Why killed the boys? Asked the victims’ father and his neighbours
Why killed the boys?
The question still lingers in the mind of Jehmu Mamun, the father of the three brothers, and his neighbours of Ban Palukapaeroh in Narathiwat's Bajoh district.
The three brothers, aged 11, nine and six, were cold-bloodedly shot dead allegedly by four unidentified gunmen who stormed Mamun’s wooden house on the night of February 3. The motive or motives of the killings are still unclear.
But police suspected that the killings might be motivated by the killing of Mayee Duereh, an assistant headman in Tambon Sai Thong, Mai Kaen district of Pattani on April 21, 2012 in which Jehmu is currently being tried as one of the defendents.
But Jehmu himself thought the killings of his three children might be linked to the killing of MrChayapathara Raksayos, chief district officer of Mai Kaen, in a bomb explosion six years ago in which he was one of the suspects. However, he was acquitted in this case.
"I am very sorry that I have been accused of involvement in several offences. Honestly, I have nothing to do with those cases and did nothing wrong" Jehmu told Isra news agency.
He admitted he was detained in 2010 for alleged involvement in the bomb explosion which killed the chief district officer of Mai Kaen for 25 days in the Ingkayuth barrack for questioning before he was prosecuted in the court. But however, he was acquitted by both the court of first instance and the Appeals Court last year.
Jehmu said that while he was on bail last year, a band of separatists led by Maroso Chathrawadee attacked a marine base in Bacho district of Narathiwat on February 13, 2013. However, the raid was a fiasco as the raiders were repelled leaving 16 of them killed at the scene, one of them was identified as his wife’s brother, Nawawee Maeyu.
He said that police suspected that he was also involved in the marine base raid but the village headman vouched him as innocent.
Jehmu admitted that he had no idea why his family was assaulted but however said that he might be linked to his suspected involvement in violent incidents. "Honestly, I want to ask the gunmen why they killed the children. What’s wrong did they do?" asked Jehmu.
Jehmu survived the attack unscathed but his wife, Mrs Padila Maeyu, who was four months pregnant was seriously wounded. Their only daughter, 13-year old Ms Roosana, was lucky as she was not at home at the time of the brutal attack.
Mrs Padila told that she heard the sound of a gun being cocked at about 8 p.m. and asked her husband what was that. Then a burst of gunfires exploded and she was hit in the leg with one of the shots. She said that she ran into the house and played dead.
Jehmu and one of his sons ran into the kitchen and jumped out of the house, said Mrs Padila, adding that she saw three gunman walk into the house and opened fire killing her two other boys. Her eldest son was found dead outside the house.
Jeh-asae Tohmae, the assistant village headman, said all the neighbours in the village were shocked by the incident and agreed in unison that it was totally unacceptable that children were killed in such a manner.
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Caption : Bullet holes at the Jehmu's home.