Thailand has declared a state of martial law in it's troubled South following a arms raid and arson attack which re-ignited security concerns in the majority Muslim provinces of Southern Thailand, where a separatist rebellion has been simmering for years.
We will now enforce martial law in Southern Thailand to search for the weapons, Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Mata told reporters, referring to the more than 100 assault rifles stolen in a raid last Sunday raid by dozens of assailants who killed four Thai soldiers and torched 18 schools.
The martial law ruling affects the provinces of Narathiwat and Yala, which border Malaysia, as well as neighboring Pattani province in Thailand.
The attack was the worst act of violence in Southern Thailand since last July, when five Thai policemen and a civilian were killed and three other police officers were wounded by masked gunmen.
Several areas of the five southernmost provinces deemed among the least stable have been under nominal martial law for years, prompting regular criticism by the Muslim religious leaders there.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra blamed Sunday's assault on "professionals with experience in this kind of violence," and maintained his line that bandits involved in arms smuggling were responsible. But he also warned that outside influences were at work, citing Islamic militants, although he denied the gunmen were linked to separatists.
There are connections with the outside, from Aceh (the restive Indonesian province), PM Thaksin said. The bandits are involved with Thailand and Malaysia and some of them are tied to mujahedin. Gun-running has long been a problem for Thailand's government, but Wan Nor stressed it has increased in recent months as the price of weapons has risen.
Thaksin was reportedly furious at his interior minister for the security lapse, blaming poor relations between local communities and the authorities. Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh on Sunday was quick to stress the attacks were not acts of international terrorism.
Thailand has been on the lookout for terrorist activity since authorities in June arrested four Muslims from the south who were suspected of being members of regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah. Chavalit was nevertheless highly critical of Thailand's intelligence apparatus for failing to predict the attack on the army base.
Defense Minister Thammarak Issarangkun Na Ayutthaya said the attack was likely facilitated by a group of former army recruits who had knowledge of the arms depot. He said the camp's commander was quickly transferred.
Opposition leaders said Thaksin had grossly underestimated the problem in Southern Thailand. The Thai government has approached the problem wrongly from the beginning, Democrat Party chief advisor Chuan Leekpai said in the Nation newspaper.
After an attack three years ago, Thaksin said he was aware of all the problems Southern Thailand and would tackle them in three months. Now three years have come to pass, Leekpai added.
A major manhunt was launched Sunday, and Malaysia beefed up security along its border with Thailand after Thai police said the prime suspect had fled across the border.
In Narathiwat, educators expressed shock over the burning of the schools. Our morale is almost gone. All teachers who arrived at the scene wept, Chuenjit Chokedee, an assistant director at the razed Muang Narathiwat school, told the Nation.
Twenty-two people, mainly soldiers and police, have now died in similar attacks in Southern Thailand since last April, while a spate of violence in 2001 and 2002 killed more than 20 policemen.
