Violence swept through the deep South of Thailand throughout the
last several days as militants launched attacks that killed two
policeman and dozens of residents.
Meanwhile, two hostage-taking incidents stirred up by local
villagers are also sending a warning signal which further worries
the Thai government on the thorny South problem.
Late Tuesday, police issued arrest warrants for 19 more suspects
involved in the violence against two teachers taken hostage at a
school in Narathiwat Province last Friday, although seven suspects
have already been arrested and six of them are women.
Fourth Army Area commander Lt-Gen. Ongkorn Thongprasom said at a
press conference on Tuesday that a special unit has been deployed
to provide security at Ban Gujingruepo in Rangae district where the
hostage drama occurred last week.
Gen. Ongkorn, who is also director of the Southern Border
Provinces Peace-building Command (SBPPC), said the SBPPC also
conducted psychological operations in the village.
The hostage drama took place after two men were arrested by
police on suspicion of murder earlier Friday morning. Demanding
their release, angered local villagers took two teachers hostage at
the school. Both the teachers were seriously beaten and one of
them, Juling Pengamoon, is still in a dying coma till Tuesday.
Doctors said only miracle can help her life.
Hundreds of sympathizers and well-wishers including high-ranking
military officers visited her in the intensive care unit on
Tuesday. Four guest books have been filled with written messages to
give her and her family moral support.
The south military officials said the incident was planned in
advance, similar to the killing of two Marines taken hostage at
Tanyong Limor village in Narathiwat in September last year.
On Tuesday, villagers in the same province encircled a group of
police and military officials who raided their village in Ba Cho
district and arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of
two marines last year.
After a 15-minute peaceful negotiation, the villagers freed the
border patrol police and officials without any violence. However,
it marked the anti-crackdown emotion which has already gone around
among the southerners.
Besides, bloody attacks launched by southern insurgents were
never calmed down, and two more policemen were killed by drive-by
gunmen on Tuesday in Yala Province.
More and more innocent people including policemen and soldiers
became victims since unrest broke out in January 2004 in the three
mainly Muslim provinces along Thailand's border with Malaysia. The
fact that 1,300 people have been killed and thousands others
injured in the violence is really harassing the government which
has acted as a caretaker for three months.
Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Chidchai
Vanastidya said on Tuesday he would visit the violence-plagued
three provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala on Wednesday to
step up protection for teachers, as well as local residents and
policemen.
Chidchai said that in a cabinet meeting, caretaker Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra expressed deep concern over the safety
of teachers in the south and accordingly ordered him to follow up
and fully implement the security policy, especially building fences
around schools and teachers' residences to protect them from
insurgents' harassment.
"I'll go to follow up what has and has not been done in securing
the teachers' safety," the caretaker deputy prime minister
said.
Brushing aside comments that little success has been achieved
despite continued mass operations to gain trust and co-operation
from local residents, Chidchai said the tasks have yet to yield
fruitful results in some areas where local residents don't trust
the officials, but in some areas much progress has been made.
Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin told reporters that
he himself was arranging a schedule to visit the far south as well,
saying he would go to all areas heavily infiltrated by the
insurgency.
(Xinhua News Agency May 24, 2006)
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