40 schools close after another teacher shot dead
Forty schools in Rusoh district yesterday shut down until further notice after a teacher was shot dead as the prime minister went to the restive region for the third time in three weeks.
The latest teacher to become a victim of the violence was 33-year-old Kulthida Inchampa, who was due to become deputy principal of Ban Lamoh School. She was shot on Tuesday evening while riding her motorbike home from school after working late.Her death prompted 40 schools in the same district to close immediately out of fear for their staff and students' safety, as well as to provide time for teachers and students to attend the funeral, said Pairach Saengthong, director of Narathiwat Education Zone 1 Office. No decision has been made about when the schools will reopen. "Her death came as a shock to everyone," said Pairach. "It proves that staying in the area for a long time and being familiar with local villagers does not help to prevent teachers from being victims of the ongoing violence." On Tuesday, she went back to school without informing security officials to finish her work in preparation for a seminar in Bangkok yesterday. Narathiwat Governor Pracha Therat said he had held a meeting with teachers and urged them to inform security officials every time they travel in order to prevent such attacks. Military-installed premier Surayud yesterday visited schools and temples in the region. He also visited more than 200 Thai Buddhists in Yala who fled from their homes to Wat Nirotsangkharam, fearing for their safety. The Nation Narathiwat
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