Heavy bomb attack kills eight soldiers
Eight soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in Yala yesterday and the Unimog truck they were in was ripped to pieces. The bomb made a crater in the road surface with a diameter of three meters.
Paradorn Pattanatabut, secretary general of the National Security Council and delegation leader at the peace talks with rebel group BRN, believes that the attack is the work of militants who want to end the talks. "It could be an extremist group with links to the BRN who disagree with the peace talks."
Police believe the attack was carried out by a militant group led by Aba Jejaali and Ubaidila Rommueli. It could be in retaliation for the deaths of five militants in Bannang Sata (Yala) in April. They were killed by soldiers.
There were ten soldiers in the Unimog truck. Two were injured and are being treated at a hospital in Krong Pinang. After the blast, security personnel escorting the soldiers in another armed vehicle opened fire on the insurgents, who had been hiding in a plantation, but they managed to escape. Two 15 kilo gas cylinders filled with explosives were found nearby.
Since peace talks between Thailand and Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) began in March, violence has increased rather than decreased. Army commander Prayuh Chan-ocha says the violence raises questions about the effectiveness of the talks. "It means the army must continue its sharp security operations in the southern provinces."
Militants were also active elsewhere.
– In Raman, also in Yala, a teacher of the Tadika school was shot dead yesterday. He was fired upon by a passing motorcyclist, while he was also on the motorcycle.
– In Narathiwat, two persons were seriously injured who were shot in the same way.
Political scientist Chaiwat Satha-anand, affiliated with Thammasat University, advocates continuing the peace talks in an article entitled '10 Observations on the Peace Dialogue'. "Problems cannot be solved by violence."
He cites a Rand Corporation study that states that negotiations are much more effective than military operations. The study examines 268 terrorist groups that were active between 1968 and now. Only 20 were suppressed by military force; in 114 cases the problems were resolved through peaceful dialogue.
(Source: Bangkok Post, June 30, 2013)