No End In Sight As South Thai Rebellion Enters Fifth Year

[sriracha john]

the killings continue... while the area waits for the government to do something...

Trader killed on doorstep

NARATHIWAT - A wood trader was shot dead at his rented house in Sungai Kolok district in early hours of yesterday morning, local police said. The dead man was identified as Chokchai Athorn, 37, who ran an aromatic wood business.

Police said Chokchai arrived home from town and was opening a door to the house when an unidentified gunmen lying in wait sprang up and opened fire on him at close range. Chokchai was shot in the head and back. He died instantly.

Also in Narathiwat, an M-16 assault rifle and 25 bullets were retrieved during a search operation on a mountain in Rangae district yesterday.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/281008_News/28Oct2008_news13.php

[sriracha john]

well, well... here comes Somchai to finally do something about the Deep South... and promptly goes off-topic...

PM visits South, warns monarchy offenders

PM and Defence Minister Somchai Wongsawat visited security forces at the three southern border provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala on Tuesday morning. On adjusting the work policy in the Deep South, the premier said he will discuss it with relevant units so officials would not face obstacles when performing their duties. Somchai said all sides have to help watch over the political situation, and people should not involve the royal institution with other issues. Legal action would be taken against anyone who makes statements offending the monarchy, he insisted.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=131677

[sriracha john]

Somchai makes first visit as PM to to Deep South

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat made his first trip as the prime minister to the deep South amid allegation of abduction, extra-judicial killings, and target killings at the hand of the government's death squad.

A number of these incidents, including the death of detained suspects at the hands of military officers, have caught national and international attention over the recent months.

Human rights groups often criticised the government and the military of allowing a culture of impunity in the restive region.

Speaking to reporters before his departure from Bangkok, Somchai suggested that any major changes will have to be consulted with other security agencies assigned to the restive region.

- The Nation / 2008-10-28

[NanaFoods]

Truly........ no end in sight.

This may end up being the longest running thread in history.

You certainly have "job security", or rather "pastime security", sriracha john.

Seriously, though, thanks for keeping us all posted !!

Keep up the good work.

[sriracha john]

and now that the Prime Minister has finished his first trip to the Deep South to do something...

Bombing at Yala government unit, wounds 2 soldiers, 7 residents

YALA, Oct 29 (TNA) - A bombing at government office in Yala municipality in Thailand's southernmost province Wednesday morning left at least two soldiers wounded, and seven local residents, including shoppers and vendors at an open air fresh market near the gate, being sent to hospital.

The Yala police department bomb squad and other security personnel rushed to the scene after an apparently home-made device exploded at the entrance gate of the Yala Highways Department in Kwangwichian Road.

All the wounded and injured were sent to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

Responding authorities disconnected mobile telephone signals in the area for fear that the attackers would use the explosion as a bait tactic to draw police to the first bomb and detonate another, larger bomb, as has been done in varied previous bomb incidents.

Pieces of a mobile phone and bomb fragments were scattered around the scene.

Witnesses said a male teenager was identified as the likely bombing suspect who placed the explosive device at the gate. Police believe that at least two people were involved, and the bomb was detonated by mobile phone. Footage from CCTV cameras in the area are being used to investigate and find clues regarding the attackers which were presumed to be insurgents.

The attack took place one day after Prime Minsiter Somchai Wongsawat paid his first visit to the southernmost provinces since taking office September. After the visit, Somchai affirmed the government’s policy to tackle violence was on the right track. :D

He said the government was paying close attention to the problems in the southern region as the local population there continued to suffer from the violence.

He said urgent priorities in the troubled southern provinces were improving allowance for security officials, upgrading their equipment, improving education, and shoring up the price of rubber, the south's key crop.

[Scott]

Some of the efforts mentioned, although nice, don't seem to really relate well to solving the violence in the South.

[sriracha john]

8 injured in Yala bombing

Eight people, including three soldiers, were injured when a powerful bomb went off near the entrance of a fresh market in Yala's Muang district, sending a shock-wave through out the security apparatus that more soft targets will come under attack.

Authorities immediately cut off traffic routes leading to and from the fresh market for fear that a second bomb would go off. Such tactics have become common in the three southernmost provinces where insurgency violence have so far claimed the lives of more than 3,400 people.

Pol Colonel Poompetch Pipatpetpoom, deputy commander of Yala Provincial Police, said the bombing was in response to the authorities' crackdown on insurgent cells.

Police found at the crime scene pieces of a metal box with traces of explosive materials, along with pieces of mobile phone. This led them to believe that the bomb was set off remotely by a culprit with line of vision to the bomb.

The bomb was set off just as three security officers were within the immediate area of where the bomb was placed. The three soldiers, all of whom are members of Yala 11th Task Force, were sent to the provincial hospital. They were part of a 12-man unit that had just completed their routine patrol in the backroads of the province.

The bomb attack came one day after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat completed his visit to the region. A spree of violence greeted the prime minister and the Army chief General Anupong Paochinda.

Somchai told reporters that security situation has been improving and downplayed the need for structural reform for the Malay-speaking South.

- The Nation / 2008-10-29

Edited October 29, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

more info on the Yala bombing plus now a shooting death in Pattani...

9 Injured from Bomb Explosion in Yala

Insurgents have planted a bomb, aimed at killing officials in Yala, while in Pattani, a village headman has been shot dead.

A bomb exploded near a government office in Yala's municipality, seriously injuring Sergeant Witsanu Nuanloy, Sergeant Toranin Saiwanna, and Sergeant Mai Limchareon, while another six people suffered minor injuries.

The injured soldiers are part of the Fourth Infantry Division in Phitsanulok, now stationed in the Deep South. They were visiting the nearby Pimonchai market but as they walked away from their car, the bomb was detonated by a mobile phone.

In the meantime, a village headman in Pattani Province has been killed while riding a motorcycle on Pattani-Narathiwat Road in Tangyongtalo District.

A witness said 53-year-old Doroheng Masae was shot by a gunman on a motorcycle as he was driving away from home.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was just in the South, to update on the situation there. Army Commander General Anupong Paochinda and high-ranking officials visited local soldiers who were injured in clashes with an insurgent group last week.

Afterwards, the group visited the military checkpoints in the province and thanked officials for their devotion to protect the people in the areas.

- TOC / 2008-10-29

[sriracha john]

Photos of the Yala bombing site by Reuters....

[Scott]

It sounds like some this was a response to the PM and General's visit. If so, it might be better for them to stay out of the area.

[sriracha john]

Narrow escape for patrol unit

NARATHIWAT : A military patrol had a narrow escape when a roadside bomb exploded in Si Sakhon district yesterday afternoon, local police said. The bomb went off on a village road in tambon Sribanpot when a 12-man patrol was making its rounds of the neighbourhood. Police said the 5kg home-made device was buried and was set off by a detonator. The force of the explosion sent debris flying in all directions, but none of the soldiers were injured. Urea fertiliser, a key ingredient in bomb-making, pieces of metal, gunpowder, electrical wires and fragments of a metal box were collected from the blast scene. Police believe a local insurgent group may have been behind the attack. In Yala, 56 school executives held a meeting to discuss security measures for teachers ahead of the new school term. Most schools in the South will open for

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/021108_News/02Nov2008_news05.php

[sriracha john]

Last Buddhist family in Narathiwat village attacked

Narathiwat - The last Buddhist family in a village of this southern border province was attacked by Muslim insurgents Sunday, killing the mother and severely injuring the daughter.

The attack against the family in Moo 7 village of Tambon Laloh of Ruesoh district happened at 1:20 pm.

Police said the mother Ladda Sutthani, 72, owner of a clothes shop, was fatally shot and her daughter, Darunee Duangkaew, 39, was severely injured and sent to the provincial hospital.

Ladda, who was shot at her head and neck, died before she was sent to the hospital.

Police said the two were sitting inside the shop with two other relatives and the insurgents arrived on two motorcycles. They initially pretended to buy clothes, but opened fire at the mother and daughter while the two relatives managed to flee.

The shop was attacked with a bomb two years ago, injuring Ladda. Darunee's husband was killed about a year ago.

Ladda and Darunee's family is the last Buddhist family in the village.

- The Nation / 2008-11-02

[TAWP]

A long time ago one could have claimed that the insurgency was a fight against the government for more independence and recognition of their religion and specific needs.

Not any more.

This was clearly a display of religious fascism where every non-believer (kafir) shall be purged from their land by force, effectively in their eyes being kafir dhimmi.

[Scott]

Unless some action is taken to stabilize the situation in the south, it will become a homogenous place--there will be no Buddhists and there will be no gov't supporters. At that point, there will be little reason for it to stay as a part of Thailand and for Thailand to wish to keep it--except for nationalism.

[sriracha john]

Unless some action is taken to stabilize the situation in the south, it will become a homogenous place--there will be no Buddhists and there will be no gov't supporters. At that point, there will be little reason for it to stay as a part of Thailand and for Thailand to wish to keep it--except for nationalism.

and the oil/natural gas deposits.

[sriracha john]

Deep-South Security Stepped up as New School Term Begins

Security officials in the strife-torn South have stepped up safety measures on the first day of the new school term in the three southern border provinces.

All schools in Pattani province have commenced their new classes this morning, amidst tight security programs from the military, the police, and the local administrative offices.

Security officials began their patrol since dawn on both major and minor routes to all schools, with at least three officers on duty at each spot and two officials at each school, as well as armored trucks deployed in all areas.

Pattani Police Chief Kreerin Inkaew said that all police officers in the province have been instructed to make regular visits to local schools and provide safety for all teachers on the routes from their homes to classes, under collaboration with the military and provincial authorities.

And, in Yala Province, all security offices have also joined in an attempt to keep teachers safe on the first school day, as educators and students are escorted to classes.

Meanwhile, in Tambon Bannang Sarang of Muang District, which is a risk area, the military has enforced more soldiers to help the local security team in guarding teachers and schools in the area, as well as in adjacent districts of Raman and Krongpinang.

However, violent attack still continued in this war-torn region, with unidentified insurgents planting explosives along a local road in Bajoh District of Narathiwat Province, reportedly in hopes of harming marine patrols in the area. Fortunately, no one was injured from the explosion.

- TOC / 2008-11-03

Edited November 3, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

School's first day greeted with bombing

Narathiwat - Thailand's Deep South's first day of public school's second semester was greeted with a roadside bomb that was targeting security details for teachers.

In Narthiwat's Bacho district, a roadside bomb aimed at an eight-man security detail securing a rural road leading to a local public school. No injuries were reported.

Authorities immediately unleashed an 80-strong personnel group to conduct a mop up operation, but came out with no information leading to the attackers.

Sanugan Inthrak, chairman of Federation of Narathiwat Teachers said he was satisfied with the overall level of security provided to the teachers.

In Srisakorn district of the same province, Che-mamah Che, 66, the owner of a local teashop, was shot dead in front of about five customers. His body was riddled with four bullets from a gunman who was riding pillion on a motorbike and fired at close range.

In Yala's Than To district, a combined forces of about 50 security personnel cut off villagers in this highly contested district to carry out what appeared to be a blind sweep. Two men were taken in for questioning from the operation.

Authority said Doramae Donu, 24, had a .357 handgun in his residence. It was not clear if the gun was registered and some electrical wires that could be use in roadside bombing operation.

Than To's district chief, Surachai Wongsupalak, said Doramae will be detained under the emergency law that permits detention without trial.

Surachai said two other suspects residing in the area had fled as the villages were being surrounded.

- The Nation / 2008-11-03

[Jai Dee]

Urgent: 60 injured in two Narathiwat bomb blasts

Two simultaneous bomb blasts went off in a local government office and a teashop Tuesday, injuring about 60 people in the southernmost province of Narathiwat, police said.

It was not clear if any of the injured has succumbed to death as authorities worked through the wreckage.

Police said they believed the twin explosions were set off remotely by suspected insurgents.

Source: The Nation - 04 November 2008

[sriracha john]

Coming straight on the heels of the thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Bomb-Blasts-...nd-t221004.html

Bomb Blasts Injure 60 In Thailand

(which btw, could be updated to:)

Bomb Blasts Kill 1, Injure 70 in Thailand

comes MORE carnage with body burnings AND shootings AND school burnings... killing even more...

Thai bomb squad members inspect the site of a car bomb blast, in Sukhirin in Thailand's restive southern.

AFP *edit. To clarify... the above photo is of the bombing in Narathiwat yesterday.

Four more killed in Thailand's bomb-hit south: police

YALA, Thailand (AFP / 1 hour ago) – Suspected separatist militants killed four civilians in Thailand's troubled Yala province, hours after twin bomb blasts left killed one and wounded 70, police said Wednesday.

Police said gunmen broke into two homes late on Tuesday, killing a 16-year-old boy and a 42-year-old man in separate attacks around 8:00 pm (1300 GMT).

Later, the charred remains of an unidentified man were found in a burnt-out pick-up truck on a roadside.

A school janitor was also shot dead Wednesday morning in a drive-by shooting as he rode his motorcycle to work at 7:00 am in Yala's provincial town.

In nearby Narathiwat province, an elementary school was reported to have been burnt down in an arson attack overnight.

The violence comes hours after two bombs ripped through a market and tea shop near a local government office in Yala just before midday on Tuesday.

One woman was killed and dozens of people were wounded in what police said was one of the biggest assaults on civilians since the Muslim-majority south's separatist rebellion flared in early 2004.

The blasts came a week after Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat visited the region and told reporters the insurgency appeared to have eased.

More than 3,400 people have been killed in rebel attacks by shadowy insurgent groups operating in the region since January 2004, and successive governments have struggled to quell the unrest.

The three far southern provinces were an ethnic Malay sultanate until mainly Buddhist Thailand annexed the region in 1902, provoking decades of tensions.

Edited November 5, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

Thailand: School Torched In Strife-torn South

PATTANI, THAILAND: Suspected Muslim insurgents burned down a school in Thailand's restive south Wednesday (5 Nov), a day after detonating two bombs that killed one person and left 71 wounded, police said.

Arsonists torched the school in Narathiwat province at about 1am local time when it was empty, said Lt. Anurak Chathapon. Nobody was injured but the two-story schoolhouse was destroyed.

The attack bore the trademark of Muslim insurgents, Anurak said.

Public schools and teachers in the southernmost provinces are viewed as symbols of government authority and are regularly attacked. More than 80 Buddhist teachers, and 3,300 people in total, have been killed in southern Thailand since a Muslim insurgency flared in 2004.

On Tuesday (4 Nov), two bombs exploded in the same province, killing one person and wounding 71. It was the largest attack in several months.

The first blast appeared to target local officials from Narathiwat province who were leaving a monthly meeting when a bomb exploded in the building's parking lot, said police chief Maj. Gen. Surachai Suebsuk. The bomb was hidden inside a parked car and sent debris flying about 200 yards (meters), officials at the scene said. The building also housed an indoor fruit market, which was busy with shoppers when the blast went off at the start of the normally crowded lunch hour, he said.

"The insurgents aimed to kill," Surachai said. "Most of the wounded were civilian officials who were leaving the meeting and heading for their cars." Minutes later, a second bomb hidden in a motorcycle went off outside a nearby tea shop, Surachai said.

Thailand's three southernmost provinces are the only Muslim-dominated areas in the Buddhist-majority country. Some analysts interpreted the timing of Tuesday's attacks, one week after embattled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat visited the region, as a message to the government.

"It can be seen as a symbolic response that their fight is not over," said Srisompob Jitpiromsri, a political scientist at Prince of Songkhla University in the southern province of Pattani. Visits by senior officials are often followed by violence.

The insurgency has been overshadowed in recent months by a political crisis fueled by anti-government protests in the capital, Bangkok.

Violence in the south is usually blamed on Muslim insurgents. The southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani have been terrorized by regular attacks since early 2004, when a separatist movement flared after a lull of more than two decades.

Attacks generally take the form of drive-by shootings and small-scale bombings intended to frighten Buddhist residents into leaving the area. Suspected insurgents mainly target people seen as collaborating with the government, including soldiers, police, informants and civilians.

- Associated Press / 2008-11-05

[Jai Dee]

Night violence in deep South

Arsonist set fire to a public school in Pattani and Narathiwat, while gunmen shot dead four local residents in Yala as violence continue unabated in the deep South Wednesday one day after two simultaneous bombs injured more than 60 people.

Police found the body of, Asmi Kudeng, 43, a janitor at an elementary school in Yala's Tambon Krong Pinang riddled with bullets lying next to his motorbike on the side of the a backroad.

Asmi was on his way to work when two gunmen drove up from behind and fired six shots at close range, killing the victim at the crime scene.

In late Tuesday evening, in Yala's Yaha district, Sahadi Hamah, 16, was gun down in his village as he was about to take part in a bathing ritual for an evening prayer. Police said gunmen used automatic rifles and killed him on the spot.

In the same Tambon Pathae of Yaha district of the same evening, a gunman stormed into Mahropee Malee, 42, a resident of Yala's Tambon Kabang, while he was having dinner with his family and commenced fire with automatic rifles, killing him in front of his wife and children.

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, also in the same tambon, a pickup truck belonging to a local resident was set on fire damaging it beyond repair. An identifiable body was found sitting on the driver seat and burnt beyond recognition. Police believe the victim was shot dead inside of his vehicle and then set on fire.

In Narathiwat, about 01:30 Wednesday morning, an elementary school was reported to have been burnt down in an arson attack overnight.

Police accused Malay Muslim separatists of being behind the violence but human rights organisations and local residents accused the authorities of employing death squad to carry out hits against suspected separatists and sympathisers.

Source: The Nation - 05 November 2008

[sriracha john]

the scene from just one of the four different fatal shootings yesterday...

Police and military personnel stand over the body of a man who was shot dead while riding his bicycle on a road in southern Thailand's Yala province November 5, 2008. Two teenage suspects were held after they shot dead a Muslim school watchman as he rode his bike to work in Yala, police said.

REUTERS

[sriracha john]

the potential for more deaths from bombings remains very strong...

Two bombs defused in karaoke bars

NARATHIWAT : Two home-made bombs were found at karaoke bars in Muang district on Tuesday, hours after two blasts in Sukhirin district left 71 people injured, local authorities said. At the Enjoy karaoke bar on Rangaemakka road in Narathiwat municipality, staff reported a suspicious-looking item at the bar about 10pm. Bomb experts deactivated a 1kg home-made device found under a table. Later, the bomb team neutralised a second home-made bomb found at the nearby Dear karaoke bar on the same road.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/061108_News/06Nov2008_news05.php

[Scott]

It would appear there has been a sharp escalation in the level of violence. The political unrest elsewhere may be contributing to gov'ts inability to deal with this effectively.

[sriracha john]

and there's no let up, Scott... today's shooting murder of a Muslim woman....

Police officials move the body of a Muslim woman who was shot dead on a road in southern Thailand's Yala province November 6, 2008. Four suspects were held after a Muslim woman was shot dead while riding a motorcycle and her friend injured on a road in Yala, police said.

REUTERS / 54 minutes ago

[sriracha john]

and the murdered woman's motorcycle she and her injured passenger were riding when they were shot....

Police officers survey the site of a shooting on the roadside in southern Thailand's Yala province November 6, 2008. Four suspects were held after a Muslim woman riding on a motorbike was shot dead and her friend injured on a road in Yala, police said.

REUTERS / 58 minutes ago

[Scott]

My condolences to the family of friends of the victim.

[sriracha john]

and there's no let up, Scott... today's shooting murder of a Muslim woman....

Police officials move the body of a Muslim woman who was shot dead on a road in southern Thailand's Yala province November 6, 2008. Four suspects were held after a Muslim woman was shot dead while riding a motorcycle and her friend injured on a road in Yala, police said.

REUTERS / 54 minutes ago

The above murdered woman was the widow of a murdered man.....

Murdered headman's wife killed in drive-by attack

YALA : The wife of a murdered village headman was killed in a drive-by shooting in Raman district yesterday, police said. Kalaya Nuklai, 47, was found dead near Raman-Balo road while riding pillion on her way to market. She was shot several times by attackers on motorcycles and died on the spot. Dorohmae Doni, 74, the motorcycle taxi rider who was driving Kalaya, was injured. Kalaya was the widow of Doloh Samanori, a former village headman who was killed in an insurgent ambush in 2006.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/071108_News/07Nov2008_news11.php

[NanaFoods]

A long time ago one could have claimed that the insurgency was a fight against the government for more independence and recognition of their religion and specific needs.

Not any more.

This was clearly a display of religious fascism where every non-believer (kafir) shall be purged from their land by force, effectively in their eyes being kafir dhimmi.

Got that right !

[sriracha john]

Today's shooting deaths...

2 suspected insurgents killed in Yala

Yala - Two suspected insurgents were killed during a gunfight with the authorities in this southern border province Friday morning.

The two were identified as Usaman Sarideh, 25 and Abdi Deng, 21.

The two exchanged gunfire with the authorities for about 20 minutes before the were killed in Bannang Bubo village in Tambon Tham Thalu of Yala's Bannang Sata district at about 5:30 am.

Some 100 policemen, soldiers, paramilitary troopers, and Interior Ministry officials went to search a house in the village following tips-off that death squads or RKK warriors of the insurgents were hiding there.

Upon seeing the authorities, five men ran out of the house. Three managed to escape and the two suspects were killed in the gunfight.

- The Nation / 2008-11-07