The insurgency remains difficult to resolve in part because of the insurgents' secrecy. Though none doubt that the insurgents, who claim to champion the national interests of Thailand’s Malay, Muslim minority, desire independence for the region, few can confirm or even identify who represents them. The Thai government is now negotiating with apparent representatives of the insurgency, yet experts have noted a divide between younger military commanders in southern Thailand and older political leaders, many of whom reside far from the battlefield in Malaysia. Negotiations exclude the National Revolutionary Front (BRN), which spearheads the insurgency in the south, undermining the credibility of the peace process and the Thai government’s commitment to it.
The Thai military insisted that negotiations would continue after the bombing, which the BRN likely perpetrated. “The attack is not getting in the way of the peace talks, which we are pushing forward,” said Major General Sith Trakulwong. “Despite the violence, the peace talks will go on.”
In the face of such difficulties, Bangkok appears to lack interest in resolving the insurgency through either a military victory or political settlement. Instead, the military dictatorship has redoubled its efforts to muzzle the press and quash dissent, inserting itself into everyday life. Officials have prioritized foreign policy over national security, looking to improve their military relationship with the United States and planning for Prime Minister Prayut’s visit to the White House. Meanwhile a May 22 bombing in Bangkok indicated that the south will prove far from the Thai government’s only dilemma in terms of security. With other concerns dominating Bangkok’s attention it was only on June 5, almost a month after the supermarket bombing in Pattani, that the government saw fit to increase patrols along the Malaysian-Thai border.
Thailand’s military prefers governance to war, explaining its challenges with the insurgency. “The core pursuits of the Thai military are playing politics and engaging in business activities (including illegal activities, such as smuggling); when the occasion arises, commanders are not averse to killing a few dozen unarmed civilians,” Duncan McCargo, a professor at Leeds University, argued in his book about the insurgency. “The Thai military had no strong grasp of counterinsurgency techniques or strategy, subjects which were not really taught at the Chulachomklao Military Academy.” Rather than confronting the difficulties that it faces in the south, the military dictatorship has opted to avoid or ignore them, reinvigorating the insurgency.
Continued on Page 47
[Straits Times] Philippine security forces yesterday arrested one of seven brothers behind the Islamist insurgents that have held parts of the southern city of Marawi for more than three weeks.
Mohammad Noaim Maute, described as a trained bomb-maker, was nabbed at a checkpoint in Cagayan de Oro, just after dawn. Maute, said to be an Arabic teacher, was found with a fake Mindanao State University identity card.
Military spokesman Restituto Padilla said, "The subject was involved in bombing incidents in Mindanao previously… He is the youngest of the Maute clan. They have seven children by the matriarch, and he is the youngest."
He said Maute was also involved in the killing of two of six sawmill workers abducted by the militant group in April.
Maute denied that he was a "bomb expert", and said he was a cousin, not a brother, of Omarkhayam and Abdullah Maute.
Most of the other six Maute brothers are believed to still be in Marawi. Their parents were taken into custody last week. The subject was involved in bombing incidents in Mindanao previously. They have seven children by the matriarch, and he is the youngest.
The mother, Romato Maute, also known as Farhana, was charged with rebellion yesterday. Believed to be a financier of the Mautes, she was arrested on June 9 as she was being spirited out of Lanao del Sur province.
Mr Zia Alonto Adiong, a politician helping in rescue and relief efforts, said residents fleeing Marawi had seen dozens of bodies in an area where intense fighting has taken place. Adiong said, "Dead bodies, at least 100, scattered around the encounter area."
The army has said 290 people have been killed in the more than three weeks of fighting - 206 militants, 58 soldiers and 26 civilians.
"They have planned for this for a long time and may have laid caches of arms in certain areas that will sustain them as they move into the interiors when they make a retreat or consolidation," said Brigadier-General Padilla.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jay-Ar Herrera, spokesman for Task Force Marawi, said that soldiers had begun moving into districts held by some 100 to 200 militants. He said, "As you observed, there are no air strikes, so we have neutralized several defensive key positions. In terms of territory, the battlefield right now constitutes 10 per cent of Marawi, specifically in four barangays (districts)," adding that snipers remain a problem.
He said skirmishes were still happening near three bridges that government forces had secured.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: ryuge ||
06/16/2017 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[11139 views]
Top|| File under: Maute group (IS)
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Philippine security forces yesterday arrested one of seven dwarves brothers...Mohammad Noaim Maute "Shakey", described as a trained bomb-maker.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/16/2017 20:14 Comments ||
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[Manila Bulletin] Two ranking members of the New People’s Army surrendered to Philippine government forces last week, based on a belated report.
Lieutenant Colonel Eugenio Julio Osias said the identities of the names of the rebels were temporarily withheld for security reasons. He said, "Through our persistent efforts, we were able to convince the NPA rebels to surrender."
Both surrenderees were team leader of the NPA's Kilusang Larangang Guerilya (KLG) Montes that operates in the tri-boundaries of Abra, Mountain Province and Ilocos Sur.
One of the surrenderees said that what drove him to give up was the ‘purposeless’ battles and wars which have affected the lives of thousands of young people for the past five decades.
Continued on Page 47
[Bangkok Post] An assistant village leader in Pattani province was gunned down about 100 meters from his home after finishing security duty on Thursday morning.
Local police were informed of the shooting at about 7:30am. They found the body of Mahamaporee Bato, the assistant chief of Ban Pratu Chang village, in Yarang district.
Witnesses said Mahamaporee was riding his motorcycle back home after finishing his security duty at the house of a local administrator. About 100 meters from his home, four people on two motorcycles rode up from behind and opened fire. After he collapsed onto the road, he was shot in the head at point-blank range and died instantly.
Police attributed the murder to the insurgency. Two years ago the assistant village head supervising security affairs was ambushed and shot in the leg after finishing his security duty.
Continued on Page 47
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[The Diplomat] By Austin Bodetti
[Straits Times] Philippine security forces yesterday arrested one of seven brothers behind the Islamist insurgents that have held parts of the southern city of Marawi for more than three weeks.
[Manila Bulletin] Two ranking members of the New People’s Army surrendered to Philippine government forces last week, based on a belated report.
[Bangkok Post] An assistant village leader in Pattani province was gunned down about 100 meters from his home after finishing security duty on Thursday morning. 
