| Southeast Asia |
| Thais arrest Muslim school owner, 3 students, on possible al-Qaeda links |
| 2005-05-24 |
| The owner of a Muslim religious school and three of his students were being held for questioning about possible links with al-Qaeda after soldiers seized military training videos from the terrorist organization at their school, an army spokesman said yesterday. The school in the southern Pattani Province was raided last Thursday after the military learned that it had been used for military training, said Colonel Arkhom Pongprom. Adinan Jehazae, 33, the owner of the Jihad Witthaya school, and the students were being detained in an army camp in the province and undergoing interrogation, the spokesman told reporters. "They are being questioned about how they acquired the al-Qaeda videos and we believe whoever has such videos must have bad intentions ... and is a threat to national security," Arkhom said. Soldiers raided the school after two persons arrested on charges of setting fire to Buddhist schools reportedly confessed that they had received military training at Jihad Witthaya. "During the raid we found that the school has been used as a training ground because it had a firing range and several bullet holes were found in trees. We seized two pistols," Arkhom said. The four were being detained for seven days of questioning and would be charged if they were found to have any links with foreign terrorist groups or the violence in the south, Arkhom said. |
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| Southeast Asia | ||||
| Students say ustazes gave firearms training | ||||
| 2005-05-23 | ||||
Bangkok Post - Students at a private Islamic school in Pattani that was recently raided by soldiers confessed that Islamic teachers, or ustazes, had provided weapons training and also taught them how to make explosives.
They also found a weapons training site behind the school with empty cans that had been used as targets. Bullet holes were found in coconut trees in the area. The school's owner, Dulloh Waemano, 55, fled before the raid.
Sources said the students told the military that ustazes had told them to prepare for a major attack. But the students said they did not know the location of the attack or when it would take place. Translations of some of the Arabic-written documents detailed al-Qaeda-style weapons training and bomb-making. ``There has been no evidence about a link between al-Qaeda terrorists and this school and its students. [But] the school has used al-Qaeda-style weapons training as guidelines in its training,'' said Col Chatuporn.
Meanwhile, vandals went on the rampage in several districts of Yala province yesterday, burning national flags and attacking public and private property. In Muang district alone, at least 18 spots were vandalised or defaced. Some were painted with the message ``Independence for Pattani''. Around 6.30am, a road-side shelter in tambon Lidol was slightly damaged in an arson attack. Half an hour later, villagers spotted a suspicious-looking package at an empty gas station in tambon Tha Sap. Security forces, using a M-16 rifle, fired 20 rounds at the box which gave off white smoke. A high-pressure water gun was directed at the package to blow it apart. It was found to contain a gas cylinder and a clock but no traces of gunpowder. National flags were set alight and the remains found at the entrance to Ban Krong Pinang school. A bridge was spraypainted with the message ``We want our land back''. In Narathiwat's Rangae district, a former soldier was shot and killed when answering the door to his house yesterday morning. Asira Ahwae, his wife, said that two men had shouted for her husband, Supachai Honsaengdee. He was shot as he opened the door. | ||||
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| Southeast Asia |
| Thais alarmed by separatists' adoption of al-Qaeda tactics |
| 2005-05-21 |
| Defence Minister Gen Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhaya has expressed concern over the adoption of al-Qaeda terrorist-style weapons training by some private Islamic boarding schools in the South. Gen Thammarak said he has ordered security forces to raid suspected Islamic schools in the region. So far, no evidence has been found to link southern militants to al-Qaeda terrorists. The use of al-Qaeda-style terrorist weapons training was aimed at creating fear among residents, he said. ``Some schools have used al-Qaeda's weapons training as a training model. It's worrying because it is a battle in urban areas with the adoption of brutal terrorist-style attacks. ``Intelligence reports found no links between southern militants and al-Qaeda terrorists. The southern violence is an internal problem. As one school has been found to have adopted al-Qaeda weapons training, further investigation is needed.'' Earlier, troops from the 22nd Task Force raided Jihad Witthaya school at Ban Taloh Kapo village in Pattani's Yaring district and found several CDs showing al-Qaeda terrorist-style weapons training and documents written in Arabic. They also found a weapons training site behind the school. Four students admitted that weapons training had been held there. The task force yesterday inspected Jihad Witthaya school again and found a number of empty cans used as targets at the school's weapons training site. Bullet holes were found in coconut trees in the area. Gen Thammarak said troops had closely monitored the school for a lengthy period before the raid was conducted. Deputy Education Minister Rung Kaewdaeng has been assigned to tackle education problems at ponohs, or private Islamic religious boarding schools, by bringing them into the formal education system, said Gen Thammarak. The defence minister is scheduled to attend the Thai-Malaysian Border Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur on June 1-3 to discuss border cooperation and joint patrols along the border. On key separatists who had fled to Malaysia, Gen Thammarak said Malaysian authorities have provided Thailand with full cooperation to trace their whereabouts. ``I have asked relevant officers to send a list and backgrounds of runaway separatist leaders to Malaysian authorities to hunt for them,'' he said. He instructed the military to explain southern problems more clearly to local residents. The military would hold frequent press conferences to discuss the situation. ``I will make frequent trips to the South, but will do it quietly. Actually, I really want to work at the operational level like in the past when I was a junior soldier. At the time, we worked out a plan and acted on it. As the top commander, I just give my commands. I want the problem to be tackled soon,'' said the defence minister. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday held a meeting with relevant agencies to discuss the southern unrest and instructed Interior Minister Pol Gen Chidchai Wannasathit to adjust security work in the far South, particularly the chain of command. Pol Gen Chidchai said the prime minister wanted concerned agencies to be more proactive and for procedures for issuing commands to officers at the operational level shortened. |
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