Posted on 07/21/2005 6:01:46 PM PDT by WmShirerAdmirer
Buddhist monks lead Thai soldiers and civilians as they perform religious rites at a temple in Narathiwat province, southern Thailand
BANGKOK, Thailand --Troops raided an Islamic boarding school Thursday in the first action under a state of emergency to combat a Muslim insurgency in Thailand's three southernmost provinces.
The government declared the emergency Tuesday in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani provinces, where about 900 people have been killed in the last 18 months in sectarian violence.
In a separate incident, motorcycle gunmen presumed to be Islamic insurgents shot and killed a city garbage worker Thursday in Narathiwat province in apparently the first killing since the emergency was announced, said police Col. Wacharin Ammaraphitak.
Motorcycle gunmen also shot dead two Muslim villagers in a pickup truck carrying rubber trees in Narathiwat province, police said.
During the raid on the Islam Suksa Wittaya school in Pattani, the army officer in charge ordered journalists away, saying they were not allowed to take pictures or cover military operations.
The action raised new questions about how freely the media will be allowed to cover such events. Although censorship is allowed under the new emergency law, the government has said it will not be applied in the current situation.
Nimukta Waba, chairman of the Islamic School Association in Pattani, said the staff of the raided school called him to complain about indiscriminate searches and arrest. He did not give details.
"The security forces using the power of the state of emergency will make students and teachers unhappy and then they will sympathize more with the insurgents," Nimukta said.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Go Buddhist Monks!!
The Thais are smarter than the rest of what we see going on. If they keep it up they have a chance of saving their Nation.
They need to immediately shut down all madrassas.
It's getting pretty crazy over here. Little ol' Thailand has already deployed 10k troops on the border.
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