Bomb Kills Two Top Provincial Officials In Thai South

[webfact]

Bomb kills two top provincial officials in Thai south

BANGKOK, April 5, 2013 (AFP) - A bomb blast killed two top provincial officials on Friday in Thailand's insurgency-plagued south, authorities said, a week after the kingdom held its first formal peace talks with rebels.

The deputy governor of Yala province, Issara Thongthawat, was killed along with Yala permanent secretary responsible for security, Chavalit Krairisk, after a roadside bomb struck their vehicle, officials said.

Issara, 56, was rushed to hospital but later died, southern army spokesman Colonel Pramote Promin told AFP by telephone.

He said the deputy governor appeared to have been targeted by militants while on his way to attend a local food fair.

"Explosive material was put inside a gas cylinder and hidden under the road," he said. "His driver is still in critical condition."

More than 5,500 people have been killed in nine years of bloodshed in Thailand's Muslim-majority south near the border with Malaysia, with shadowy insurgent groups blamed for near-daily bombings and shootings.

Security personnel and those connected with the government are regularly targeted, as well as Muslims perceived to be collaborating with the authorities.

Thailand held its first official peace talks with southern insurgents last week, with a one-day meeting with representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.

But while talks were said to be cordial -- and a further round was set for April 29 -- attacks have continued in the region.

Little is known about the various militant groups' identities, structures or aims, and questions remain over the ability of older militant leaders to rein in attacks by a younger generation of insurgents.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-04-05

[falkan]

they don't use armored personnel carrier for government top guys?

Edited April 5, 2013 by falkan

[bigbamboo]

The government needs to get their toughest cookie boy hands on down south immediately to sort this out.

Send for SuperChalerm!

[chainarong]

Im geting tired of this topic, week after week this sort of incidence crops up, same responce, get some outside help, you have left it go to long and now its at an advanced stage, after bali 2002, Indonesia got help from Australia and New Zealand with various issuses and that improved their arrest , kill rate no end , they are now (touch wood) on top of their game and work close with AU and NZ, why can't you.

[JetsetBkk]

RIP K.Thongthawat and K. Krairisk. Nobody deserves to die like that.

[LuckyLew]

Hey Chalerm .. you are doing a great job down south ... keep up the good work

[aguy30]

Let's see, the FBI report was just a misunderstanding, right?

[Yahooka]

Im geting tired of this topic, week after week this sort of incidence crops up, same responce, get some outside help, you have left it go to long and now its at an advanced stage, after bali 2002, Indonesia got help from Australia and New Zealand with various issuses and that improved their arrest , kill rate no end , they are now (touch wood) on top of their game and work close with AU and NZ, why can't you.

There is a big difference.Bali is not predominantly muslim,so it was much more easy to find the vermon responsible there compared to the restive South!!

[siampolee]

So there is no terrorist activity in Thailand?

Now according to the news report the gas cylinder bomb was buried underneath the road.

One must ask did nobody notice any activities regarding the excavation of the road, did nobody reconnoiter the road prior to this convoy passing through, if so did they not spot evidence of recent repair resurfacing work ?

We saw plainly how the the military budget is spent when we see rangers defusing bombs without one item of modern equipment, yet again we see the results of an ill equipped ill trained and ill led military faction in the area where there should be well equipped well trained and well led military personnel.

Now perhaps someone with some influence has been killed perhaps the military might just consider asking for advice from other countries that have dealt with their own terrorist actions over the years, then some solution might be found. Unlikely though as a found foreign solution would of course result in a loss of face for the Thai military

Also the spectre of a diversion of the funding for the military to purchase decent equipment and train personnel not golf club memberships and junkets abroad on shopping trips and of course the curtailment of the mutual backslapping ass licking functions too.

[StevenHeidbriderSr]

So there is no terrorist activity in Thailand?

Now according to the news report the gas cylinder bomb was buried underneath the road.

One must ask did nobody notice any activities regarding the excavation of the road, did nobody reconnoiter the road prior to this convoy passing through, if so did they not spot evidence of recent repair resurfacing work ?

We saw plainly how the the military budget is spent when we see rangers defusing bombs without one item of modern equipment, yet again we see the results of an ill equipped ill trained and ill led military faction in the area where there should be well equipped well trained and well led military personnel.

Now perhaps someone with some influence has been killed perhaps the military might just consider asking for advice from other countries that have dealt with their own terrorist actions over the years, then some solution might be found. Unlikely though as a found foreign solution would of course result in a loss of face for the Thai military

Also the spectre of a diversion of the funding for the military to purchase decent equipment and train personnel not golf club memberships and junkets abroad on shopping trips and of course the curtailment of the mutual backslapping ass licking functions too.

Why would the Thai military lose face? The Thais have Historically used foreign forces from other countries to help fight a war. Most often because those forces had the hardware to do the JOB.

[arthurboy]

Since crowing over the failed attack on the marine base a month back, when 15 or so terrorists were killed, how many people have now been murdered?

Good to see that Chalerm's continued pathetic silence and inaction and Prayuth's bullshit rhetoric are still going strong.

Sterling work, lads, sterling work.

[webfact]

Yala's deputy gov slain
The Nation


Officials inspect the severely damaged car targeted in a roadside bomb attack in Yala yesterday that killed two senior officials.

Roadside bomb claims Issara, provincial defence official, injures driver

YALA: -- A bomb attack in Yala yesterday killed two senior civilian officials travelling in a passenger sedan, with one of them dying instantly at the scene and a deputy provincial governor later pronounced dead at a hospital. The driver survived but was seriously injured.

National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn Pattanathabutr said the attack should not be taken as an indication that an ongoing peace dialogue with insurgents' representatives was a failure.

"Such incidents are customary during a peace process [with an armed resistance group], and this attack is not deemed a shift in insurgent violence, as government officials are always the prime targets," he said.

The attack might have been carried out by members of insurgent groups opposed to the peace dialogue who wanted to make their intent known, Paradorn said.

Yala deputy governor Issara Thongthawat was travelling with provincial civil-defence chief Chaowalit Chai-ruerk and the driver in a Toyota Camry, which was escorted by a military vehicle. The explosion blew the sedan into the air and sent it tumbling for 50 metres from the blast site, according to a witness.

Yala Governor Dejrat Simsiri said he was looking into the possibility that the attack was an inside job, given that the bomb precisely targeted the sedan.

The bomb, an improvised device consisting of 20 kilograms of home-made explosives, was hidden in an underground sewer on a section of Route 410 in Bannang Sata district. The blast, which blew a crater 2 metres wide and a metre deep in the road, was detonated by a battery through a 100-metre-long electrical wire connected to a roadside bomb, said police ordnance personnel.

The body of Chaowalit was thrown out of the sedan, while the two other passengers were trapped inside after the vehicle came to a rest, right side up. Driver Stopa Jehloh remains in critical condition after receiving intensive emergency care.

Security officials said much-wanted insurgent leader Makata Alimamah was possibly behind this bomb attack.



Issara was on his way to preside over an event at a remote location in the province when the blast occurred. Dejrat said he was originally scheduled to preside over the event, but had assigned Issara to stand in for him.

The attack in Yala is the latest in a series of violent acts in the South, where the unrest has continued unabated despite an ongoing peace dialogue inaugurated by agreement between Thai security officials and insurgents' representatives on February 28. The first round of talks commenced one month later.

Although there have been fewer attacks on civilians and fewer vehicle-bomb attacks in residential areas - preconditions the insurgents were asked to meet - the continued frequent violence means that no overall improvement has yet been seen in the region. Hopes of an improvement had been raised when the Barasi Revolusi Nasional Coordinate (BRN) members present at the March 28 meeting promised to persuade active operatives to reduce their attacks on so-called "soft targets", analysts said.

Paradorn said he told Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra that the attack in Yala was a ploy to intimidate local residents in the deep South to keep supporting insurgents' cause.

Chaowalit's funeral will be held at Wat Muang Yala starting with today's scheduled bathing rite. A date for the service for Issara will be set soon. It is expected to be held in either Yala or in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Issara's home province.

Issara, 56, served in civilian administration after graduating with bachelor's degrees in geology and law from Chiang Mai and Ramkhamhaeng universities in 1989. He initially served with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and later with the Local Administrative Department under the Interior Ministry in 1993.


-- The Nation 2013-04-06

[fareastguy]

Im geting tired of this topic, week after week this sort of incidence crops up, same responce, get some outside help, you have left it go to long and now its at an advanced stage, after bali 2002, Indonesia got help from Australia and New Zealand with various issuses and that improved their arrest , kill rate no end , they are now (touch wood) on top of their game and work close with AU and NZ, why can't you.

Simple answer to that is Thailand never asks anyone outside of the kingdom for help in it's internal affairs (money laundering/trafficking excluded)

it's the old "saving face thing" can't be seen by the world to be out of their depth..

[SICHONSTEVE]

Im geting tired of this topic, week after week this sort of incidence crops up, same responce, get some outside help, you have left it go to long and now its at an advanced stage, after bali 2002, Indonesia got help from Australia and New Zealand with various issuses and that improved their arrest , kill rate no end , they are now (touch wood) on top of their game and work close with AU and NZ, why can't you.

Because they are not Thai's and nobody else is allowed to delve into Thailand's problems!!

[Arkady]

So Chalerm's peace talks with elderly retirees from one of the Southern rebel groups active in the 70s, who are close to Pheua Thai's Wadah faction, are working well.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Arkady

[SICHONSTEVE]

So Chalerm's peace talks with elderly retirees from one of the Southern rebel groups active in the 70s, who are close to Pheua Thai's Wadah faction, are working well.

Now that is fantastic progress that should easily solve the problems in months if not weeks!!

All they have got to do is ignore the bombings and killings that are STILL going on until it is resolved.

What an absolute star and hero Khun Chalerm is. Chalerm thinks, and all the problems magically disappear into thin air.

[aguy30]

Just curious, but is the Yinglick puppet even in the loop or is it just the Chalerm puppet that runs everything for the puppet master in Dubai?

Exactly what of great any importance has this government actually accomplished?

Edited April 6, 2013 by aguy30

[Thaiwine]

I cannot see an end to this as it stands without giving the insurgents what they want,

So I see an more radical alternative,

I read somewhere where there are Buddhists being persecuted by the Muslim majority, I think it was Pakistan

So I do not see why a forcible swap could not solve this situation, bring the persecuted Buddhists to Thailand and send all the Muslims to an Islamic state like Iran

A little inter government cooperation would be required, maybe cost a few baht to get rid of them, money well spent

there would be some angry Muslims being evicted but then if they can't live and work for changes peaceably then, life can be rough...... and some happy Buddhists, I would guess

[SICHONSTEVE]

I cannot see an end to this as it stands without giving the insurgents what they want,

So I see an more radical alternative,

I read somewhere where there are Buddhists being persecuted by the Muslim majority, I think it was Pakistan

So I do not see why a forcible swap could not solve this situation, bring the persecuted Buddhists to Thailand and send all the Muslims to an Islamic state like Iran

A little inter government cooperation would be required, maybe cost a few baht to get rid of them, money well spent

there would be some angry Muslims being evicted but then if they can't live and work for changes peaceably then, life can be rough...... and some happy Buddhists, I would guess

There is one flaw with this - you are referring to the persecuted (by buddhists) muslims in Myanmar so you would just be swapping muslims for muslims!!!

"Getting rid of them" by the way is not a very nice term for human beings.

[Scott]

I cannot see an end to this as it stands without giving the insurgents what they want,

So I see an more radical alternative,

I read somewhere where there are Buddhists being persecuted by the Muslim majority, I think it was Pakistan

So I do not see why a forcible swap could not solve this situation, bring the persecuted Buddhists to Thailand and send all the Muslims to an Islamic state like Iran

A little inter government cooperation would be required, maybe cost a few baht to get rid of them, money well spent

there would be some angry Muslims being evicted but then if they can't live and work for changes peaceably then, life can be rough...... and some happy Buddhists, I would guess

There is one flaw with this - you are referring to the persecuted (by buddhists) muslims in Myanmar so you would just be swapping muslims for muslims!!!

"Getting rid of them" by the way is not a very nice term for human beings.

He might be referring to Bangladesh, where there was conflict between the Muslim majority and the Buddhist minority several months ago.

[simple1]

I cannot see an end to this as it stands without giving the insurgents what they want,

So I see an more radical alternative,

I read somewhere where there are Buddhists being persecuted by the Muslim majority, I think it was Pakistan

So I do not see why a forcible swap could not solve this situation, bring the persecuted Buddhists to Thailand and send all the Muslims to an Islamic state like Iran

A little inter government cooperation would be required, maybe cost a few baht to get rid of them, money well spent

there would be some angry Muslims being evicted but then if they can't live and work for changes peaceably then, life can be rough...... and some happy Buddhists, I would guess

There is one flaw with this - you are referring to the persecuted (by buddhists) muslims in Myanmar so you would just be swapping muslims for muslims!!!

"Getting rid of them" by the way is not a very nice term for human beings.

He might be referring to Bangladesh, where there was conflict between the Muslim majority and the Buddhist minority several months ago.

Might be referring to this riot. Good on the Bangladeshi authorities for arresting 300 of the rioters

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-02/south-asia/34217239_1_buddhists-traditional-communal-harmony-muslim-bangladesh

[Thaiwine]

Thanks simple1 for the link, yes it was Bangladesh I was referring to, I was just going from memory so was slightly off

Also not nice for human beings as commented by SICHONSTEVE I agree, while some of the Muslims in the area are not a problem it would be impossible to sort out the guilty ones, so a clean sweep is needed

drastic? yes, needed? yes, nice? no

just my thoughts as an alternative to rolling over and giving them what they want, show them that murder and violence does not work

and I like the idea of shipping them of to somewhere like Iran, where they can live their Islamic dream

[SICHONSTEVE]

I cannot see an end to this as it stands without giving the insurgents what they want,

So I see an more radical alternative,

I read somewhere where there are Buddhists being persecuted by the Muslim majority, I think it was Pakistan

So I do not see why a forcible swap could not solve this situation, bring the persecuted Buddhists to Thailand and send all the Muslims to an Islamic state like Iran

A little inter government cooperation would be required, maybe cost a few baht to get rid of them, money well spent

there would be some angry Muslims being evicted but then if they can't live and work for changes peaceably then, life can be rough...... and some happy Buddhists, I would guess

There is one flaw with this - you are referring to the persecuted (by buddhists) muslims in Myanmar so you would just be swapping muslims for muslims!!!

"Getting rid of them" by the way is not a very nice term for human beings.

He might be referring to Bangladesh, where there was conflict between the Muslim majority and the Buddhist minority several months ago.

Might be referring to this riot. Good on the Bangladeshi authorities for arresting 300 of the rioters

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-02/south-asia/34217239_1_buddhists-traditional-communal-harmony-muslim-bangladesh

If there was one thing that I don't understand about the muslim faith it is their absolute rejection of any criticism of their faith and the extreme reaction to it!!

One thing that they cannot be accused of though is dishonesty and unfairness as they could show normal Thai's a thing or two in this respect.

[SICHONSTEVE]

Thanks simple1 for the link, yes it was Bangladesh I was referring to, I was just going from memory so was slightly off

Also not nice for human beings as commented by SICHONSTEVE I agree, while some of the Muslims in the area are not a problem it would be impossible to sort out the guilty ones, so a clean sweep is needed

drastic? yes, needed? yes, nice? no

just my thoughts as an alternative to rolling over and giving them what they want, show them that murder and violence does not work

and I like the idea of shipping them of to somewhere like Iran, where they can live their Islamic dream

I can understand your animosity to the islamic faith but this is a rediculous argument (to send them away to another muslim country). You admit that it is a very small minority of people causing the unrest so why punish them all?

This is similar to the answer given by some to resolving the political crisis in Ireland at the height of the problems there - "just drop a nuclear bomb on the country". Hardly sensible don't you think!!! It usually signifies that they know and understand little about the subject and reflects on them as having a distinct lack of intelligence.

[AleG]

The only lasting solution to the violence is for the vast majority of the southern provinces to completely repudiate and alienate the murdering b#$%@ds. As long as they have support, even if just tacit, from a significant portion of the population there won't be peace in the area.

Talking with retired ex-leaders from a spent faction is nice... but they should be winning hearts and minds (and not the USA way).

Edited April 6, 2013 by AleG

[metisdead]

This topic is not about Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan or Northern Ireland. Off topic posts have been removed.

[apetley]

I no expert but was thinking the attackers must have had pretty good intel to be able to attack the governors exact whereabouts when they did.

[Publicus]

Sichonsteve said:

If there was one thing that I don't understand about the muslim faith it is their absolute rejection of any criticism of their faith and the extreme reaction to it!!

One thing that they cannot be accused of though is dishonesty and unfairness as they could show normal Thai's a thing or two in this respect.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After my very recent 26 months in the South (until just January) I can say definitively the people there haven't any laws they live by, no rules of society, no morality in human interaction - human interaction is instead to look out for number one no matter what it takes, which we obviously know does not constitute a positive human interaction. Their inability to accept criticism of their faith, or of themselves, is predicated in a lack of human development, i.e., intolerance toward infidels and the consequent insecurities that stem from their personal and cultural isolation in a modern and changing world.

The level of civilization there is low and only declining rather than improving. The foreigner, the fahlang, is less than human and to be treated and regarded as such. It's a minute to minute struggle for almost everyone there against the secret plans, plotting and scheming against almost everyone there.

The foreigner in particular is considered and treated as a soi dog. I remain astounded by the barbarism of the vast majority of the population in those provinces. The only humanly decent interaction occurs at worship services, however, as we've seen in the Middle East after Friday prayers, after the worship service is over, it's every man and his kin for himself.

Some in southernmost Thailand throw bombs, most are completely dishonest and are typically malevolent.

The only rule is the law of the jungle, i.e., to lie, steal and cheat as many people as possible throughout the course of each day. The more people down there can look out only for number one, the more the day has been successful. Good luck to the Thai government in dealing with such people..

Edited April 7, 2013 by Publicus

[simple1]

I no expert but was thinking the attackers must have had pretty good intel to be able to attack the governors exact whereabouts when they did.

On the front page of today's BKK Post looks likes Thai security agencies agree with you. Could be the usual Thai way of settling personal/business disputes

[Pimay1]

Sichonsteve said:

If there was one thing that I don't understand about the muslim faith it is their absolute rejection of any criticism of their faith and the extreme reaction to it!!

One thing that they cannot be accused of though is dishonesty and unfairness as they could show normal Thai's a thing or two in this respect.

I can see that you have never worked in a Muslim country.