Published on May 21, 2006 - Sitting by the door and keeping one eye on the outside, Kamal (not his real name) lives in constant fear of being killed.
Everything about him - his frail little body, his soft-spoken manner, his shyness - reflects the young boy that he is. But this 16-year-old was forced to become a man prematurely when his father was gunned down in front of their home by a new breed of insurgents who authorities say are organised in a network of small secretive cells.

Kamal thinks he could be the next target. What's worse, he thinks he knows who the killer or killers might be.

"They killed my father and they have no problem taking me out," Kamal said as he glanced out the door.

For his safety, Kamal asked that his identity and location not be disclosed. He is the eldest son of a local village chief who was gunned down a few months ago following several warnings from the militants for him to quit his post. Village chiefs are appointed by the respective district authority, and their function is largely to settle minor disputes and handle administrative work such as recording births and deaths.

For the past two years, authorities have given the village chiefs in the restive deep South an additional task that often cost them their lives. They were to round up young men for a month-long "re-education camp" to make them more patriotic. They are also instructed to organise the much-criticised village defence volunteers and give them arms to defend themselves. Naturally, this has rubbed the insurgents up the wrong way.

According to Kamal, his father may have "crossed the line" when he intervened in a hostage crisis. Several months back in what appeared to be an insurgent-orchestrated drama, soldiers and eyewitnesses said hundreds of villagers took matters into their own hands and held a group of local civil servants hostage in response to the arrest of a resident accused of being an insurgent. Kamal's father immediately jumped in to mediate and helped secure their release in less than four hours.

While one of the hostages told The Nation that he was happy to be alive and praised the courage of Kamal's father, militants from the area were not too pleased.

"During the stand-off, some men in the crowd believed to be part of a local militant cell scolded my father, accusing him of being a lackey of the state," Kamal said, quoting eyewitnesses and neighbours who saw the confrontation.

For the next two months, threatening letters were left at the family's front gate, demanding his father quit his post or face unspecified consequences.
"My father tried to hide the letters from us but he didn't always succeed. He didn't want us to live in fear," Kamal said.

Islamic theology says all deaths are the will of God. But Kamal says he cannot come to terms with has happened. He wants to become a soldier and avenge his father's death.

It might be a typical reaction for an angry young boy who still holds a vivid memory of his dead father lying in a pool of blood, but the look in this teenager's eyes showed he was deadly serious.

"It was that kid down there," said Kamal, pointing to a home just down the street. "He fled to Malaysia."

Asked how he knew who was responsible, Kamal said the same people who had threatened his father were the ones now telling him not to accept the government's compensation - a monthly stipend of about Bt4,000 to help the family make ends meet.

In an interview with The Nation, a local teacher described the villagers as being caught between the militants and the security agencies. While most attacks in the region over the past two years comprised roadside bombings and ambushes targeting security officials and drive-by shootings of informants and local officials, the militants in some areas, such as this, have gone an extra step to settle scores with people who disobey their orders.

Security officials admit that the militants have been able to capitalise on the authorities' failure to win the hearts and minds of the local community. Not convinced that either side can give them needed protection, the villagers do whatever they can to get by, even if it means turning a blind eye or joining a rowdy protest when called upon.

A senior Army officer who was until recently posted in the district in question said he was aware of the situation but admitted that his unit was fighting an uphill battle.
"The militants in this community know that the locals will not disobey them and so villagers there are at their disposal," said the lieutenant-colonel, who asked not to be named.

He pointed to incidents at several villages, including Narathiwat's Ban Laharn, Tanyonglimo and Ban Ai Batu, where women and children were quickly mobilised as the first line of defence amid tense stand-offs with the authorities.

While the recruitment of militants in other areas is more discreet, Kamal said militants in this area had been pretty frank with the local young men now that they feel they have the upper hand.
"They sent me a message through the son of a local Imam, telling me that eventually I will have to join the movement or face the consequences," Kamal said.

"They even drive up to our front door after patrolling soldiers stop by to check up on the family," he added.

It's a tough decision, but Kamal said his mother and he planned to sell their property and move in with relatives in Pattani.

"I want to finish high school and hope to get a job," he said. "We can't go on living like this."

Don Pathan
The Nation
NARATHIWAT