Rohingya terrorist suspects captured

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Rohingya terrorist suspects captured

Anupong, Prawit under fire for 'failing in South'

Published: 17/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Security authorities have arrested three Rohingya allegedly involved in passport forgery and human and weapons trafficking, and said to be linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka and insurgents in the far South.

They were also suspected of being connected with al-Qaeda terrorists.

The arrest of Mohammad Ali Hussein, Mohammad Mudbahem and Chubri Awae followed a joint operation between the Department of Special Investigation, armed forces and immigration police.

Mr Mohammad Ali was arrested on Monday at his Thai wife's house in Chaiyaphum's Kaset Sombun district after he sneaked into Thailand early this month. His former aide, Mr Mohammad Mudbahem, was nabbed in Songkhla's Hat Yai district on the same day. The date and place where Mr Chubri was caught remained unclear.

Mr Mohammad Ali was alleged to be the leader of a transnational gang trafficking illegal migrant workers to a third country through Thailand and forging and supplying fake passports, DSI chief Pol Col Thawee Sodsong said.

He was also said to be a war weapons broker who did business with the Tamil Tigers and human traffickers, Pol Col Thawee said. His stronghold was in Hat Yai before moving to Bangkok. He also allegedly supplied fake passports to people who possibly included al-Qaeda members who travelled to the US to carry out the terrorist attacks on Sept 11, 2001, the DSI chief said.

Mr Mohammad Ali was released from jail in Malaysia in April after serving two years. He was convicted of posing a national security threat.

Mr Mohammad Mudbahem was said to have succeeded him as the most influential transnational criminal in the South.

DSI deputy chief Pol Col Naras Savestanan claimed the pair trafficked people, most of them Rohingya, Sri Lankans and Pakistanis and charged them at least 200,000 baht each.

He said their gang was involved with war weapons and the drugs trade in the southern region.

"The large criminal syndicate is still moving in certain areas in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat," Pol Col Thawee said. "Some evidence tracked from mobile phones also shows the group is linked to the southern violence."

The three suspects will be charged with brokering human trafficking to a third country, forging and selling fake passports, and assisting illegal migrants to enter Thailand in order to pass to another country.

Meanwhile, in the far South, two non-commissioned police officers were killed by a bomb planted on a motorcycle in front of their Sai Buri police station in Pattani yesterday.

In Yala's Raman district, a 54-year-old woman teacher at Ban Pomeng School was shot in the head and killed while riding her motorcycle from her house to the school yesterday morning.

In Narathiwat's Yi-ngo district, police destroyed a 10kg bomb found in a palm plantation.

The continued violence prompted Gen Pathompong Kaysornsuk, former armed forces chief adviser, to criticise Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and army chief Anupong Paojinda for failing to get the situation under control.

He said Gen Prawit and Gen Anupong should spend more time in the far South to better assess the situation.

"Both of them should stay in the South at least a month," Gen Pathompong said. "Spending time with subordinates, they will know the truth and the feelings of local people. Visiting the region only once a week is useless. Don't pay attention only to politics or figure out how to keep this government. That's not the duty of the armed forces."

Gen Watanachai Chaimuanwong, former deputy army chief who was in charge of the southern insurgency under the Surayud Chulanont government, warned that the situation in the far South could escalate as more terrorists are trained by Jemaah Islamiyah and al-Qaeda.

"The terrorists have completely overhauled their plans," he said.

"Their war will be more violent. Government authorities cannot fight them because we still adhere to conventional strategies."

About the author

Writer: KING-OUA LAOHONG and WASSANA NANUAM and ABDULLAH BENYAKAJ

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LookMoo

Discussion 7 : 17/06/2009 at 05:14 PM7
LEK.

Do not fall in to the trap of Laosuwan. He is a Thai nationalist, cries for tuff military action. But he never served a single day in the military. Never taking a risk.

In my survey, I Have found that computer geeks like Laosuwan are more likely to give military advice. Mostly based on the last computer game.
fOX

Discussion 6 : 17/06/2009 at 11:46 AM6
it's so easy to sentence people as terrorist, amazing . I really don't see what al Qaeda has to do with a jungle in the tail of thailand and I think that the article gave a clear conclusion:The three suspects will be charged with brokering human trafficking to a third country, forging and selling fake passports, and assisting illegal migrants to enter Thailand in order to pass to another country.
some readers started the article from the bottom
lek

Discussion 5 : 17/06/2009 at 10:57 AM5
Loasuwan:

The citation given by Islamic scholars from the four major branches of Islam is: Koran 9:29: "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book (Christian or Jew), until they pay the Jizya (Islamic tax known as 'Jaziva Tax' paid by conquered non Muslim peoples in order to escape death) to Muslim rulers with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."

The three choices given Christians and Jews is, embrace (convert to) Islam”, or pay 'Jaziva Tax' to Muslim rulers, or leave the conquered land “forever”, if they don't want to be harmed. The Arabic term for the English word Forever also has a religious connotation under Islamic law, as it means once a particular geographical area has once come under Islam rule it is a duty upon all Muslims to fight to regain that land if it ever reverts back to secular rule, e.g. Spain, Malta, Italy, Thailand, India, etc.

9:29 also applies to those who are Hindu or Buddhist (polytheists) but the conditions for polytheists (and atheists) is harsher. (Sahih 4294) commands to “Make a holy war...When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any (further) harm.” But, “If the infidels rejected this suggestion they would be killed and they would be responsible for it.” And, "The women of these disobedient infidels would be enslaved and raped according to Mut’a," [an Islamic ritual often seen in places like Pakistan, Somalia, Bangladesh, etc.] and become what your right hands possess [captive women taken in war].”

Notice that under Islamic law the polytheist, himself, is responsible for his own death for refusing to embrace Islam. When we apologize for past wrongs and offer peace cranes and so forth we only reinforce the Islamists belief that they are acting to the wishes of their god and that god is on their side. When we offer monetary assistance for the south it is accepted as jizah but then we do not relinquish political control of the land so we appear to have violated the terms of the truce and thus another round of killing begins. This is how the Islamist views us; ironically we have no insight to this at all and are left confused as to why they hate us.

Sahih 4294 and Koran 9:29 is the primary legal basis for insurrection in south Thailand and this is widely taught in the South and throughout the Islamic world. It is rooted in the law of the Koran which Muslims believe to be the literal word of god. So there is no such thing as moderate Islam, only pure Islam and non practicing Muslims who are considered “hypocrites are to be treated as non-Muslims, which explains why Muslims could shoot other Muslims in a mosque during the course of their war against non Muslims who they see as occupying former Muslim lands.

I agree most of us Thais don’t know anything about any of this or our own history, but we are too anxious not too offend and really deep down in our bones know we are afraid of all Muslims rising up together to take our communities, so we just stay quiet and meek. This is why the killing can and does go on.

If this comment makes it past the post censors copy it as it will probably be taken down a few hours later when some complaints come from the ones who want to withold the truth.
cesar

Discussion 4 : 17/06/2009 at 10:16 AM4
I hope this guys get life sentences.
This criminals are for shure linked with the criminals in the south of rhe Kingdom. They, no duobt, facilitators for all the crimes in the three south provinces of the Kingdom.
I believe that Thailand is proceeding very well with this ilegal imigrants (rohinya). They are not political asylum seekers; so far I believe tha the Myanmar junta found a good way to get rid of indesireble people (this is by sending them to Thailand.
So the Kingdom should protect itself from this marginal groups and reject them. It is Thailand´s absolute sovereignity and right to do so protect its borders and its citizens.
Thank you.
laosuwan

Discussion 3 : 17/06/2009 at 09:47 AM3
two years ago I wrote to the post that burmese islamists were involved in the south and this fact was dismissed as impossible by post editorial, who keeps telling us the war there is about language, culture, history, blah blah blah. The government and our opinion makers like the post still have no idea what is really happening in the south and that the war is not limited to the south but will come to all of thailand in the next five to ten years. islam has been at war with thailand for over 300 years but Thailand refuses to believe its own eyes or study its own history, let alone to study the teachings of the islamsists who tell us in their own words theirs is a religious war against non muslims. My words too hot to handle? Prefer to accept dieing to risk offending those who view you as infidels. Go ahead and keep dieing. We are seeking residency in vietnam for the sake of our children in the future.
Masters of War

Discussion 2 : 17/06/2009 at 09:40 AM2
Without being overly sensationalist i think we can expect resurgence of troubles in southern states in the next month with an influx of Tamil fighters. There do not appear to have been large numbers of arrests in Sri Lanka and it is reminiscent of the PLO diaspora 20 years ago. There is a lot of money to be made in moving these people around and selling arms for insurrection. (as well as selling arms for anti-insurrection). Expect the arms industry to thrive in times of recession!
Dent

Discussion 1 : 17/06/2009 at 09:29 AM1
Interesting that the article keeps on referring to them as "terrorist" while the suspects have only been charged with human trafficking and forging passports (grave crimes in themselves).

In the absence of terrorism charges, could the post be promoting anti-Muslim xenophobia? Are all Muslims to be termed terrorists?

Rohingya terrorist suspects captured