Many theories on deadly bomb attacks in Hat Yai and Yala
The deadly bomb attacks in Hat Yai and Yala’s Muang district on March 31 which left 14 people dead and hundreds injured might be intended to send a message to the central government in Bangkok that the hardcore Islamic militants oppose peace talks and want nothing short of a separate homeland in the Deep South.
The above mentioned is one of the theories raised by some observers taking into consideration the recent peace talks held between Pol Colonel Thavee Sodsong, secretary-general of Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, and representatives of the separatist movements.
Pol Col Thavee was in Malaysia in March reportedly on a secret mission to talk with a group of Thai -Malay Muslims which was called Tom Yam Gung. The police colonel himself has denied there was a peace talk but he claimed that his visit to Malaysia was to help Thai-Malay Muslims working in Tom Yam Gung food shops in Malaysia. There are about 150,000 of them, both legally and illegally working there.
But Deputy Prime Minister General Yutthasak Sasiprapha however claimed that Pol Colonel Thavee actually held peace talk with some separatist gangs.
Observers said that the hardcore militants disagreed with the peace talk and the deadly bomb attacks in Hat Yai and Yala were perpetrated by the hardcore militants to send a message of their opposition to the peace initiative.
They took note of the recent bombing incident in Mae Lan district of Pattani where state of emergency was lifted not long ago. The incident believed perpetrated by hardcore militants was meant to force the government to suspend its plan to lift the state of emergency in other districts so that they could continue to use emergency decree to accuse the central government of human rights violations, said the observers.
The army itself is also against the peace initiative undertaken by Pol Col Thavee, claiming that it might anger other separatist gangs not involved in the peace talk and hence they might step up violent activities to derail the initiative.
Several other comments were offered for the latest bombing incidents. A former BRN separatist said that the hardcore militants felt threatened by Colonel Thavee’s effort to help the Thai-Malay workers in Malaysia and decided to derail his effort with bomb attacks.
But Mr Abdulloh, an imam at a mosque in Yala said that it would be too premature to make any conclusion about the bomb attacks. He noted that there were several outlaw gangs such as drug gangs which were as capable as the militants in carrying out such terror attacks.
It should be noted that since March government authorities from the Office of Narcotics Control Board, the Royal Thai Police Office and security agencies have stepped up suppression drive against illicit drugs in the Deep South.
In mid-March, the authorities seized 155 million baht in cash and valuables from gold shops and foreign exchange offices in Su-ngai Kolok and Su-ngai Padee districts of Narathiwat under the suspicion that they laundered dirty mony from drug and contraband smugglings. Three suspects were also arrested and they were believed to be linked to Yussaree Paoda-oh, an alleged drug baron of the Deep South who is currently held in custody in Ratchaburi provincial prison.
Drug gangs were suspected to providing financial support to militant groups which have been waging a war of insurgency in the strife-torn region. Trafficking in illicit drugs, drug-making chemicals and contraband has contributed to complicating the situation in the Deep South, according to security officials.
However, drug trafficking and insurgency are two separate problems although drug gangs and militant groups might be complementing one another for their vested interests, said security officials.