Death to llclimbs, buts chools open
Drive-by shootings took the lives of four more people in the three southernmost provinces yesterday, including those of a soldier and a three-year-old girl, as 70 per cent of schools in the region re-opened after being closed for a week.
Early yesterday morning in Yala's Muang district, Domae Kalae, 33, and his three-year-old daughter Sofia were attacked while riding a motorbike into town. Domae died at the scene while his daughter bled to death later. Rapin Silpchai, 45, was critically injured in a drive-by shooting while riding a motorbike to his home in Than To district of the same province. Housewife Mae Dueramae, 44, was shot dead while riding a motorbike home after grocery shopping in Narathiwat's Sri Sakorn district. Two gunmen opened fire on her with a 9mm pistol when she was 150 metres from her house before speeding away. She died at scene. In Pattani's Mai Kaen district, traffic officer Sgt First Class Arun Sudpetchroj, 36, was shot dead as he prepared to start work. Four gunmen riding on two motorbikes shot Arun in the head and stole his sidearm. Around the same time in nearby Nong Chik district, rubber merchant Ploy Diswongse, 51, was critically injured in a drive-by shooting while riding his motorbike to a nearby market. Earlier on Sunday night in Yaring district, also in Pattani, Thanya Thanarittakul, 32, was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting while riding her motorbike home with her husband. Police believe Muslim insurgents were behind all of the attacks. More than 1,800 people have been killed since violence re-emerged in the deep south in January 2004. Meanwhile, nearly 70 per cent of schools in the Muslim majority South re-opened yesterday after being closed for a week due to fears for teachers' and students' safety. Schools in insurgent hot spots such as Bannang Sata district of Narathiwat remained closed, said Prasert Kaewpetch, inspector general of the Education Ministry. All 930 schools in the South are expected to be reopened by December 6, although the majority of teachers are still frightened by ongoing violent incidents at schools, Prasert said. He said the ministry will send 90 specially-trained teachers to the region to assist with tuition of final-year secondary school students. The tuition is to begin by December 17.
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