SOUTH VIOLENCE
Fatal blast greets new school year
Security officers inspect the bomb crater in Narathiwat’s Joh I Rong district which killed a soldier and a civilian and injured three others.
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Teachers remain in fear as many parents seek safer places for
A bomb killed two people, including a security official, amidst concern over the safety of teachers and students at the beginning of the new school year yesterday. A patrolling vehicle providing protection for teachers was parked at a roadside junction in Narathiwat's Joh I Rong district when a home-made bomb, believed to have been planted by insurgents, exploded at around noon, claiming the life of Sgt-Major Chatchai Mitchoo. A villager passer-by Asae Baheng, 28, also died in the explosion. Sgt-Major Sakda Hongpakdee, Sgt-Major Charoon Pankaew, and a passer-by Muwae Sawae were injured from the bomb and were sent to a local hospital. Investigating officials said the bomb left a one feet deep, three feet wide hole and spread shrapnel over a 20-metre radius. Among the debris, police found the wreckage of a mobile phone, believed to be the denotation tool. The explosion came amid tightened security in the three southernmost provinces as fears continue of attacks on teachers and students who returned to school from a two-month holiday yesterday. The beginning of a new semester often sees attacks on teachers and students. As the new semester started yesterday, several schools in the deep South noted decreased numbers of students as parents moved them out from the violence-plagued area to other schools they believed to be safer. Many parents would not allow their children to go to their local schools. Others checked out security measurements at the schools before deciding whether it was safe for their kids, said Boonsom Namase, Director of Ban Tanyonglimo School in Narathiwat's Rangae district. Boonsom said all 12 teachers in his school were happy about the tightened security measures but were still concerned for their safety. "We hope officials can keep up this level of security throughout the year, not just the beginning of the semester," Boonsom said. More than 1,200 people have been killed since the violence re-emerged in the deep South in January 2004. Government officials, including police, soldiers and teachers are often the target of the Muslim insurgents.
The Nation Narathiwat
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