- never the less, it is certainly a possibility- and that the army holds this view certainly makes the attack look very much like the work of either Paramilitarys or even more scary- local Buddhists out for revenge. Of course it was the firing on the van of school kids that might have started this cycle but none the less- it is a horrible cycle when the motif becomes a child for a child.

[Pak Chong]

As I said some place along the way if they are running they can’t be attacking. That is the only point I am making here. If being on their tails and chasing them in to Malaysia works for now, then for the moment keep it up.

I think then you should start familiarizing yourself with guerrilla tactics, especially the ones employed by Mao when hopelessly outnumbered and out gunned, and without any outside support, and how well a flexible hit and run approach succeeded.

Yes however you know as well as I that the tactic of run and hide is not taught, it is very natural to a bully and a coward. You can see this in just about every school, however it certainly seems the people that they bully don’t run as much.

However I do enjoy your comment of no outside support, I guess they have properly turned just about everyone against them by going after children.

No, outside support meant Mao's communists during the early days of the revolution.

The southern rebels have outside support. Clear is that there are long standing relations between GAM and some southern rebel groups, and it is not clear how much support they get from Pakistan/Afghanisthan and/or JI, if it is just ideological, or also financial and tactical. Basically - intelligence about the insurgency still sucks, and increasingly so since the military has taken over here in Thailand.

And if you really believe that guerrilla tactics are not taught, you really should stop posting for a while and educate yourself first in basic general knowledge. This is even for you one of the more ridiculous statements i have read so far.

Not that it's any of my business as a Fahrang but I fear the military have either not learned from history or rather there are political or more likely economic constraints to taking more plausible action. For my 10c....

1. A long term political solution is necessary (See all foreign policies of all countries since year dot).

2. The short term military solution requires thought, sensitivity & money (lots of it-unlikely!)

3. Hearts & Minds are being lost in the south

4. Wars against insurgents can only be won with the positive support of (the predominantly muslim) population

5. They are being terrorised by an insurgent minority (see Mao, VC Contras, Sandanistas, Al Queda

6. The government will receive no support if it cannot A. protect them and B. offer improved social conditions

7. Real protection would require professional, trained soldiers with ethnic sensitivity embedded in a combined action programme with villagers support and acceptance.

I fear there is no desire in this government or the future one to do the necessary. If so they can either sit back and fan the flames or saw of the end of Thailand south of Songkla. The problem may subside as it did when communist funding dried up ther in the 70's but it will not go away as long as external fundamentalist funding and support continues and the present power structure in BKK demonstrates weakness, vacillation and self interest and keeps hopping from one foot to the other.

Hopefully the elected government will show strength and foresight.

My sincerest prayers for the thai people (buddhist and muslim)

If this is not politically

[seagull]

In my opinion as a simple folk, it is scary, as I believe it is an eye for an eye now between the buddhists and the muslims. Whether the killings are the work of the roque military or bib, or islamist seperatists, it is getting worse in the south. Soft approach, non approach and hard approach, I feel the perpetrators of these hideous criminal acts would not be calling it a day, anytime, any year. They have their mind set on one thing, and only one. Nothing else matters to them except to kill, maime, and disrupt the lives in the south.

[seagull]

I had in my previous posting with regards to the problems in the south, that it should be handled with an "iron fist". Thaksin's style. But include this "iron fist" with social and economic development for the people in the muslim dominated south. Obviosly, as reports are circulating in the papers now, that soft approach had failed in winning over the hearts and minds of the people there. They are not interested in whatever approach you have in mind. It is "jihad". You can jolly well provide all social and economic assistance to them, they don't give a hoot. That is not what they want. They wants to cleanse their "land" of infidels and goes back to live in the dark ages.

[Jai Dee]

CNS Chairman and Army Chief says the Army works better after curfew imposition

The Council for National Security Chairman, Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin, indicates the imposition of curfew in Yaha (ยะหา) and Bannang Sata (บันนังสตา) districts of Yala province has improved the army's working conditions.

Gen. Sonthi says the army is able to arrest more suspects after curfews are declared in Yaha and Bannang Sata districts. As for a request by members of the public to extend the imposition of curfew to other areas, Gen. Sonthi will leave the decision to the Fourth Army Region Commander.

Gen. Sonthi says the officials are carrying out their tasks more effectively. They are accelerating investigations of suspects while more weapons have been confiscated. The army will concentrate more on public relations of its activities.

The CNS Chairman adds the overall situation in the restive South is improving; however, terrorists may change their tactics of operations. He has instructed related officials to stay alert for any change.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 March 2007

[Jai Dee]

More troops and curfews for South

Three women killed in attack on vehicle going to Queen's project for widows

Army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin is exploring ways to boost troop numbers and impose more curfews in more areas in the restive south after violence spread to other parts of the region, including an Islamic boarding school, where two people were killed on Saturday.

Sonthi was in the deep South yesterday for an urgent meeting with security agencies to tighten operations in the predominantly Muslim region.

"I came here to check whether we have sufficient troops for the operation to cover all 30 districts in the region," he told reporters.

"I want to know how many additional troops we need and will bring more from the three armed forces and the police."

More than 30,000 troops have already been deployed in the region but the militants have kept launching deadly attacks. The government is still struggling to contain the violence that erupted at the beginning of 2004 and has claimed more than 2,100 lives so far.

Sonthi said he would authorise the Fourth Army Region Commander to announce a curfew to bar local people in some districts - including Yala's Than To - from leaving their homes.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said his government would follow Her Majesty the Queen's suggestion to arm local residents in the restive region so they can protect themselves. The Interior Ministry has trained and equipped local residents, notably Buddhists, for years.

Fresh violence erupted in Pattani's Nong Chik yesterday that left three dead and another three workers injured at a royal sponsored project for women widowed by the violence.

Militants sprayed automatic rifle fire into a pickup truck loaded with 19 women workers as it entered the project site at about 8am.

The deaths and injuries were all women aged between 31 and 57 years old. The project was an experimental farm initiated by Her Majesty the Queen.

In Narathiwat's Rangae district, a trader was injured in a shoot-out while riding a motorbike to sell milk in the district. Worawit Woraphan was shot in the back and later admitted to hospital.

Meanwhile, a policeman was injured in a drive-by-shooting while riding a motorbike to work in Si Sakhon district. Pol Sergeant Pichit Suwan was soaked in blood when he arrived at his office at the district police station.

Source: The Nation - 20 March 2007

[Scott]

I haven't read through all the posts, so I am sorry if I am asking something that has been answered. The other day there was an attack on a boarding school in which two students were killed. The newspaper was not very specific as to who was involved in the attack.

The reason I ask is I am wondering if it was a group of Buddhists, who may be starting to retaliate against attacks.

[John K]

I haven't read through all the posts, so I am sorry if I am asking something that has been answered. The other day there was an attack on a boarding school in which two students were killed. The newspaper was not very specific as to who was involved in the attack.

The reason I ask is I am wondering if it was a group of Buddhists, who may be starting to retaliate against attacks.

Scott, apparently it is who you choose to believe at this point because apparently there are ‘rumors to help your cause’ going about. Unless they capture or kill one of the attackers it’s anyone’s word at this point.

Quote Colpyat

I think then you should start familiarizing yourself with guerrilla tactics, especially the ones employed by Mao when hopelessly outnumbered and out gunned, and without any outside support, and how well a flexible hit and run approach succeeded.

Colpyat unless Mao is one of the people running from the Thais at the moment I really don’t care about him. There is every indication that the animals involved have all levels of training including no training at all. Your assumption that they are all hard core completely lacks any evidence to support it, in fact it points to the opposite. So for the moment I think simply taking things at face value is the best way to assess what is going on.

[Jai Dee]

I haven't read through all the posts, so I am sorry if I am asking something that has been answered. The other day there was an attack on a boarding school in which two students were killed. The newspaper was not very specific as to who was involved in the attack.

The reason I ask is I am wondering if it was a group of Buddhists, who may be starting to retaliate against attacks.

There was a report recently of an attack against a Muslim school.

I'll do a hunt around and see if I can find it.

/Edit - found it!

Students killed in Thai school attack

Suspected insurgents hurled explosives and opened fire on an Islamic school in southern Thailand, killing three Muslim students and wounding another seven, police said.

The attack occurred late on Saturday night at the Bamrungsart Pohnor school, a Muslim boarding school in the Sabayoi district of Songkhla province, said police Col Thammasak Wasaksiri.

Attackers sprayed dozens of bullets into the school's dormitory where about 75 boys were sleeping, Thammasak said.

A 12-year-old boy and two 14 year olds were killed.

The wounded students, aged from 13 to 17, were being treated for gun shot wounds and other injuries, Thammasak said.

He said police believed that Muslim insurgents had staged the attack and hoped to convince local Muslims that authorities were behind the violence - a ploy to win villagers over to the insurgents' cause.

"Insurgents always use this trick of attacking Muslim people to instigate villagers and get them to believe that police or soldiers were responsible for the attack," he said.

Thailand's three Muslim provinces have hundreds of religious Islamic schools, some of which authorities have accused of harbouring insurgents and serving as a training ground for violence.

Hundreds of Muslim villagers staged a protest on Sunday morning, saying they did not believe Muslims were behind the attack.

"The villagers are accusing paratroopers of attacking the school," Thammasak said.

Drive-by shootings and bombings occur almost daily in Thailand's three Muslim-majority provinces - Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, and increasingly in the neighbouring province of Songkhla.

Though Buddhist teachers have been targeted by the violence, schoolchildren have largely been spared.

Violence in the south has increased since a military-installed government took power in September following a coup that ousted then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thailand was stunned by a cold-blooded attack last Wednesday in which suspected insurgents ambushed a commuter van in Yala province and killed eight passengers, shooting them in the head execution-style.

The incident was followed that evening by a bombing at a mosque and a grenade attack at a tea shop that killed two Muslim civilians.

Thailand's military imposed a curfew in two Yala districts on Thursday

Army spokesman Col Akara Thiprot said it was the first time the military has imposed a curfew in the region since January 2004, when a resurgent Islamic separatist movement began a violent offensive that has resulted in more than 2,000 deaths.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald - March 19, 2007

Edited March 20, 2007 by Jai Dee
News clipping added

[Jai Dee]

Vigilante law: Firearms are placed on tables before a gathering of about 300 Buddhists at the community auditorium of Songkhla’s Saba Yoi district yesterday. The Buddhists said they could ‘no longer stand’ the frequent insurgent attacks on Buddhists and would ‘deal with the problem themselves’ if the authorities fail to do so.

Source: The Nation - 20 March 2007

[Mid]

Vigilante law: Firearms are placed on tables before a gathering of about 300 Buddhists at the community auditorium of Songkhla’s Saba Yoi district yesterday. The Buddhists said they could ‘no longer stand’ the frequent insurgent attacks on Buddhists and would ‘deal with the problem themselves’ if the authorities fail to do so.

well Bkk ??

could well be the beginning of the end ..........................

[seagull]

Vigilante law: Firearms are placed on tables before a gathering of about 300 Buddhists at the community auditorium of Songkhla's Saba Yoi district yesterday. The Buddhists said they could 'no longer stand' the frequent insurgent attacks on Buddhists and would 'deal with the problem themselves' if the authorities fail to do so.

Source: The Nation - 20 March 2007

Just wondering. How the security forces would react to a shoot-out between two factions of heavily armed groups. (buddhists & muslims). I could not believe this that they are actually going to arm civilians?

[Jai Dee]

Yala people wants more progress in solving southern unrest

The majority of people in Yala province see that the Council for National Security’s (CNS) mission to solve the southern violence has not progressed much in the last six months.

Yala residents view that violence is still prevalent, if not escalating. According to a local businessman, he is not satisfied with the interim government’s progress in solving the southern unrest since he has high expectations.

He says a number of public members still see that the government has not truly understood the situation.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 March 2007

[Jai Dee]

Human rights group urges action on Thailand's disappeared

Thailand's failure to stop forced disappearances in the restive south and take action against the perpetrators is fuelling a growing insurgency there, a top rights watchdog said Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch accused Thai security forces of using enforced disappearances as a tool to intimidate the majority Muslim population in the south, where 2,000 people have died in three years of separatist unrest.

"The Thai security forces are using 'disappearances' as a way to weaken the militants and instill fear in the Malay Muslim community," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

"Thailand's government needs to make a clear and public statement of policy against 'disappearances' and take action against those responsible for this crime," he added.

The statement came as the New York-based watchdog released a report detailing 22 unresolved disappearances in the south, where separatist unrest has escalated despite a raft of government-led peace-building measures.

Many of the cases involved suspected separatists having run-ins with the police or army, and then disappearing and never being heard of again.

The lack of investigation into such cases eroded local people's faith in the justice system, the group said.

Human Rights Watch said that the majority of the disappearances detailed in the report took place under the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup last September.

The regime that replaced him, led by retired general Surayud Chulanont, vowed to reverse his heavy-handed tactics in the south, but Human Rights Watch said that many of the people involved in the abuses remained on duty.

"General Surayud vowed to introduce a more human rights-friendly and sophisticated approach than the heavy-handed one used by Thaksin," the group said in a statement.

"But General Surayud's government has done little to translate these promises into action... Resentment against human rights abuses by the Thai authorities is among the factors fueling an increasingly brutal insurgency."

The report comes at a time of increasing tension in the region bordering Malaysia, with protests flaring after the massacre of nine Buddhists on a bus last week and the shooting of two Muslim school children on Saturday.

A string of coordinated bomb blasts across the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat last month killed nine and injured 44, while killings have also become more gruesome, with two beheadings in March.

Source: The Nation - 20 March 2007

[Mid]

Yala people wants more progress in solving southern unrest

The majority of people in Yala province see that the Council for National Security’s (CNS) mission to solve the southern violence has not progressed much in the last six months.

Yala residents view that violence is still prevalent, if not escalating. According to a local businessman, he is not satisfied with the interim government’s progress in solving the southern unrest since he has high expectations.

He says a number of public members still see that the government has not truly understood the situation.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 March 2007

a rather damning incitement of one of the prime reasons for the coup ...................

[Scott]

Thanks Jai Dee for the updates. I won't (or the authorities won't) get an aswer to my question.

I've lived in war zones before and I am familiar with the 'blame' game. In a situation like the current one, I doubt that insurgents would kill there own, directly. Remember, they are killing future 'recruits.' They are also NOT killing infidels.

Very organized groups might do such a thing, but most lowly foot soldiers don't have much of a stomach for killing their own.

[Mai Krap]

Vigilante law: Firearms are placed on tables before a gathering of about 300 Buddhists at the community auditorium of Songkhla’s Saba Yoi district yesterday. The Buddhists said they could ‘no longer stand’ the frequent insurgent attacks on Buddhists and would ‘deal with the problem themselves’ if the authorities fail to do so.

Source: The Nation - 20 March 2007

How soon we forget, Does not anyone on this forum remember the front page pictures of firearms training taking place on the grounds of Wat's last year. I for one do not believe anything written in the news concerning the south, We cant even get a straight story in Bangkok so how in the helll does anyone expect to get a straight story from the south.

Lets see, A rouge element of the Army puts on turbans and hand grenades boys sleeping in a school and then blame their fathers and family for blowing up their own kids. Let us not forget the details here that the closest Army post was attacked one night by small arms fire according to reports but not grenades. Then a few hours later this action takes place at a Madrases Islamic School in a red zone Muslim village, One of those same villages that by all accounts completely supports the insurgency.

There were no guns fired at Tak Bai either, just check it out on YouTube which by the way was blocked for a few days last week.

[ThaiGoon]

Thanks Jai Dee for the updates. I won't (or the authorities won't) get an aswer to my question.

I've lived in war zones before and I am familiar with the 'blame' game. In a situation like the current one, I doubt that insurgents would kill there own, directly. Remember, they are killing future 'recruits.' They are also NOT killing infidels.

Very organized groups might do such a thing, but most lowly foot soldiers don't have much of a stomach for killing their own.

It's not beyond the realm of possibility that the insurgents themselves might have done it. They might wanna use fears to rule all the Muslims in the areas.

Insurgents strike fear into hearts and minds

In addition to the broadened targeting of women, children, monks and the de facto ethnic cleansing that has transpired, the Islamist agenda is manifest in other ways. They are not out to win hearts and minds: they are thuggish and brutal and are imposing their values on the community. Over 50 per cent of their victims have been fellow Muslims. They have a broadened their definition of collaborator to include Muslims who reject militant values and seek accommodation with the Thai state. They have killed moderate clerics and warned others to not perform funerals for the Muslims they kill and deem not to be real Muslims, the Wahhabi practice of "takfiri". They have shuttered businesses on Fridays and killed Islamic teachers who teach at schools that receive government funding and teach mixed curricula.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/03/20...on_30029731.php