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| Southeast Asia |
| Respected imam gunned down in southern Thailand |
| 2015-09-07 |
| [Anadolu] A Muslim leader in southern Thailand who had survived a previous attack was gunned down Saturday in Pattani province. Dormeng Benjaewan, the 76-year-old imam of the Payonok Mosque in Saiburi district, was shot several times by a suspect riding pillion on a motorcycle in front of a food store. He was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. Benjaewan had been respected among local residents and had worked with Thai offiials to resolve the decades-long insurgency that has been destabilizing the three southernmost provinces. Saturday's attack came as the military government is holding peace talks with Mara Pattani, an umbrella movement grouping six different insurgent factions. Some analysts, however, have expressed doubts about the degree of control of Mara Patani has on the insurgents active on the ground, where the main movement is the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN, National Revolutionary Front). |
| Posted by:ryuge |