Thread: Yala - Extremists kill 2, warn Buddhists

Extremists kill 2, warn Buddhists

(Bangkokpost.com, Agencies)

Southern insurgents killed two men today because they were Buddhist, police said. Extremist gangs offered to sell 500-baht "life insurance" to Buddhists in Yala province.

The first victim was identified as a 55-year-old rubber tapper, who was shot three times while driving his motorcycle by a gunman on the back of another motor bike, said police of Lammai police station in the province.

Fifteen minutes later, a gunman pulled up on a motorcycle to the home of a 69-year-old Buddhist man in the same village. The attacker entered the home and fired three shots at the man, killing him instantly.

"We believe that Muslim insurgents are responsible for the death of the two Buddhist men today,'' said Maj. Suthas Noosrikong. "The attackers mean to scare Buddhists away from the area.''

In a separate development, police said letters apparently mailed from Pattani province warned Buddhists in parts of next-door Yala province they could be harmed unless they pay a monthly tax, and identify their payment publicly.

The letters demanded that Buddhist villagers pay a monthly tax of 500 baht at mosques, in return for a green piece of cloth. The letters said the cloth should be tied in front of the homes of Buddhists, so villagers would be safe from insurgent attacks, the police reported.

The same letters demanded that authorities and private firms hold no New Year parties.

Meanwhile, three small bombs were set off in a local market near homes in Rangae district of Narathiwat province. Police said there were no reports of injuries in the attack, which was apparently by insurgents.