Teachers tell of lessons in the firing line

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Teachers tell of lessons in the firing line

Armed escorts, shootings, bomb threats and hazard pay - all just part of daily life for educators in the far South who have found themselves growing targets of a ruthless insurgency. Three shared their stories with 'Spectrum'

Published: 16 Dec 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: Spectrum

'There is a saying among insurgents: 'Get Buddhists, gain merit,"' says Khru Ya, a retired Muslim teacher in Pattani province. "They believe that if they kill Buddhists, they will go to heaven."

SCHOOL SECURITY: A soldier stands guard at Ban Ranor school, in Yala’s Bannang Sata district. Since violence in the South escalated in 2004, 157 teachers have been killed in the region.

Born and raised in the southern border province, Khru Ya said he has seen his home transform from a place of peace and cultural vibrancy to one where fear and sadness now dominate daily life.

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jacksprat
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Discussion 8 : 16 Dec 2012 at 11.028
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The world reacts in shock to a shooting at a school in the USA, but the attacks on students and teachers in Thailand are ignored by the international press. Maybe the victims do not matter, since they are "only" Asians.
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steveyinasia
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Discussion 7 : 16 Dec 2012 at 10.247
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'We take good care of all the teachers who decide to work in such dangerous areas by providing them with good life insurance policies, housing allowance, and medical insurance."

Seems with over 150 teachers killed to date, taking good care could use a revamp. If Government officials took as much care of the teachers as they do of themselves maybe the situation would be a whole lot better.
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tomlim
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Discussion 6 : 16 Dec 2012 at 10.196
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I respectfully suggest:

That the teachers and schools have been targetted to cause disruption & religious divides; and to drain the resources of the security forces.

Authorities can consider moving Schools and Kindergartens away to Songkhla or Satun and run them like kibbutzes, mini-universities or boarding schools. Out of harm's way.

Then the security forces can concentrate on the trouble makers.
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twodogs
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Discussion 5 : 16 Dec 2012 at 09.245
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I still think the teachers should be armed......and I wish Thailand could get as upset as those in the US about the school shooting here.
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geoffo
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Discussion 4 : 16 Dec 2012 at 08.444
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Khuu Ya is dangerously wrong , just as many Muslims has been killed as Buddhists.

Blind Freddie knows the killers live in the same community as the victims. They are known.

A core strategy in the defeat of the Malay communists was to separate them from the civilians.

That took good police work. When that was accomplished the military did their job.
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Reasonable
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Discussion 3 : 16 Dec 2012 at 08.283
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I was baptized a Christian and joined the church as a teenager to please my mother but gave up bothering about religion many decades ago. The article on the attitude of some Muslims was very informative and gave insight into what motivates some militants especially a place in heaven for killing a Buddhist.
I do not for a minute believe all Muslims are bad but do get fed up with the term "moderate Muslim" because where are they ? I rarely hear moderate leaders, clerics and people of influence in the religion criticise, far less condemn, the actions of those who commit crime in the name of their beliefs.
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oldairman
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Discussion 2 : 16 Dec 2012 at 08.032
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I suspect that none of the government officials in the Ministry of Education in Bangkok would volunteer to work in the South though they are perfectly happy to send others there.
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upena
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Discussion 1 : 16 Dec 2012 at 05.431
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Despite what Khun Chalerm says, they are terrorists.
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Teachers tell of lessons in the firing line | Bangkok Post: news