Two civil servants were killed and five others, including a female teacher, injured in a fresh gun attack in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district yesterday.
Soldiers guard a school in the far South after classes resumed yesterday. About 1,200 schools closed last week after several teachers were killed by suspected insurgents. PAREZ LOHASANT
The shootings came as most schools in the deep South resumed classes after a temporary closure following deadly attacks on teachers last week.
Police were alerted to the latest shootings at 5.20pm yesterday. The two dead victims were identified as Pateemo Salae, 34, and Nawarat Leenin, 29.
Both were officials from the Agricultural Extension Office in Sungai Padi district, and were shot in the back.
The injured were identified as Weeratchara Hayamin, 30, Chaweewan On-wan, 33, Walan Muakdam, 39, Jitra Mada-ing, 53, and Saowanee Limsiriwanon, 50.
Ms Weeratchara works as an administration officer with the tambon Sungai Padi administration organisation, while Ms Chaweewan is a teacher at Ban Jue Rae school in Sungai Padi district. Mr Walan, Ms Jitra and Ms Saowanee are officers belonging to tambon Paluru municipal office in the same district.
The seven were among 15 passengers travelling in a songthaew truck which regularly transports officials from their homes in Muang district to their workplaces in Sungai Padi.
Songtham Bin-ezo, 28, the owner and driver of the truck, said the attack occurred as they were returning to Muang district along a section of Jarusathian Road flanked by rubber plantations.
The driver said that when he realised they were being ambushed, he sped up to escape the attack and to rush the dead and injured to a nearby hospital.
At the ambush scene, police found more than 30 spent M16 shells and one magazine.
Meanwhile, most schools in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces remained quiet as classes resumed yesterday. Few teachers and students turned up out of fear of further insurgent attacks.
School attendance was also affected by heavy rains, while many students were reportedly unaware that classes had resumed.
Pattani special force commander Tawat Sukplang led soldiers to visit several schools in the province to try to improve teachers' morale.
About 1,200 schools in the deep South called off classes on Thursday and Friday after five armed men stormed Ban Ba-ngo school in Pattani's Mayo district and opened fire, killing the school director and a teacher on Tuesday last week.
Ban Ba-ngo school remained closed yesterday. One of the five remaining teachers at the school who did not wish to be named said they were still fearful of attacks.
However, the school is expected to resume classes next Monday, the teacher said.
A police source said one of the suspected attackers has been identified as Marudin Tahae, from Pattani's Panare district.
Mr Marudin is believed to be a Runda Kumpulan Kecil commander.
He has been linked to many attacks in Pattani, the source said, adding that an arrest warrant for him has been issued.
In Yala, Adul Promsang, chief of Yala Primary Educational Service Area Office 1, visited several schools in Krong Pinang district to give moral support to teachers.
Tough security measures were reported in many schools.
Nine Buddhist teachers have been transferred out of concern for their safety, he said. Three others are seeking transfer, but their requests are on hold as it could lead to a teacher shortage, he added.
Lt Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat, Army Region 4 commander, yesterday called on the public to help authorities ensure teachers' safety by staying vigilant as there were insufficient numbers of security personnel to watch over all schools in large areas.
Brad Adams, Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, yesterday called on Muslim insurgents in the deep South to stop killing teachers.
"These attacks harm not only teachers and schools, but the Muslim students, their families, and the broader Muslim community the insurgents claim to represent," he said.
