“They’ve taught people to believe their ethnicity is Malay, their religion is Islam, and their motherland is Pattani, and that every local must fight for the liberation and independence of Pattani,” Sombat told the court.

“Teachers in this school instil separatist ideology in students, in addition to providing commando training to selected students,” he said.

Sombat also accused the eight teachers of having masterminded the January 2004 raid on an Army camp in Narathiwat, during which four soldiers were killed and 300 assault weapons were stolen. The incident marked the start of an insurgency that

has seen more than 1,000 people killed.

Yet Sombat stressed that the charges against the eight did not end there. The teachers from the prestigious Thammawitthaya Foundation School, a private Islamic school in Yala, had also ordered the assassination of government officials, arson attacks, bombings, and regular ambushes on security personnel, he said.

The eight defendants denied the charges. They are Waeyusoh Waeduera-mae, Mumad Kanafi Doloh, Abdul Rosae Hayi Doloh, Ahama Bula, Masukree Hari, Saleh Teng, Hama Jehteh, and Doleh Disa-ae.

They are being charged with treason, separatism, and criminal activities, and face the death penalty if convicted.

Another 13 suspects, including former Thammawitthaya Foundation School principal Sapae-ing Baso, the alleged ringleader, remains at large. Officials have put a Bt10-million reward on his head.

During their first day in court, defence lawyers grilled Sombat, questioning the efficiency of the DSI’s information gathering and the strength of the charges against the accused.

They went on to insist that Sombat knew neither whether the eight accused teachers had taught religious or secular subjects nor exactly when Sapae-ing became principal of the school. They pointed out that while Sombat told the court Sapae-ing had build up a network of insurgents after he became principal in 1993, he had in fact held the post since the 1970s.

Defence lawyers also charged that DSI officials had offered Bt10 million to the eight suspects for incriminating testimonies against the other accused.

Sombat denied the accusation.

He told the court the DSI had meticulously collected sound evidence against the accused by a variety of means, including taps of their home phones, confessions by militants, and the uncovering of suspicious banking transactions indicating that portions of the teachers’ salaries had been diverted to fund illegal activities.

When questioned by defence lawyers, Sombat could not say which of the suspects had had their home telephones tapped.

Defence lawyers also argued that it was a religious obligation for Muslims to have a portion of their incomes deducted to fund charitable and community projects - so there was nothing suspicious about the bank transactions.

They insisted that Sombat was not able to provide a credible chain of command in the BRN-C, nor explain how the separatist movement was exactly linked to the school.

Sopaporn Saeung
The Nation

In his speech to the Unesco General Conference, Thaksin stressed that broad education could eradicate “intolerance, isolation, misunderstanding, and fear of the differences that are poisoning the minds of many people across the world.”

Thaksin said he firmly believed that the elimination of a fertile breeding ground for extremism lay in the creation of a community freed from the shackles of poverty and driven by a well-educated and well-trained workforce. “The well-informed citizen who respects cultural diversity and appreciates the differences in values is a powerful long-term defence against extremism,” explained Thaksin, who is facing mounting criticism for his handling of the unabated sectarian violence in the Muslim-majority deep South.

The prime minister boasted that the government had been working on numerous proactive educational initiatives both in the public and private sectors by planning to introduce information technologies and computer-assisted learning techniques nationally. As a particular initiative, he cited the planned “one child, one laptop” programme, which he said would help sharpen the mind of Thai youngsters.

The initiative, he explained, would aim to provide every elementary school student with his or her own laptop.

“The laptops will come preloaded with educational software and e-books, which will replace traditional textbooks,” he said.

He called on rich countries to help bring modern educational tools and facilities to people living in underdeveloped countries.

Thaksin, who is on a week-long tour of Europe, also announced that as part of the government’s efforts to promote interfaith dialogue in Southeast Asia, Thailand would join hands with Unesco to host an ecumenical forum. He will visit Belgium before returning to Bangkok on Wednesday.

The Nation
Paris

The group, calling itself the Patriots of Siam, most of whom are Khlong Toei residents, waved Thai flags and held up banners that read “stop interfering with our country” and “Thailand is Thailand forever”.

The group dispersed after submitting a letter to the embassy.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of events highlighting the rocky ties between the two countries.

Over a month ago 131 ethnic Malay Muslims from Narathiwat fled their homes due to the unrest and took refuge in northern Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur said it would only turn over the 131 refugees on the condition that Thailand guaranteed their safety and ensured that their civil rights were protected.