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Published on July 17, 2007

 Suspected militants staged more than 40 acts of sabotage in 13 districts in the southernmost province of Narathiwat yesterday, disrupting traffic for hours.

The coordinated attacks included blocking roads with tree trunks and scattering spikes on highways, as well as planting nine fake bombs in various locations. One package left outside a local government office turned out to be a real bomb. A policeman was injured when it exploded as he tried to defuse it.

It took more than three hours before 300 security officers were dispatched to the affected areas to clear the roads.

In Yala's Raman district, insurgents lured officials to a location where they had put up a sign attacking the authorities for carrying out false arrests of women, children and elders. When the officials arrived to check the sign, they were greeted with a bomb hidden nearby. No injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, administrators from the Islam Burapha secondary school in Narathiwat were expected to arrive in Bangkok today to petition Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont over the recent decision to close the school after police arrested six teachers suspected of being part of the insurgency.

Several bombs and bomb-making materials were found in their possession. More than 600 students have been forced to go to other schools.

The unprecedented case is expected to reach the local Administrative Court. A senior Interior Ministry official said he was pretty certain the court would rule in the school's favour and the ministry was prepared to discuss a settlement with school administrators before going to court.

"We are concerned with a public backlash as people outside of this region would like to see the government enact harsh measures and reject anything that appears to be a compromise," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An Islamic teacher shot dead on Sunday was targeted because he was helping the authorities, a military official said.

Maj-General Samret Srirai, a commander of one of the three task forces in the region, said Manzoe Zoetanoh of Mahahad Islamic school in Yala's Raman district was killed by insurgents.

Samret said Manzoe had previously been linked with the insurgents but had recently switched his allegiance to the government.

"I believe the insurgents killed him because he betrayed the [separatist] movement," Samret was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

"When he defected to the military, he confessed to me that he used to incite young people [to fight the military], but that he had now stopped," Samret said. "I told him to be very cautious and said the military would send a guard to protect him."

Another teacher at Manzoe's school, Abduloh Sama, was shot dead on June 12, sparking angry protests from Muslim villagers who accused police of killing him.

The Nation

Narathiwat