December 28, 2004

All 266 schools in Yala will be closed until Jan 3 following yesterday's shooting of another teacher in Yala municipality.

 The decision was made yesterday at a meeting of representatives of the Yala Teachers Federation and executives of education zones 1 and 2.

 Col Kitti Inthasorn, commander of Yala's special task force representing the Southern Border Provinces Peace-keeping Command, was also present.

 Sanya Suwannapho, chairman of the Yala Teachers Federation, said many teachers feared for their safety following the shooting of Pratheep Supong from Sakhor school in Muang Yala district.

 Prateep, 54, was driving to school when two men opened fire on him from their motorcycle in front of Muangmai Yala market in the municipality area about 8.30am. Five shots were fired, hitting him in the head, ear and body. Prateep was killed instantly.

 Police believed the attack was the work of separatist insurgents.

 The shooting of the teacher prompted the Yala Teachers Federation to hold an urgent meeting to discuss security measures for teachers in the province.

 Last week, two teachers in Pattani province were gunned down by separatists. Their killings prompted the Pattani Teachers Federation to order the closure of all schools in the province until Jan 4.

 The education ministry has left it up up to each school to decide whether to close due to the security situation.

 Meanwhile, in Narathiwat, two soldiers were wounded when a mobile phone-controlled bomb exploded near a task force checkpoint in Tak Bai district yesterday.

 Cpl Isornchai In-amnuay, 25, was hit by shrapnel in his right leg and hip while Pvt Akkharapol Kansomdee, 21, sustained shrapnel wounds to his right shoulder and back. The two soldiers were rushed to Tak Bai hospital for treatment.

 Police said the two officers were resting at a makeshift pavilion near the checkpoint when a home-made grenade wired to a mobile phone exploded. The bomb blew a a hole 30 inches wide and 18 inches into the ground. Pieces of a mobile phone were later found at the scene.

Somchai's wife says she has lost all faith in justice system

 BHANRAVEE TANSUBHAPOL

 Ungkana Neelaphaijit, wife of Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit who has been missing since March this year, has lost faith in the justice system.

 She said intimidation is still be directed against her family.

 This made her doubt the sincerity of the government to help her family.

 She was speaking at a forum on the ''Future of Justice in Thai Society'' at Chulalongkorn University yesterday.

 Mrs Ungkana said many people had warned her not to expect too much from the government.

 ''I submitted the case to the Department of Special Investigation two months ago because I did not believe the normal justice mechanism would do anything to find my husband. However, a DSI official refused to accept my case,'' she said.

 Mrs Ungkhana linked her husband's disappearance with his fight against state power and campaign to have martial law lifted in the South.

 He went missing soon after returning from Pattani, one of the three southernmost provinces, where violence had escalated. She said he stood up against martial law and launched a 50,000 signature collection campaign to have it lifted. He was about to submit the signatures to the government when he disappeared.

 ''I have no confidence in the justice system but I believe society will demand it for my family and me,'' Mrs Ungkana said.

 Her daughter Prathamjit said she was sorry her father did not die of natural causes but instead disappeared by what appeared to be an action of the state.

 ''All the government did was arrest the culprits, and nothing after that. The case just went cold. They threw them into court but what after that? There is no fact-finding going on. This should not be called justice,'' said Ms Prathamjit.

 She was very disappointed with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's comment that her father disappeared because of family problems.

 ''He took this matter too lightly and made our family look silly,'' she said.