Article 94

Arms cache found at Islamic teacher's house

POST REPORTERS

Amad Tueyoh (below picture), an Islamic teacher in Yala, is the target of a police search after a large quantity of ammunition was found at his house in downtown Yala yesterday. On the police wanted list, he is reported to have fled the house before the police raid. - Muhamad Ayub Pathan

Police yesterday seized a large stash of ammunition in a raid on a house owned by an Islamic teacher in downtown Yala.

The house in Soi Japakeeya belongs to Amad Tueyoh, an Islamic teacher at Thamma Withaya Foundation School in Yala's Muang district.

Mr Amad, who is on the police wanted list, was not in the house during the police raid.

The police forced open the house's fortified front door and found what looked like a small armoury stacked with various types of bullets, 74 mortar rounds, eight shotgun rounds, and two rifle magazines.

There were also torches, gun holsters, gun-cleaning kits, four large rucksacks, first-aid kits, 13 rosaries and a mobile phone.

A name tag was also found identifying Mr Amad as the assistant school director in charge of administration.

 

Amad Tueyoh

Police investigators believed the teacher had already fled to Yala's Bannang Sata district, prompting a manhunt there.

Meanwhile, Yala governor Boonyasit Suwannarat said yesterday he was confident most local people were against separatist violence and backed the authorities.

Muslim government officials have been sent out to strengthen relations with local Muslim communities, he said.

Adinant Pakbara, director of Yala's educational zone 2, said teachers in the area met yesterday to review the security protection provided for them by the authorities. The meeting came in the wake of Wednesday's attack on a schoolteacher in Pattani province who was shot and critcally wounded by motorcycle gunmen while on his way to work.

The assailants were believed to be separatist militants.

The shooting prompted many other teachers to seek a transfer out of the restive deep South.

The government has been advised by some Muslim academics to shift the teachers who are not local people elsewhere, if they are not willing or unable to continue working in the troubled southern border provinces.