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2019-01-22 Southeast Asia
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Two Buddhist monks gunned down in Thai south
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 [Bangkok Post] Two Buddhist monks, including an abbot, were killed and two others wounded after a group of ten men sprayed bullets into their cubicles at a temple in Narathiwat province.
A joint team of police, soldiers and the district chief arrived at the scene at Wat Rattananuparb in Sungai Padi district after being alerted Friday night. Phra Kru Prachote Rattananurak, the chief monk of the district and abbot of the temple, was found dead along with another monk. Two other monks were also wounded.
Local residents told investigators they saw a group of men in black dressed like soldiers riding motorcycles in the direction of the temple. Upon entering the gate, they shot several rounds into the cubicles and escaped.
The atrocity capped a day of violence in Ban Poh Deng. A bomb was detonated at 7:30am in Ban Poh Deng when a soldier and five paramilitary rangers were on patrol. No one was hurt. The second bombing. in the afternoon, injured five members of a security team on patrol along a railway track.
Violence has been escalating almost daily in the three southernmost provinces, particularly Narathiwat, since late last year, even as officials say they hope to pursue negotiations with insurgents. The death toll in the South dropped to a record low last year as the government tightened its security web, but violence has boiled over in recent days.
In the past, Buddhist monks have been targeted only infrequently. But they have been told to suspend morning alms collection starting from Saturday in the three southern provinces, and security officials have been asked to step up protection of Islamic leaders who could also be at risk.
In a rare public statement dated Jan 4 the main Malay-Muslim rebel group — the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) — which has control over most of the rebel foot soldiers, swore to “keep fighting”.
“Siam can’t hold out,” the BRN wrote, signing off with a warning: “Do not help and support Siam.”
Security analyst Don Pathan said the uptick in violence was connected to efforts from Thai negotiators and Malaysian facilitators across the border to “pressure the BRN ruling council to come to the table without offering possible concessions”. 
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Posted by ryuge 2019-01-22 00:00||
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File under: Thai Insurgency
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