[ppi] [ppiindia] 112 Killed in South Thailand Gunbattles

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112 Killed in South Thailand Gunbattles=20

PATTANI, Thailand - Police gunned down machete-wielding militants who=20
stormed security outposts in Thailand's Muslim-dominated south=20
Wednesday, killing at least 112 people in one of the bloodiest days=20
in the Southeast Asian kingdom.=20

The attackers were mostly teenagers =97 some wearing red head bands =97=20
and were intent on stealing weapons. They were poorly armed and=20
apparently unaware that police had been tipped off in advance and=20
were lying in wait for them.=20

The eight hours of mayhem ended when police fired tear gas and rocket-
propelled grenades into a mosque, killing 32 militants who, witnesses=20
said, were sheltering inside after running away from an earlier=20
battle.=20

"Maybe the insurgents underestimated the preparedness of security=20
forces. They used machetes to steal guns and when we fought back they=20
suffered big losses," Yala Gov. Boonyasit Suwanarat said.=20

It was the worst violence in a region that has seen dozens of people=20
killed in near-daily attacks this year. The government has blamed=20
Islamic separatists seeking for decades to carve out a homeland in=20
the Muslim-majority south of this predominantly Buddhist country.=20

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the killings would halt the=20
simmering separatist struggle in the Muslim-dominated south.=20

"After this, it will be hard for them to do these kind of bad things=20
again," Thaksin said.=20

The raids were linked to a Jan. 4 attack on a military camp in the=20
nearby province of Narathiwat, which triggered an upsurge of violence=20
in the area this year, Thaksin said. Four soldiers were killed and=20
hundreds of guns stolen in that raid.=20

"The masterminds of this movement were in such high spirits after=20
they raided the army camp, and they believed that they could do it=20
again. But they were wrong," Thaksin said.=20

He denied the attackers had connections to international terrorists,=20
saying "most of the insurgents are youths from the southern=20
provinces."=20

The attacks began before dawn, when insurgents stormed more than 15=20
police bases, village defense posts and district offices in a bid to=20
steal weapons, said Lt. Gen. Proong Bunphandung, the chief of police=20
for the south.=20

However, security forces had been tipped off and were waiting for the=20
assailants, most of whom carried only machetes, Proong said.=20

Television news reports showed the bodies of insurgents lying in=20
pools of blood, some of them in front of police stations clasping=20
machetes and wearing camouflage.=20

Gunfire could be heard in the background as armored personnel=20
carriers drove down deserted village streets and commandos ran=20
through the forest. Policemen and soldiers, carrying automatic=20
rifles, ran across streets and ditches.=20

Army chief Gen. Chaiyasith Shinawatra said 107 insurgents were killed=20
and 17 were arrested. He said three policemen and two soldiers also=20
were killed.=20

No group claimed responsibility for the highly coordinated assault.=20

Nimu Magajae, deputy chairman of Yala Islamic Council, said he was=20
told the attackers were drug addicts.=20

"This is the first time in my life that I have seen so many Muslim=20
youths killed in one day. But if they were drug addicts we do not=20
regard them as religious followers," he told The Associated Press.=20

Nimu demanded that authorities hand over the dead so they could be=20
buried within 24 hours, in line with Islamic custom.=20

Many parts of the region have been under martial law for months.=20
Security was tightened Wednesday along the border with neighboring=20
Malaysia, which in the past has denied allegations of harboring=20
militants.=20

Thaksin said the attackers arrived at the target point with brand new=20
motorcycles, which he said proved they were funded by "influential=20
figures, including politicians and drug gangsters."=20

Muslims have long complained of discrimination in jobs and education=20
in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat =97 Thailand's only Muslim majority=20
provinces.=20

They also say their culture and language are being subjugated by the=20
Buddhist Thais, and cite as an example the state schools, which teach=20
in Thai language. Muslims in the south speak Yawi, a dialect of=20
Malay, spoken in neighboring Malaysia.=20

The alienation caused by the central government's policies has been=20
the source of a decades-old separatist struggle, which subsided after=20
an amnesty in the late 1980s before exploding with the army arsenal=20
raid in January.=20

The military also crushed pro-democracy uprisings in 1973, 1976 and=20
1991, killing dozens.=20



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