7/5/2004
UNICEF School Supplies For Violence-Ridden Southern Thailand by Mirjam van den Berg

UNICEF is sending school supplies to the three provinces in southern Thailand where security forces killed over a hundred suspected Islamic militants last week. Since the violence broke out in the beginning of this year, an estimated 30 schools have been destroyed and 5,000 students have been affected.

Carol Bellamy, UNICEF's executive director, expressed her great concern about the involvement of minors in the violence. "We are dismayed by the number of young people who have been caught up in the violence and tragically lost their lives, and also the damage done to schools. We urge
everyone to respect children's rights to safe and healthy lives, including the right to go to school." Many of last week’s casualties were teenagers, presumably recruited by a 33-year-old Muslim teacher in a religious school to launch the raids on police outposts.

The school supplies UNICEF is sending have been purchased with funds donated by the people of Thailand and include sports equipment. With this initiative, UNICEF hopes that teachers, many of them intimidated by the violence, will continue their work after the current holiday.

The Thai government has stepped up security since last week’s clashes, sending hundreds of more troops to the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Songkla. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had at first blamed the violence on local gangs that operate in the smuggling and drug trafficking business near the Thai border with Malaysia. Later, he accused Muslim militants causing of the attacks, a view that was shared by the Minister of Defence Chettha Thahajaro.

Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan last week urged the authorities to quickly investigate the clashes. He called for immediate measures to ensure full respect for the human rights of all concerned, including detainees and reminded the Thai government that international law prohibits the use of excessive force.

Citizens as well as international human rights organizations question the amount of force used by the Thai security forces. Over a hundred attackers, armed with machetes, died in the clashes against five well-equiped members of the security forces. Most of last week’s victims fell when the Krue Se mosque in Pattani province was besieged, killing 32. Eyewitnesses say the victims had come to the mosque to find refuge and that they should have been arrested instead of killed.

The Thai Prime Minister however rejects all international criticism on the government’s action. In his weekly speech, he made it clear the international community should stay out of domestic affairs. "We are trying to explain this to foreigners, but if they do not understand or ignore our explanation, I don't care because we are not begging them for food”, he said, before referring to previous attacks of Muslim seperatists.

The three provinces form a boundary between mainly Buddhist and mainly Muslim communities and are amongst the poorer regions of Thailand. Development schemes are said to have excluded Muslims in the past, a possible explanation for an increase in radical Islamic beliefs.