Southern teachers want more compensation for their dead colleagues
Teachers in the three southernmost provinces have demanded compensation of up to 7.5 million baht for teachers and students killed and wounded by suspected insurgents.
This demand for equitable treatment similar to that promised to red-shirt and yellow-shirt protesters killed by security forces during political violences in Bangkok in 2010 and earlier was resolved at a meeting of the Federation of Teachers of Three Southernmost Border Provinces at the Park View Resort Hotel in Pattani on February 20. The demand will be submitted to the committee charged with healing the wounds caused by southern violence.
"Everyone must be equally treated and every group must be equally compensated," said Mr Boonsom Thongsriprai, president of the teachers' federation.
A teachers' representative from Pattani who did not want to be identified said that the compensation package which promises compensation of up to 7.5 million baht for each family of a dead victim was originally intended to help red-shirt victims only and not intended for victims of southern violence. "This was why we, the teachers, have to come out to demand equal treatment from the government," he said.
The teacher disclosed that families of teachers killed in the Deep South were given at most 500,000 baht as compensation and the federation used to ask for more compensation but it was always rejected by the government.
"We feel that it is not too late for us to ask for fair treatment after the government announced a new compensation package for victims of political violence in Bangkok. We want the government to realise that teachers in the deep South have to take risk almost every day, especially in the so-called Red Zone. Our demand is not too much for the government," said the Pattani teacher.
According to the teachers' federation, altogether 118 teachers, 33 educational officials and 42 students have been killed in the deep South since January 4, 2004. On top of that 143 teachers and other educational officials and 175 students have been injured during eight years of violence.
Earlier the cabinet agreed to grant the new compensation package to selected groups of victims in the deep South. These include victims of the Krue Se, Tak Bai and Al Furgon incidents and "forced" missing people.
Pol Col Thawee Sodsong, secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre and a member of the panel tasked with helping victims of southern violence, told the Isra news agency that the source of widespread resentment among people affected by the violence was that families of only about 1,900 victims were given compensation from the state out of altogether 5,000 killed and more than 8,000 injured from violence during the past eight years.
"The big question is where are the information about the people who were left out and whether they have never received any compensation at all?" asked the police colonel.
The colonel however maintained that the government was sincere to help every victim but it was possible that some victims were left out because there were many victims to be taken care of.
Under the guidelines endorsed recently by the cabinet, those who have never received any compensation and those received partial compensation will be entitled to the new compensation package. Teachers, civil servants, police and soldiers will also be covered by the package besides victims of Krue Se, Tak Bai and Al Furgon incidents, said Pol Col Thawee.
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Caption : The meeting of the Federation of Teachers of Three Southernmost Border Provinces at the Park View Resort Hotel in Pattani on February 20.