Co-wrote book on Pattani secession

WASSANA NANUAM

An Islamic religious teacher in Yala has confessed he was among Muslim militants trained in Malaysia before they returned to stage the April 28 violence in the deep South, said army interrogators.

Abdul Wahub Datu, 40, alias Babor Wahub, principal of Malayu Bangkok ponoh school in Yala's Muang district, said in recorded questioning yesterday that he travelled to Malaysia's Kelantan state last year to meet leading separatists and discuss separatist strategies, undergo self-defence training and learn how to make himself invulnerable.

The training was held at a jungle cave and a cemetery in Malaysia, said the Islamic teacher.

He admitted he and Isama-il Jaafar, or Pohsu, a leading separatist arrested recently in Malaysia, had jointly written the book Berjihad Di Pattani (Fighting for a Pattani State), to encourage southern Muslims to fight for an independent Pattani.

After learning that the religious teaching was distorted and the work had little to do with the separatist ideology, he withdrew from the movement, said the school principal.

``I have regrets. It's my mistake. I was lured to undergo self-defence training and we learned how to make ourselves invulnerable to harm, like we were put under a magic spell. I joined because I was curious,'' Mr Abdul Wahub said, in tears.

He made his confession during the interrogations at Inkhayutthaboriharn military camp in Pattani.

He was interrogated by Fourth Army commander Lt-Gen Pisarn Wattanawongkeeree and Abdullahmae Jehsae, chairman of the Yala Islamic Committee.

His confession was recorded and yesterday presented to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The arrest of the school principal came after Malaysia had handed the written confession of Mr Isama-il to Lt-Gen Pisarn. Mr Isama-il implicated several religious teachers in the deep South.

Mr Abdul Wahub said Isama-ae Rayarong, alias Ustaz Soh, persuaded him to join his group.

He was then taken to meet Mr Isma-il. They discussed the separatist movement and self-defence training.

According to Mr Abdul Wahub, Mr Isma-il took Mr Isama-ae to the South of Thailand to meet teachers and students at religious schools. They persuaded them to join the movement.

He said Mr Isma-ae had been paid hundreds of thousands of baht to mobilise youths to join the separatist movement.

He distanced himself from the movement after finding that those separatists had not shared the same ideology with him. He was also afraid of being used as a tool by the separatist group.

``More importantly, Mr Isma-ae had lured youths from many religious schools to undergo training and join his group. I had warned him not to persuade my students,'' said Mr Abdul Wahub.

However, his warning had gone unheard after he found that several students at his school had taken part in the April 28 attack on government security forces in the deep South.

``The April 28 uprising at Krue Se Mosque [in Muang district of Pattani] shocked me. Several students at my school had been lured to join the separatist movement, which destroyed their future and the country,'' said the school principal.

Lt-Gen Pisarn said although Malaysia could not hand Mr Isma-il back to Thailand since the suspect held dual Thai-Malaysian nationality, it had supplied useful information to Thai authorities, particularly a list of 10 religious leaders who were members of the Ustaz rebel group.

There are many ponohs in the deep South. The ponohs teach only Islam. Several ponohs have changed their status to Islamic private schools, accredited by the Education Ministry. These schools now teach secular subjects and receive government financial assistance.