The iron lady of Kuan Noree
Losing her father who was killed together with 30 other Muslims in the Krue Se mosque is enough a tragedy for Ms Koleeyoh Halee. But to be called the daughter of a rebel and treated as such by the authorities is even more painful and unfair for her.
On the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the Krue Se massacre, Ms Koleeyoh recalled her painful experience in the past several years since her father was killed along with 30 other Muslims after security forces stormed the mosque with rockets and small arms fire on April 28 seven years ago.
More than 100 Muslim "rebels" were killed after they attacked over 10 military and police outposts and bases in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces with knives and kris – the only weapons carried by most of the "rebels".
Ms Koleeyoh admitted that she felt disappointed and hurted every time she went to government offices to seek help because she would be called a rebel’s daughter and treated as such.
She said she was often told that she was not qualified to get help because her father was a "rebel". "But is it fair to judge us as being a family member of a rebel despite the fact that we had nothing to do with the conduct or activities of our father?" she asked.
Ms Koleeyoh noted that most of the 30 or so Muslims killed in the mosque were elderly people, some of them over 60 years of age. She insisted that her father went to the mosque in Pattani to pray as usual and was not a rebel as branded by the security forces.
The Muslim woman said she felt disappointed that her father’s alleged involvement with the extremists was not cleared because the public prosecution had decided to drop all the charges against the security forces for their military action. She strongly feels that the security forces had overacted in storming the mosque with deadly force.
It took Ms Koleeyoh several years after the violent incident to overcome her bitterness and to engage herself in social work to help the other female victims in her community in Tambon Kuan Noree, Kok Pho district of Pattani. Also, her negative attitude towards the authorities has gradually changed.
"Previously, I was unfriendly towards the officials and I believe they also shared the same feeling towards me," she said, adding that eventually after the authorities had stopped calling her a rebel’s daughter and offered assistance she felt more relaxed.
Nevertheless, she noted that help for the victims from violence in the deep South, especially for children and widows, encountered many problems. She suggested that mental help should be the priority.
Ms Koleeyoh’s suggestion of mental help as top priority was agreed upon by Dr Petdao Tohmeena, director of the 15th mental help centre in Pattani. She said that help for the victims did not mean only money but also justice which the victims have demanded.