DAR AL ISLAM - THAILAND: THE ISLAMIC/MOSLEM JIHAD RAGES IN THAILAND

Police blame insugents for Muslim policeman's death, torched schools in southern Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand: Police blamed Islamic insurgents for the killing of a Muslim policeman at a crowded outdoor market and the torching of several government offices and schools in restive southern Thailand on Thursday.

The policeman, Suriya Malaimal, was walking toward his motorcycle, parked at a market in Narathiwat's Rue So district, when at least six gunmen approached him and shot him at point-blank range more than ten times, said police Lt. Banlae Chuvet.

Shoppers fled in panic as the shots were fired and the attackers, who stole the victim's gun, disappeared in a van and on motorcycles, Banlae said, adding that Suriya was in uniform and did not draw his gun.

"Initial investigations show he was killed by Muslim insurgents," Banlae said, adding that the attack in the market was meant to cause fear and panic among civilians in the area.

Also Thursday, in neighboring Pattani province, arsonists torched two government schools and three government offices including two health clinics in Sai Buri district, said police Lt. Kumron Yodrak.

Kumron blamed Muslim insurgents for the arson attacks, saying the militants believe the government is trying to indoctrinate students with un-Islamic values at public schools. Teachers in southern Thailand are regularly attacked by suspected insurgents.

Separately, a roadside bomb exploded, injuring two policemen who had been deployed to protect teachers as they traveled to school in the Muang district of Yala province, police Lt. Poompetch Pipatpetpoom, adding that the blast was triggered by a mobile phone.

Thailand's southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat have been the scene of an Islamic insurgency that has led to more than 2,200 deaths in the past three years. Muslims form the majority in the area, but have long felt they are treated as second-class citizens in the Buddhist-dominated country.

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