A history of monk attacks in the Far South
The July 25 bomb attack in Pattani’s Saiburi district which killed a Buddhist monk and a soldier and wounded six other people, including another monk and two other soldiers was nothing new but just an act of violence against the “soft” target by the militants.
The latest incident occurred at about 7 am as an army pickup truck carrying a group of monks on their alm-receiving round was travelling along a tree-lined small road running parallel to a river in Saiburi district when a planted by a roadside shelter was detonated by a radio transmitter.
The dead victims were identified as Phra Aekkapol Ittharo, 39, who was In the monkhood for 11 years and Corporal Wanmai Rakano, 26, a native of Ranod district of Songkhla. Three civilians were among the six injured.
After the incident, Mr Krisda Boonrach, director-general of Local Administration Department, ordered a change of alm-receiving activities by monks in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla.
From now on, monks receive alms from members of the public only in safety zones where the travelling routes used to receive alms are patrolled and secured by security forces. People who want to present alms to the monks are told to do so only in the safety zones. If temples are located in the outlying areas, monks are to receive alms in their temples instead of venturing out for their safety.
According to information collected by the Southern Border Police Operations Centre, there were 22 attacks, mostly bomb attacks, against monks in the restive region during the past 11 years since 2004. 11 monks were killed and 25 injured.
The most serious incident took place on October 16, 2005 in Panare district of Pattani when militants hacked a monk and an assistant to death and set fire to three living quarters of monks at Wat Promprasit.
In the same year, there were seven bomb attacks, one assault and one arson attack targeting against monks resulting to two monks being killed and six wounded.
The following year in 2006, there were four gun attacks and two bomb attacks against monks wounding six monks.
Last year on February 13, one day ahead of the Makha Puja day, militants sprayed automatic gunfire at a group of Buddhists as they were presenting alms to monks from Wat Pa Suey in Pattani’s Mae Lan district. One monk and a few civilians were killed.
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Photo by : Jaroon Thongnual