Deep South: Thai Army rangers admit murdering children

[noitom]

Appalling event. Raises up the lawlessness of Thailand.

[JoeThePoster]

A lot of personal conflicts are being settled in the south at gunpoint under the shroud of separatist violence, I suspect.

[webfact]

SOUTH CRISIS
2 rangers arrested over murder of 3 boys
The Nation



NARATHIWAT: -- Two paramilitary rangers were arrested for the murders of three young boys in Narathiwat's Bacho district on February 3. A hunt is on for the third suspect.

Provincial governor Natthapong Sirichana told the press yesterday that the rangers Maming Binmama, 21, and Sakeura Jehseh, 25, confessed after their arrest on Saturday that they had joined a third person to launch an attack against the family of Jehmu Maman, which led to the three boys getting killed and Jehmu and his wife getting injured. Maming said the attack stemmed from a personal conflict, because he believes Jehmu shot dead his elder brother and wife on August 24, 2013.

Meanwhile, the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 Forward Command insisted the murder of imam Kori Doloh in Narathiwat's Yi-ngor district on Sunday stemmed from an attempt to create an atmosphere of violence in the restive region and put the blame on state officials.

After the 62-year-old imam of Kuyi mosque in tambon Tapoyo, was shot dead in an attack that also severely injured his son Aris, 17, forward command spokesman Colonel Pramote Phrom-in yesterday offered condolences to the family.

Pramote said Kori had been cooperating with the authorities in an attempt to solve conflicts in the area, especially with anti-drug projects.

He said the killers wore clothing similar to that of state officers to confuse the public, create misunderstanding and instigate conflicts among people of different faiths.

As a result, forward command deputy chief Maj-General Charin Amornkaew instructed relevant agencies to beef up security in the region, especially at symbolic targets, and speedily investigate violent incidents so the culprits could be brought to justice.

Meanwhile, two men on a motorbike threw an M26 grenade at a noodle shop opposite Phadung Pracha School in Yala's Muang district at about 8.20am yesterday.

It did not explode.

A leaflet was found near the scene claiming the attack was to punish Thai authorities "for letting Bannang Sata territorial defence volunteer Adulhakim Darasae harass people of Bannang Kuware village".

The police probe is focusing on the operative insurgent group led by Roseh Jarong.

Adulhakim was among the four people injured in a February 16 roadsidebomb attack while travelling in a car after reportedly aiding a mosque event.

In Pattani's Thung Yang Daeng district yesterday, rubber tapper Sulaiman Hatama was shot dead and his wife Pattama Yusoh wounded after two gunmen approached them at a rubber plantation at about 6.30am and opened fire.


-- The Nation 2014-03-04

[Mosha]

Just another part of Siam that really doesn't belong. Makes you wonder if there even is a country called Thailand.

Remember, the border crossed them, not the other way round.

[kikoman]

Disgusting. Army as a whole needs serious reform from the top down.

If this isn't a wake up call I don't know what is.

You are right

You don't know any thing

This was a blood feud. Not that familiar with feud's in that part of the world but I know that there is a religion there which allows indiscriminate killing of people if they belong to another religion. Some thing about kill the infidels in their religious book. I don't know maybe it had some thing to do with that. The article left a lot out.

Sad to see children killed for idiotic reasons like a feud. They are innocent.

Where is the yellow indignation over the killing of children?

These three innocent young children deserve the same concern for the taking of their young innocent lives, By those that should have offered them protection, those that swore to protect them stand accused for the cowardness of this crime and involvement of military personnel assume to be the perpetrators.

How quickly we grab on to a theory as the writers of the Nation advanced, now the clueless have become experts in what drives Southerners in these odious murders of young, innocent children!

[Mosha]

Disgusting. Army as a whole needs serious reform from the top down.

If this isn't a wake up call I don't know what is.

You are right

You don't know any thing

This was a blood feud. Not that familiar with feud's in that part of the world but I know that there is a religion there which allows indiscriminate killing of people if they belong to another religion. Some thing about kill the infidels in their religious book. I don't know maybe it had some thing to do with that. The article left a lot out.

Sad to see children killed for idiotic reasons like a feud. They are innocent.

Where is the yellow indignation over the killing of children?

These three innocent young children deserve the same concern for the taking of their young innocent lives, By those that should have offered them protection, those that swore to protect them stand accused for the cowardness of this crime and involvement of military personnel assume to be the perpetrators.

How quickly we grab on to a theory as the writers of the Nation advanced, now the clueless have become experts in what drives Southerners in these odious murders of young, innocent children!

You will find most Thais don't give a stuff what goes on down there, red or yellow.

[simple1]

Some more alleged detail has now emerged in relation to the killing of the children.

The killers now claim the children were murdered in revenge for the father's follow on killing of two witnesses to his initial killing of a Tambon representative. One of the two witnesses who were murdered was a female who was pregant at the time. For more detail from today's BKK Post search on; Rangers say they 'killed for revenge'

[chainarong]

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Words fail me..and no doubt many others.......

This is Thailand Mr Ban Ki Moon...Red, Yellow...whatever....nothing can admonish anyone for this behaviour...the RTA should be forever ashamed!

The question is why, what motivated these scum to carry out these acts, they are no better that the terrorists they are trying to combat.

[Halion]

Interesting that these rangers are locals. Their names show that they are not even ethnic Thais. I wonder if there is a back-story to this.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

The OP claims the killing of the children is an outcome of respective families blood dispute. From the first reports on the murder of the children, in the BKK Post, the children's father had been accused of the murder of a local tambon official, out on bail & then the charges were dropped. One would assume the killing of the children is related to this event. What is worse is that a video of interviews of some local people claim the children were specifically hunted down for killing at the family house, it was not a tragic error.

By their names & if it was a local families dispute, it appears you are correct in that the Rangers were locally recruited Thai Muslims. Some of the reporting is not always accurate so the other scenario could be they were paid contract killers, but that's pure speculation.

Congrats to the taskforce assigned to the investigation.

Another salient fact in support of you position is that it was stated that one of the weapons used was an AK47 which is not a standard issue in the Thai army.

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies removed. I think we can dispense with the red/yellow discussion in this thread.

[fasteddie]

Rotten scum!

Hang 'em High!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Disgusting. Army as a whole needs serious reform from the top down.

If this isn't a wake up call I don't know what is.

I don't think anyone. Is goingg to disagree with you regarding these disgusting acts, but the same can also be said regarding RTP which also needs a massive overhaul.

To me, it's not about the Army or the police, per se. What it's really about is the broad practice of government employees/officers abusing the public's trust and engaging in illegal activities either under the color of their authority or with the assistance of it.

Corruption, cops or soldiers for private hire, extra-judicial killings, night-time demolition derbies, kidnappings and torture by authorities, and on and on. To just blame the Army or the police alone is to miss the broader, and certainly bad, picture.

Here, there seems to be little sense of the duty that government officers have to act in a manner keeping with the public's trust and the authority/powers they have been given. Instead, it's OK to kill, rob, steal and enrich yourself under the color of authority.

As for this particular episode, I note the article never mentions the ages of the "children" victims, but does mention it was a "blood feud" between families. I wonder if the victims were teenagers and perhaps there might be someone's daughter involved.

Edited March 4, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[simple1]

Disgusting. Army as a whole needs serious reform from the top down.

If this isn't a wake up call I don't know what is.

I don't think anyone. Is goingg to disagree with you regarding these disgusting acts, but the same can also be said regarding RTP which also needs a massive overhaul.

To me, it's not about the Army or the police, per se. What it's really about is the broad practice of government employees/officers abusing the public's trust and engaging in illegal activities either under the color of their authority or with the assistance of it.

Corruption, cops or soldiers for private hire, extra-judicial killings, night-time demolition derbies, kidnappings and torture by authorities, and on and on. To just blame the Army or the police alone is to miss the broader, and certainly bad, picture.

Here, there seems to be little sense of the duty that government officers have to act in a manner keeping with the public's trust and the authority/powers they have been given. Instead, it's OK to kill, rob, steal and enrich yourself under the color of authority.

As for this particular episode, I note the article never mentions the ages of the "children" victims, but does mention it was a "blood feud" between families. I wonder if the victims were teenagers and perhaps there might be someone's daughter involved.

Eldest murdered child was 11 years of age. Have a read of post #37 for a background on what led to the killings. One of the murdered witnesses was a brother of one of the Rangers

Edited March 5, 2014 by simple1

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Thanks for that... No, I hadn't read your prior post or seen the BKK Post article...

WOW,,, what a mess.

The father of the victims' family here is a suspect in the fatal shooting of a village chief's assistant.

The brother of one of the soldiers is a witness against the other family's father in the murder case where charges are ultimately dropped.

The brother/witness and his pregnant wife are later shot dead.

Now the soldier and his buddies retaliate against the other family's father and his pregnant wife (shooting and wounding them) and shooting and killing their sons ages 11, 9 and 6.

No mention of if anyone was ever caught or prosecuted in connection with the murder of the soldier's brother and his wife.

It's SO SAD. But in a country where the criminal justice system so often fails to deliver any justice, aggrieved parties often end up taking the law into their own hands. That the final perpetrators here are Army soldiers only makes it even worse.

Edited March 5, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[slipperylobster]

I hope they get the death penalty. Evil is the only way to describe perpetrators of such a despicable act. Not to mention them being the reason for ongoing reprisal attacks which has claimed even more lives.

Two wrongs do not make a right. Invalid. Punishment should be equal on both sides.