Published on October 17, 2005 - Officials say attack was deliberate attempt to deepen the religious divide.

An attack on a Buddhist temple in Pattani in the early hours of yesterday is being interpreted by senior officials and local residents as an attempt to deepen the religious divide between Muslims and Buddhists in the restive deep South.

An elderly monk was hacked to death, two temple boys were shot dead and the temple was set ablaze during the attack.

About 20 suspected insurgents stormed into the Promprasith temple in Pattani’s Panare district at about 1.45am. They sprayed rifle fire at two monks’ dwellings. Two temple boys, Narong Kham-ong, 17, and Sathaporn Suwannarat, 15, who were asleep inside the buildings, died in the hail of gunfire. Many others narrowly escaped by jumping out of windows.

Pra Keow Kusalo, 76, who came out of his living quarters to see what was happening after being woken by the gunfire, was slashed about the neck until he was dead, police said. His body was found burnt near his dwelling.

A monk who asked not to be named said he believed the armed group crept up on the rear of the temple as nobody heard the sound of vehicles before the attack.

The insurgent group looted the temple and partly damaged the two dwellings, a Buddhist sanctuary and two motorcycles during a 15-minute rampage, police said.

Two giant figures in front of the temple’s sanctuary were smashed.

Senior officials including Defence Minister Thamarak Isarangura, Army Commander General Sothi Bounyaratkalin and Fourth Army Region Commander Lt-General Kwan-chart Klaharn visited the temple yesterday morning to inspect the scene.

Kwanchart said it was regrettable to see such an incident directed against Buddhists. The militants chose the area in Panare district as they knew Muslims and Buddhists had lived there in harmony and peace for a long time, he said.

Thamarak said he suspected the militants were using drugs because their behaviour was so brutal.

A local resident who identified himself only as Chai said most people living near the temple were Buddhists, but they had never had any conflict with their Muslim neighbours.

“I suppose the militants might be outsiders who want to create a rift between Buddhists and Muslims,” he said.

The attack against the Buddhist temple and monks was not the first of its kind since violence erupted in the predominantly Muslim region at the beginning of last year.

In March last year three Buddhist monks were slashed to death in separated attacks, but the incidents were not regarded as part of the regional conflict.

However, yesterday’s brutality is being regarded as part of the violence that has killed more than 1,000 people over the past 20 months.

In separate incidents yesterday two men, Santi Puyprom and Suk Theskamnerd, were shot dead in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district by gunmen riding a motorbike. Santi was shot in the head and body and died at the scene while Suk, who was also hit in the head, died on the way to hospital.

In Yala province, two policemen were shot and killed while returning from guard duty at a railway station in Raman district. They were Sgt-Major Samreung Jit-aram and Sergeant Nitiphon Longkhao. Their firearms were stolen, police said.