Twelve die in mosque shooting

[hhfarang]

Twelve die in mosque shooting Malaysia offers helping hand in restive South

By: BANGKOK POST AND AGENCIES
Published: 9/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

NARATHIWAT : At least 12 Muslim villagers have been killed and 11 seriously injured when a group of unidentified gunmen opened fire in a mosque in Cho Airong district.

The shooting took place about 8.30pm on Monday, when about 100 worshippers were performing evening prayers inside the mosque at Ai Payae village.

Those not killed ran screaming with fright and pain from the mosque.

Witnesses said a group of five to six gunmen broke into the prayer hall from undergrowth behind the mosque and began firing indiscriminately.

Ten of the worshippers died instantly and two more in hospital. Eleven others were seriously injured. The gunmen fled the scene after the shooting.

Authorities last night blocked all roads in the area to search for the attackers, who are believed to be hiding in a nearby forest.

Prinya Chaidilok, spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command's frontline office of the 4th Army, denied authorities were involved in the shooting. He was trying to put a stop to rumours that security forces had tried to provoke the situation in the far South for their own benefit.

He said it was premature to come to any conclusion on who launched the attack. But the attackers knew the area very well.

The attack came on the eve of another visit to the far South by army chief Anupong Paojinda.

The shooting came hours after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva wrapped up a one-day visit to Malaysia with the insurgency high on the agenda.

Malaysia has pledged to help young Muslims in Thailand secure a better education and employment to ease violence sparked by the Islamic separatist movement.

Leaders of the two countries yesterday discussed ways to bring economic progress to southern Thailand, including Malaysia's role of providing scholarships for Muslim students and helping to develop the education system in provinces bordering northern Malaysia.

"In terms of creating opportunities particularly for young people in the area, I think that Malaysia has very important contributions," Mr Abhisit told reporters after a meeting with his Malaysian counterpart, Najib Razak, in the administrative capital of Putrajaya.

Mr Najib said he and Mr Abhisit plan to visit a religious school in southern Thailand in order for both leaders to talk to the people "so that the right kind of message can be transmitted" to the South. No date was immediately scheduled for the visit.

"We remain optimistic that things can get a lot better if we continue to put an emphasis on economic development, on giving them a better future," Mr Najib said.

Mr Abhisit said he was also optimistic about seeing an end to violence in his country's troubled southern region, and pledged to bring "justice and opportunities" to the land.

"Let me reiterate that my government's approach is based on the belief that the key to peace and security is justice and opportunities," he said.

Mr Abhisit said his government was shifting emphasis in the troubled southern region to economic development.

In addition to the mosque shooting, there were other incidents of southern violence yesterday.

Rubber tapper Chuay Nadi, 36, was shot dead in an attack in the pre-dawn hours in Narathiwat's Rangae district on his way to a rubber plantation.

Police later came across a 5kg homemade bomb near the crime scene, which was believed to be targeted at authorities as they carried out their investigation. A bomb disposal team was called in to defuse the device.

A security escort team for teachers escaped unharmed in a roadside bomb explosion on the Yala-Betong Road in Krong Pinang district, police said.

[charlesh]

retaliation already started (again) with 1 rubber tapper, 1 pregnant woman and a buddhist monk being murdered by those cowards in the Sth ??

[sandman67]

murdered by those cowards in the Sth

there are at least three separate sets of potential suspects:

Separatists:....errr they're muslims so why would they machine gun a mosque?

Army:.....hmmm......budget time ...... time to justify your existance and budget......a few bombs and shootings would do nicely......

Redshirts: ....nothing like a few dead teachers and monks and an unstable south to cause hassle for the government you hate. All these weapons sitting round getting rusty....lets go use em!

so of the three possibles it seems the separatists are the LEAST likely suspects.

My bet?

ISOC! Definite.....end of.

so I guess you are right.....as ISOC are all shabby little cowards and thugs hiding behind a flag, a stack of cash, and a big old order catalogue of US Army castoffs.