EDITORIAL
Once again teachers have fallen victim to the senseless killing being perpetrated by militants in the troubled deep South. The victims this time, Vilas Petprom, 54, and his 52-year-old wife, Komkham, were riding their motorcycle, carrying a basket of vegetables to be sold at Tanyongmas market in Rangae district of Narathiwat on Tuesday morning, when they were gunned down by the pillion rider of another motorbike.
Like all the other 133 teachers killed by suspected militants over the past seven years _ including Juling Pongkanmoon who was fatally beaten by villagers incited by militant sympathisers four years ago _ Mr Vilas and his wife were merely innocent people unfortunately caught in the middle of the war between government forces and militants. The couple supplemented their meagre teaching income by selling vegetables at the market every morning before proceeding to school. They had no conflict whatsoever with anyone and their "crime" was simply that they were state employees, which made them "enemies" to be targeted by insurgents.
Reacting to the couple's murder, the Federation of Teachers in Three Southern Border Provinces announced the closure of 365 schools in Narathiwat province for three days, to allow security officials concerned to review safety measures for schools and teachers in the so-called high-risk areas. The federation also requested that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva meet southern teachers in the deep South or in Bangkok, so they may provide him with first-hand information about the security threat posed to teachers in this violence-prone region, as well as other problems, including low pay and employment status.
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