Gunmen in Thailand's deep south shot dead two Buddhist monks and
wounded two others inside a temple, police said Saturday, capping a week
of deadly violence as the prime minister vowed to "punish" those
responsible.
Black-clad assailants carrying rifles crept into Rattanaupap temple
in Narathiwat province near Malaysia's border on Friday evening and
started firing, local superintendant Pakdi Preechachon told AFP.
"The attack took place around 7:30 pm (1230 GMT) when an unknown
number of gunmen dressed in black entered the temple through a rear area
via a creek," Pakdi said.
"Two monks were shot dead at the temple while two others were wounded."
Since 2004 clashes between ethnic Malay-Muslim rebels and the
Buddhist-majority Thai state that annexed the region a century ago have
killed nearly 7,000 people, mostly civilians of both faiths.
The death toll in the south dropped to a record low last year as
Thailand's junta tightened its security web but violence has boiled over
in recent days, raising concerns about soft targets at schools and
religious institutions.
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In the past, Buddhist monks have rarely been targeted.
But they have been told to suspend morning alms collection starting
from Saturday in three southern provinces and the southern army
commander has instructed security officials to step up safeguards of
Islamic leaders who could also be at risk.
Junta leader and prime minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha condemned the temple shootings.
"The prime Minister denounced such a brazen attack and instructed
officials to investigate and find the assailants to punish them," said
government spokesman Buddhipongse Punnakanta.
Human Rights Watch said the "ghastly" assault on civilians in a place of worship amounted to a war crime.
Last week, an imam in the same province was shot dead but it was unclear if the temple attack was related.
Friday's shooting came the same day as four security officials were
wounded by two separate roadside bombs and an insurgent was shot dead in
a clash near a school that sent students home for the day.
Four civil defence volunteers were also killed in a drive-by shooting
outside a school on January 10 in the south's Pattani province, with
security forces injuring a boy as they gunned down rebels believed to be
responsible.
In a rare public statement dated January 4 the main Malay-Muslim
rebel group -- the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) -- which has command
and control over most of the insurgent foot soldiers, swore to "keep
fighting".
"Siam (Thailand) can't hold out," the BRN wrote, signing off with a warning: "Do not help and support Siam."
Source - TheJakartaPost
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