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| Southeast Asia |
| Southern Thai curfew could widen as shooting and school burnings continue |
| 2007-03-17 |
| A former defense volunteer and a boy were shot and wounded Saturday morning after they were hit by bullets fired by two unidentified gunmen in Pattani province, police said. The fresh incident occurred when two gunmen travelling by motorcycle parked in front of a house in Panare district and fired four shots at the 61-year-old ex-defense volunteer who lives there, police said. One shot hit a young boy as well, they said, by accident. The man is still receiving treatment at hospital while the boy was discharged and returned home later. National Security Council secretary-general Prakit Prachonpachanuk said the eight-hour overnight curfew could be widened to nearby areas. Militants who attacked and executed the occupants of a passenger van in the troubled southern province of Yala earlier this week are still in hiding along the Thai-Malaysian border, he said, following media reports that some assailants were taken into custody by the authorities. Mr. Prakit told journalists before a special Cabinet meeting that the Fourth Army Region commander was empowered to widen the curfew in any southern areas he deemed unsafe for innocent civilians. "The curfew could be declared in areas where insurgent violence escalates," Mr. Prakit said. "For the sake of the safety of innocent civilians, the army will have to impose it with an aim to create peace. It is necessary." And: Insurgents set fire at a school in Pattani province on Saturday, burning it to the ground. The arson attack at Ban Baloah school in Sai Buri district took place about half an hour after noon, police said. It took about an hour for the fire to burn classrooms for kindergarten, grade 2 and grade 5 students. The school warehouse, desks and chairs, and bicycles of students were also destroyed. The school is only guarded by volunteers at night as villagers think insurgents would not dare to set it on fire during the day. Plus: Insurgents opened fire at a ranger base in Songkhla province at midnight on Friday, injuring one ranger in a 10-minute firefight. Police said about 10 insurgents, armed with war weapons, coming on five motorcycles attacked the camp in Saba Yoi at around ten minutes after midnight. They fought with the rangers for about 10 minutes before fleeing. Police rushed to the scene and chased the insurgents. One male teenager was held as a suspect. Almost immediately, a group of villagers began to gather and pressured the police to release the suspect. Police photographed him and released him with arresting him, for fear that violence would get out of hand. But then, according to a news report, the father of the suspect, learning about his son's involvement in separatist movement, took off his own shoe and used it to slap the son's face. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #4 #2 Whatever happened to activists. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-03-17 21:56 |
| #3 "Damn! Not enuff origami cranes... what to do... what to do?" |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-03-17 16:15 |
| #2 Insurgents..insurgents..insurgents..oh, and gunmen. Not one mention of islamists/muslims. Dhimmi PC. |
| Posted by: Canis 2007-03-17 10:25 |
| #1 Am I wrong, or did'nt they have a coup, and then lift a curfew. The new leadership wanted to try a new way? |
| Posted by: plainslow 2007-03-17 09:16 |