One Fine Day In Thailand's Deep South

[webfact]

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One fine day in the deep South

By Tulsathit Taptim

The Nation

What's your idea of a bad day? The damned car wouldn't start, perhaps, and an unexpected office schedule comes up, requiring your presence in 20 minutes. And on this occasion, maybe you can count on the water supply to act up. You have to rely on bottled water for, well, all the necessary things. You rush out of home being reminded that key bills are pending and some "services" are in danger of being cancelled.

What's the worst that can happen at the office, then? Probably, screaming, unsympathetic bosses are waiting and "political" colleagues are sharpening their knives for you. Meanwhile, deadlines collide all of a sudden. How about the almighty toothache returning and aggravating your week-long fever, and something you ate the day before starting to wreak havoc in your stomach? And on a day like this, all phone calls are surely about long-overdue payments or some work-related issues that you have forgotten. You shut down your mobile but the calls keep coming on the direct line.

To add insult to injury, you lose certain important documents. Some of them, which you need urgently, have been dutifully put inside a "security document dispenser" box by an unknowing co-worker. No computer back-up? Of course, not.

What can top this kind of a day? Maybe rumours, or even real notification, that you are about to lose your job. There you go. A really terrible day. The only thing you can do is drink it away or curse yourself to sleep.

HHH

Sak (not his real name) wakes up to tap water that runs as usual and there is nothing "urgent" waiting at work. He cannot start his old Toyota sedan right away, though, because a couple of chores must first be fulfilled.

As instructed by security advisers, Sak peeks from inside his little house, located in a Yala neighbourhood, scanning as much of its surroundings as he can. He repeats the surveillance immediately after he steps out of the house.

Deciding that everything is all right, he kneels down and looks under his vehicle.

He's never found a bomb there, but less fortunate teachers in the deep South had never encountered anything suspicious either before they met their doom. The insurgents do not hound their targets. They just strike down whoever comes across as unaware or vulnerable.

You keep watching out, and never ever lower your guard, Sak and all other teachers in the three southernmost provinces are taught. Try not to go out of your way. Remote areas aren't safe, but then again, public spaces such as markets are also far from secure.

After checking his car, Sak drives to a nearby "meeting point" where "guards" are waiting in their own vehicles. From there they accompany him to the school, like he is someone very important. It takes six or more rifle-toting troops to send this teacher, or a few others, to their waiting students. Why such a big convoy? Because one teacher travelling with just an armed guard has proved not a deterrence, but an invitation for attack.

The "convoy" pattern is not used in some other areas. Instead, teachers go to school via routes lined intermittently with armed security troops, who have other assignments like guarding some specific places. Which system is better, Sak can't tell. He knows of at least one case in which a teacher was killed during a "transit", just beyond the jurisdiction of his usual security convoy. A husband and wife, both of them teachers, were fatally shot while doing their extra work of delivering vegetables at a market.

Two armed personnel are stationed at Sak's school. Although they have yet to encounter intruders, Sak wouldn't trade the protection for anything. When it all began seven years ago, the general attitude was "bad things always happen to other people". That changed quickly. Today, no teacher takes anything for granted.

More than 100 teachers have died in the deep South. Many of them had come from upper southern provinces and planned to settle down in the region. The violence has scared away some and discouraged others, but the majority is determined to stick around. To many, fears can't overcome their attachment to the region. Most important of all, without them, the students have nobody else.

When school's over, it's time for the routine security journey back home. Sak is always thankful to the guards, as his students are always thankful to him. And like the guards, Sak never considers himself a hero. He's just one fearful human being driven by a sense of obligation and responsibility, who has just arrived home from what must undeniably be classified as a good day.

-- The Nation 2011-01-20

[HAL9000]

Peace will not be possible until it is recognized that Islam is not a real religion, but rather a totalitarian political ideology.

http://www.inquiryintoislam.com/2010/07/three-things-about-islam-video.html

[housepainter]

I see from today's BBC that 4 soldiers have just been killed in what was described as a highly organised and much improved attack.

Well done the terrorists then. At least someone who carries a gun and is supposed to have an ideology seems capable of getting the job done. May be the Army along with the Police will study their methods in order to do their job effectively. The again I've never seen a flying pig but live in hope.

Somehow the nation and Andrew Drummond, in fact TV itself have missed the death fo the 4 soldiers. Maybe it's not just very newsworthy; a little local terrorism. A little local difficulty thta just won't go away. Some one else is having a bad day then.

The teachers certainly are. I remember a leading consultant surgeon being asked how important his contribution to society was. He answered no more than that of any teacher.

It still makes me think. Chicken and egg. It has to start somewhere but not in hospitals where it usually ends. So education perhaps accounts for a considerable portion of where we all come from and end up. I'd go along with that. Shame Thai society doesn't see it that way. I can imagine the changes if a 100 surgeons were massacred on their way to work.

Forget the immediate bomb it if it moves response that the two second Thai think tank would conjecture, focus on the need to sit down and negotiate and end to this. But no, they don't do that as the education system is so poor anyway why worry? Furthermore, if it were world class and delivered results you'd have en educated populace demanding social upheaval and immediate over night change; government would be scrapped over night with a meritocracy of persons worthy of the task.

Hence, let the teachers cop for it.

As for bad hair days, that's the point. As long as it keeps happening elsewhere, to some one else, does anyone really care? The media certainly don't as they hardly if at all report it. As terrorism goes, like most else in Thailand, it's pretty small potatoes and as long as they keep doing it to themselves why bother giving anything other than a glance?

The moral blackmail will always account for the teachers remaining in post along with the economic fact that labour is not mobile. Not when the government won't re-employ you if you leave.

A sort of thanks but no thanks.

May be we'll be reading about Khun Sak again [ not his real name - when he finally gets planted, like the Policeman who wnated to leave and they wouldn't grant his wishes. He got them though.

Wooden box style.

[jayjay0]

I see from today's BBC that 4 soldiers have just been killed in what was described as a highly organised and much improved attack.

Well done the terrorists then. At least someone who carries a gun and is supposed to have an ideology seems capable of getting the job done. May be the Army along with the Police will study their methods in order to do their job effectively. The again I've never seen a flying pig but live in hope.

Somehow the nation and Andrew Drummond, in fact TV itself have missed the death fo the 4 soldiers. Maybe it's not just very newsworthy; a little local terrorism. A little local difficulty thta just won't go away. Some one else is having a bad day then.

The teachers certainly are. I remember a leading consultant surgeon being asked how important his contribution to society was. He answered no more than that of any teacher.

It still makes me think. Chicken and egg. It has to start somewhere but not in hospitals where it usually ends. So education perhaps accounts for a considerable portion of where we all come from and end up. I'd go along with that. Shame Thai society doesn't see it that way. I can imagine the changes if a 100 surgeons were massacred on their way to work.

Forget the immediate bomb it if it moves response that the two second Thai think tank would conjecture, focus on the need to sit down and negotiate and end to this. But no, they don't do that as the education system is so poor anyway why worry? Furthermore, if it were world class and delivered results you'd have en educated populace demanding social upheaval and immediate over night change; government would be scrapped over night with a meritocracy of persons worthy of the task.

Hence, let the teachers cop for it.

As for bad hair days, that's the point. As long as it keeps happening elsewhere, to some one else, does anyone really care? The media certainly don't as they hardly if at all report it. As terrorism goes, like most else in Thailand, it's pretty small potatoes and as long as they keep doing it to themselves why bother giving anything other than a glance?

The moral blackmail will always account for the teachers remaining in post along with the economic fact that labour is not mobile. Not when the government won't re-employ you if you leave.

A sort of thanks but no thanks.

May be we'll be reading about Khun Sak again [ not his real name - when he finally gets planted, like the Policeman who wnated to leave and they wouldn't grant his wishes. He got them though.

Wooden box style.

Yes the army should study how to plant road side bombs and shoot teachers with out being caught.

As usual you are kinda in the ball park but not really there.

You try to make it sound like a Thai problem. It is not it is a problem caused and encouraged by Islam. If the people living in the region were Indonesian's it would be the same. Islam is the problem not Thai's you let your prejudice over ride your common sense.