|
2022-06-04 Southeast Asia
|
|
Thai peace negotiator: Rebel group responsible for attack in Deep South
|
| Confirming that the original attack did, indeed, deserve to be posted on Page 1: War on Terror. |
 [BenarNews] BRN
| ...Barisan Revolusi Nasional, the largest group in the Thai insurgency in the southern Thai provinces that make up the old Patani sultanate... |
separatists carried out a dramatic attack along the Malaysian border last week that shattered a nearly two-month pause in violence in Thailand’s Deep South, a pro-insurgent Facebook page and a Thai government peace negotiator claimed.
Three Thai government security personnel were maimed when more than 10 button men armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked a cop shoppe and a customs office in the Tak Bai district of Narathiwat province on May 25.
The lead negotiator representing Barisan Nasional Revolusi rebels in Malaysia-brokered peace talks with Thailand challenged Bangkok’s claim and questioned the validity of the social media post that his group was responsible for the raid.
"On the incident in Tak Bai, the BRN army launched attacks against the Siam military and destroyed cars. Thanks to God, with Allah’s grace, three Siam military personnel were maimed, and their spirits shaken," said a message posted on Facebook on Tuesday, referring to Thailand by its old name and the largest holy warrior group in the mainly Moslem and Malay southern border region.
Thai military officials identified the poster as a BRN supporter.
On Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Thira Daehwa, who serves as the secretary for the panel representing Thailand in the peace talks, said he "could not believe that the BRN ignored the local people’s wish for peace and livelihood."
"It is possible that the attack was meant to [the] ruin peace talks atmosphere and Ramadan peace," Thira told BenarNews.
Anas Abdulrahman, the lead negotiator for the BRN panel, denied that the rebels were responsible.
"The Thai military has no evidence whatsoever to accuse BRN because no one declared that they are responsible for the Tak Bai incident," Anas Abdulrahman told BenarNews.
"So the Thai military assumes that those with the capability and capacity to launch such an attack would be BRN, so they accused us. And the attack in Tak Bai will not affect the peace negotiation process because it happened after the Ramadhan Peace Initiative expired."
Anas also noted the Facebook post was not on the BRN’s official page.
"Any official announcement will only be issued by the BRN central secretariat, BRN Information Bureau and BRN Negotiation Secretariat. BRN will not be responsible for any type of statements, media or announcements coming from any other medium or parties besides the ones mentioned here," he said.
During the coordinated attack, the rebels hurled explosives and opened fire with automatic rifles at a marine cop shoppe on the Kolok River that separates Thailand from Malaysia, police said. The rebels also targeted a customs office and a convenience store.
The raid marked the biggest eruption of violence since the two sides agreed in early April to a truce to last through Ramadan. The truce expired May 14.
Lt. Gen. Kriangkrai Srirak, the commander of the 4th Army Region which oversees the Deep South, released details about the ongoing investigation on Wednesday.
"Regarding the Tak Bai incident, we have compiled evidence and done a forensic examination, which showed that the weapons used and bombs and pipe bombs were linked to holy warriors. The spent shell forensics also showed the same links," he told BenarNews.
Kriangkrai said the attackers attacked the marine cop shoppe because it was involved in recent crackdowns on illegal cross-border activities. He alleged that the suspected holy warriors, who have not been identified, have ties to criminal syndicates involved in smuggling drugs and illegal goods across the frontier.
"We have to arrest the attackers. They — the affected trafficking syndicate and the forces of Evil — are linked. We have evidence, and we won’t let them go unpunished," he said.
Malaysia has served as a controller of peace talks between the government and southern Thai rebels — most recently BRN. Facilitator Rahim Noor said more talks were scheduled for July.
Kriangkrai, the Thai regional army commander, said the attack would not affect efforts to bring peace to the Deep South.
"Peace talks will continue to allow people to have a better quality of life and safety to live a normal life," he said.
The armed separatist movement in the Deep South against Buddhist-majority Thailand began in the 1960s. Since the insurgency reignited in January 2004, more than 7,000 people have been killed and 13,500 others in regional violence, according to Deep South Watch, a local think-tank. 
|
Posted by trailing wife 2022-06-04 00:00||
||
Front Page|| [12 views ]
Top
File under: Thai Insurgency
|
|
18:02 swksvolFF
17:55 swksvolFF
17:45 Grom the Reflective
16:31 jpal
16:02 Beldar+Uneter3543
16:01 M. Murcek
15:59 Super Hose
15:43 Procopius2k
15:42 Procopius2k
15:39 49 Pan
15:37 M. Murcek
15:36 M. Murcek
15:28 Dale
15:28 Grom the Reflective
15:27 Dale
15:26 M. Murcek
15:23 Dale
15:15 Beldar+Uneter3543
15:02 Besoeker
15:00 Uleremp and Company7042
14:59 NoMoreBS
14:54 Uleremp and Company7042
14:42 Grom the Reflective
14:42 Uleremp and Company7042
|
