Soldiers in gunfight with militants in Yala

[webfact]

Soldiers in gunfight with militants in Yala
NAKARIN CHINWORAKOMON
THE NATION

YALA: -- A FORCE of 50 soldiers and rangers yesterday clashed with a group of suspected insurgents in the mountains of Bannang Sata district in the southern border province of Yala.

The troops were preparing to encircle a hut where suspected militant Ahamud Luebeasa was believed to be hiding out. The gunfight lasted more than half an hour, but no casualties were reported.

Two of the suspects escaped but two were caught and dispatched to a military base for interrogation.

The deep South has been plagued by separatist unrest for more than a decade.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Soldiers-in-gunfight-with-militants-in-Yala-30274441.html


-- The Nation 2015-12-07

[Sunderland]

Militants? Terrorists more like.

[Somtamnication]

Which ones?

[BSJ]

If the government gave a 10.000 baht reward for capture dead or alive of the Southern terrorists.....I wonder if the other 2 would have still escaped!

[Doc46]

Bit of an sad story isn't it, Thailand got a population of just over 67.2 Million people ,,,,An Army of 306,000. active personel

Just one question Why isn't halve of the Army down South and give them the command to clean the place once and for all ?

[Nobb]

Amazing a one hour gun fight to place but no one on either side shot or hurt. Is this just a press release to show that they are active in the south. Or was both sides just using blank bullets? Take these soldiers to the eye glass store. They did not want to piss off the militants! No brainier.

[Srikcir]

It's so easy to make a quick barb than to understand events behind the Malay-Thai insurgency. Many Thais know the history but seem oblivious to its meaning. Foreigners simply hear "Muslim" or "Islamic insurgents" and equate the conflict in the South with the ISIL/ISIS/Daesh Middle East conflict.

The conflict in the South is simple.

In 1902 The Kingdom of Thailand annexed a centuries old independent Islamic sultanate that occupied 95% of what is now four Thai provinces. Since then the Buddhist majority Thai military and governments (except for the Tinsulanonda and Yingluck regimes) engaged in forced assimilution of their customs, education, government, language and traditions, often with human rights abuses, including extrajudicial murder, kidnappings, forced entry and disappearances. Since 2001 the South has been under continuous martial law and subjected to vigilante paramilitary contractors and volunteer police officers.

The issue is basically sovereignty of the Malay-Thais. Compared to the Islamic conflicts in the Middle East and in The Philippines, the Malay-Thai insurgents are largely isolated, militarily weak and disorganized. Thus, the cause for terrorism against a militarily superior enemy and well-funded government. The Prayut regime has done little to promote peace talks other than blaming the insurgents and news media for the continued conflict.

There is an ideological gulf between Malay-Thais and the Kingdom of Thailand. It can be crossed but there must be compromise in unyieldingThai sovereignty. It can be achieved peacefully as seen by the resolution of the muslim insurgency in The Phillippines. But how can that ever happen when even the Thai people have no control over their own sovereignty? If the Thai people cannot be free, how can the Malay-Thais be truly free?

[Felipesed]

If anyone wants an accurate history of the history of Pattani, I suggest they read "Hisory of the malay kingdom of Pattani" by Ibrahim Syruki, published by Silkworm books.

The above poster has obviously not read it!

For 230 years now, that area has been under Thai suzerainty; confirmed officially by the Anglo-Siamese treaty of 1909.

That some of the inhabitants do not wish to live as Thai people is regrettable, but no excuse for the daily shootings and bombings they commit for their failed cause. They are terrorists, pure and simple, and need treating as such.