Violence against kids in the Deep South
"I am afraid to venture out anywhere. In the market I may be shot or bombed. When I go back and forth between home and school, I am very scared if our car has to follow a military vehicle because they (separatists) may shoot at the soldiers and we get shot. Previously, it was OK because the children were spared. But now everyone is at risk."
The above statement came from 16-year old Makorsee Abu, a student at a private Islamic religious school in Yaring district of Pattani. But it represented the opinion of most students and children in the three southernmost provinces as violence against innocent youngsters has been steadily on the rise.
Within the period between April 17-20, two children were killed and one injured. One victim, 6-year old Lukman Apibarnbae, was killed by stray bullets when gunmen opened fire at his father, Mukta Alimama, who was also killed. The incident took place in Bannang Sata district of Yala.
Then on April 20, unidentified gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons on a pickup truck driven by Abdul Hakim Darasae, a defence volunteer. The gunfires killed Hakim and his two-year daughter, Nu-eman, who was in the same car. Another boy, 12-year old Sulaiman Sorsawat, was seriously injured. The incident also took place in Bannang Sata district.
On February 3, three boys of the Mamun family were killed when gunmen raided their house apparently to hunt down their father who was suspected to be an insurgent. The incident occurred in Bacho district of Narathiwat.
"Stop! Stop the violence against innocent people," said a boy in Panareh district of Pattani who was injured by gunshots when assailants attacked with automatic gunfires at a group of merit makers at Wat Kok Krabue in Panareh district.
Besides violence from acts of insurgency, many youths in the strife-torn region have fallen victim to narcotic drugs.
Makorsee Abu said that many of his peers were addicted to drugs and he felt that the drug addiction problem was quite serious but, sadly, it received little attention from the authorities.
Makorsee said he had learned some survival tips: not to go to places where there are many people and stay away from soldiers because they are targeted by the separatists.
14-year old Arman Wadeng, a student at an Islamic religious school in Yala, said she didn’t understand why youngsters were targeted. She said that there was no place which was 100 percent safe and one could get killed even in his/her house.
According to statistics, eight youngsters were killed and eight others were injured during the past four months from December last year. The violent incidents are as follows:
December 11, 2013, assailants fatally shot a former ranger in Pattani’s Sai Buri district. His two-year old boy was also shot and seriously wounded.
December 23, 2013, assailants opened fires at a group of people in front of a mosque in Yala’s Bannang Sata district, killing one man and injuring three others, Including a 12-year old boy.
December 25, 2013, gunmen shot and injured a fish seller and his three-year old son in Pattani’s Panareh district.
December 29, 2013, gunmen opened fires at a village headman in Panareh district as he was driving a pickup truck. The gunfires missed him but struck and killed his six-year old daughter.
January 28, 2014, three people, including a 4-year old girl, were killed when assailants opened up with automatic rifles at a pickup truck in Narathiwat’s Ra-ngae district.
February 3, 2014, three brothers of the Mamun family were killed when gunmen stormed their house in search of their parents.
February 13, 2014, four people , including a nine-year old boy, were killed when gunmen believed to be insurgents opened fires into a group of people about to present alms to monks.
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Caption : The kids in the deep South