January 15, 2005

`Ustaz' arrested on treason charges

ABDULLOH BENYAKAJ

Pattani _ Another ustaz, or Muslim religious teacher, was arrested

yesterday in Krong Pinang district on treason charges.

Hama Jehta, or Samad Luepae, a religious teacher at Thamwittaya School,

has been accused of being a core leader of Muslim militants and

involvement in violence in the deep South.

He is the eighth teacher to have been arrested in two weeks.

Pol Lt-Gen Manoch Kraiwong, Region 9 Police chief, said information

obtained from the seven who had been arrested earlier had led to Mr

Hama's arrest.

Mr Hama was nabbed at his house by a team from the Department of

Special Investigation led by Pol Col Thawee Sodsong, the deputy DSI

chief. He refuted all the charges laid against him.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 21 religious teachers for

treason.

In continuing violence, a company employee was seriously injured in a

gun attack in Pattani's Sai Buri district.

Manote Churat, 30, an employee of Pithan Panit Co, was shot near a

bridge across the Sai Buri river at 6:45am while waiting for a bus to

take him to work.

Two men riding on a motorcycle approached him and the pillion rider

fired two shots. Mr Manote was hit in the right shoulder and left rib.

He was taken to a hospital by locals.

Police were investigating the killing to see if it was related to

unrest in the deep South or to a personal conflict.

Meanwhile, student groups have called for justice for a former student

leader arrested on charges of killing a police officer in Pattani and

conspiring in several killings, including that of a Pattani judge.

Representatives of Prince of Songkla University's Students Organisation

of Pattani campus, the Muslim Students Association of Thailand, the

Students Federation of Thailand and Pattani Muslim groups yesterday

submitted an open letter to Fourth Army deputy commander Maj-Gen

Khwanchart Klaharn demanding justice for former student leader, Ilayas

Manwang, 24, of the Students Association of Islamic Studies College.

The move followed his arrest and that of Mustopa Jehya, 23, on charges

of murdering Pol Snr Sgt-Maj Mohamad Benyakaj on Dec 29 of last year.

The two suspects were also allegedly involved in the killings of

Pattani judge Rapin Raenkaew and Dusadeeboon Ritsunthorn, a second-year

student at Prince of Songkla University's Pattani campus. The two

suspects were also believed to have been involved in other incidents of

southern unrest.

The students groups said a combined team of police and soldiers had

raided a student dormitory inside Prince of Songkla University's Pattani

campus on Jan 6 and detained a male student for questioning. Two hours

later, he was released. Soldiers later arrested Mr Ilayas, took him to

Ingkhayutthaboriharn camp in Pattani's Nong Chik district for

questioning and later sent him for detention in Bangkok.

The student group demanded police seek permission from executives of

the university before conducting raids and that a representative of the

university executive be present at such times.