The seemingly endless plight of Anwar’s family
"We feel very depressed for being victimized repeatedly. Even though Anwar is in prison, we were served with search warrant. If Anwar was at home that day, we believe he would definitely be arrested again because he would have been suspected of the shooting of police and civilians on February 13."
The above statement came from Romuela Saeya, wife of Muhamad Anwar Hayeetae or Anwar in short after an incident when police came to the house of Anwar’s parents to collect DNA samples which might link to the incident on February 13 in Pattani’s Mae Lan district when suspected insurgents opened fire with automatic weapons into a group of Buddhists giving alms to monks.
One monk, a mother and her child and a 59-year old woman were killed and eight others, including two children, were injured in the shooting that day.
It was fortunate that Anwar was in prison that day when police searched the house of his parents otherwise he would have ended up as one of the suspects, said Mrs Romuela in a recent interview with Isranews agency.
The search seemed to be a sad joke for detainees on security-related charges in the Deep South and especially for Anwar who was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by the Supreme Court on May 1, 2013 after he was found guilty of being a member of the Patani liberation movement and not of murder charge or of setting off a bomb.
The court’s verdict against Anwar seems to contradict with the government’s policy of peace talks with the separatist groups, including the Barisan Revolusi Nasional. It has also set off the “Free Anwar” campaign which was active throughout last year.
The search on Anwar’s parents’ house in Pattani’s Yarang district took place on March 22. Four policemen led by Pol Lt Chatchaval Basabian, deputy inspector of Yarang police, showed them a search warrant to collect DNA samples in the house because Anwar was suspected to be involved in the February 13 shooting in Mae Lan district.
But on the day, Anwar was serving his term in the prison.
Mrs Romuela admitted that the police search was a clear sign that her family was under threats and unsafe. So she went to the prison to visit Anwar and showed him the search warrant.
Anwar was shocked, said Mrs Romuela, adding that Anwar was also implicated in several other cases despite the fact that he was jailed. She further said the family petitioned the Palace for a Royal pardon but there has been no response yet.
She also lodged a complaint to seek justice for her husband and his family. Mae Lan police later admitted that there was a mistake in identification as pictures of suspected insurgents, including that of Anwar, were shown to witnesses without first checking that some of the suspects were already in prisons.
But the police clarification was not at all a relief for Mrs Romuela. Then she wrote a poem to describe her family’s plight. The poem reads as follows:
I don’t know how long I can smile.
I don’t know when I lose out to obstacles.
I don’t know when I will stumble with my own’s leg or anybody’s leg.
And I don’t know what obstacles I will face at home.
I only hope that everything I have done so that we will not get stuck in the deadend.
But everything cannot succeed by just one individual.
Justice and peace will be restored through the hands of everyone who love and is sincere with this land of Patani.
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Caption : Romuela is the middle