January 4, 2005

SECURITY TIGHT AT ARMY CAMP HIT BY REBELS A YEAR AGO TODAY

Jan 4 surprise attack by militants marked start of widespread violence

in deep South

Story by WASSANA NANUAM

Security measures have increased sharply following last year's Jan 4

attack on a military camp in Narathiwat's Cho Airong district, where

four soldiers were killed and hundreds of weapons stolen which were

later used by militants in fomenting violence this past year.

Barbed-wire fences have been put up around the 700-rai Narathiwat

Ratchanakharin camp, locally known as Pileng camp, where the 4th

development battalion which is responsible for development work in the

area is located.

The camp now has not only forces from the battalion but also security

forces from the Fourth Army's 5th division and soldiers from the

Bangkok-based First Army's 11st regiment, who were recently deployed as

additional forces to deal with trouble in the area.

Before the surprise assault, the camp's compound was not properly

barricaded and outsiders could easily enter through the rear of the camp

_ the route believed used by militants when they raided the compound on

Jan 4 last year.

Security has been further tightened over the New Year holiday following

speculation that local militants might launch another attack on miltiary

bases or outposts in the Muslim-dominated region to mark the first

anniversary of the Jan 4 incident.

In that raid, it was believed about 100-150 armed men carried out the

unprecedented attack. A total of 413 firearms were stolen from the camp

_ 380 M-16 rifles, seven rocket-propelled grenade launchers, two M-60

machine guns, 24 pistols of 11mm calibre and 200 rounds of ammunition.

So far, except for one M-16 assault rifle, the weapons have not yet

been recovered. The M-16 rifle retrieved was found buried in an orchard

in Ban La Loh of Narathiwat's Rueso district.

There were initially confusing reports over which group was directly

responsible for the attack. One report was convinced the attackers were

members of the mainstream Pulo separatist movement fighting for an

independent Pattani state and wanted weapons to carry out attacks in the

three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

A number of veteran southern officers were convinced local separatists,

with financial support and training from regional Muslim militants, were

responsible for the assault.

Another report claimed the attackers were local bandits conspiring with

local influential figures supported by local politicians to cause

trouble in the area in response to the government's harsh crackdown on

illegal activities in the far South.

The gang was said to have subsequently sold the stolen firearms to

Indonesia's Aceh separatists.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra initially played down the Jan 4

attack, saying it was the work of local bandits who seized the weapons

for sale.

However, there has been no evidence to back the theory that the stolen

firearms were smuggled out of the country. The arrests of suspected

separatists allegedly involved in the raid also failed to uncover the

stolen weapons.

The prime minister later admitted trouble in the far South was a

coordinated scheme involving local bandits and separatist movements

seeking the establishment of a separate Islamic state.

About 500 people have died since Jan 4. This includes Buddhist monks,

ordinary folk and security officials, as well as 106 militants in the

Krue Se mosque bloodbath on April 28, and 85 protesters during the Tak

Bai crackdown on Oct 25.

To prevent any attack over the New Year holiday, the battalion

increased the number of security guards on night patrol.

Prior to the Jan 4 attack, only one sergeant-major and two privates

from each of the battalion's four companies guarded the camp at night.

Now, 5-10 soldiers from each company have been assigned to guard the

camp.

During the Jan 4 raid, there were fewer than 30 of the 400 soldiers in

the camp as many had taken leave.

After the attack, the army punished those who had taken leave by

jailing them for 15-45 days and transferred Lt-Gen Chalermpong

Thongpradit, the battalion's commander, to an inactive post at the 42nd

Army Circle in Songkhla's Hat Yai district, for gross negligence of

duty. Lt-Gen Chalermpong was absent when the raid took place.

Now, besides the troop reinforcement at Pileng camp, a computer online

system and closed-circuit television cameras have been installed at the

weapons depot.

Over the past year, the development battalion has repaired damaged

buildings and repainted them. But most of the soldiers still remember

the incident in which four of their colleagues were brutally killed.

Capt Ouaychai Limsakul said the accusation that some soldiers had been

involved in the robbery discouraged many soldiers. They became stressed

and their morale was affected. But now people believe the raid and

subsequent streak of violent attacks in the deep South were not the work

of ordinary bandits.

Maj-Gen Chalermchai Viroonpet, commander of the 5th infantry division,

said soldiers had to be prepared and ready to deal with possible attacks

during the New Year holiday.

A merit-making ceremony will be held for the four soldiers killed in

the Jan 4 raid. New Year celebrations and leave were cancelled for

soldiers stationed at Pileng camp _ as were for over 15,000 other

soldiers deployed across the deep South.