All schools that were ordered closed in three southern border provinces last Thursday and Friday will reopen on Monday, the Confederation of Teachers of Southern Border Provinces affirmed on Sunday.
This school in Songkhla was among those closed last Thursday amid fear of increasing violence against teachers. (Photo by Vichayant Boonchote)
The confederation voted to close the schools after two teachers were killed last week when militants broke into Ban Bango School in tambon Panan in Pattani's Mayo district last week and opened fire.
Confederation chairman Boonsom Srithongprai said the group had told school directors to reopen schools after security agencies promised to provide protection for teachers around the clock.
Members of the confederation in each locality will meet regularly with representatives of other agencies to assess the situation.
At the same time, said Mr Boonsom, teachers must stay on high alert and report any security concerns to the authorities immediately.
"While receiving help from the authorities, we have to also take care of ourselves," he said.
Mr Boonsom said that apart from the ongoing security operations and development work to counter the insurgency, the government had agreed to provide 4 billion baht for schools to improve the quality of education, starting in fiscal 2013.
There would also be more defence volunteers in all communities to better protect the teachers, he said.
Malasen Ahson, acting director of Tha Kam Sam School in Pattani's Nong Chik district, said he was glad Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had proposed several plans to convince teachers that their security would be increased. Late last month, the director of his school was shot to death in a gun attack.
If the plans the prime minister proposed were seriously carried out, he said, he believed the situation would improve.
Muslim leaders in Bannang Sata district, Yala, pray for safety of teachers on Sunday. (Photo by Maluding Tido)
For teachers, security was primary while welfare was secondary, Mr Malasen said.
In a related development, sources said police had completed the examination of empty M16 ammunition cases and a bullet recovered from Ban Bango School following the attack that killed two teachers last week.
The M16 ammunition shells were found to have been fired from an M16 rifle that had been used earlier against a police officer.
Pol Cpl Pongpipat Sriwiwas was wounded on June 29 after being shot in front of a shop of Pirayanukroh School at Ban Paluka Samae in tambon Pado of Pattani's Mayo district.
The same M16 rifle was also used in two separate attacks on marine bases at Ban Bangkao in Pattani's Sai Buri district.
Two policemen from Pattani's Thung Yang Daeng district were shot and wounded with the rifle in an attack on Highway 4071 in Thung Yang Daeng district. Two villagers were shot to death with the same weapon, also in Thung Yang Daeng district.
Five teachers who survived the attack on Ban Bango School have been questioned about last week's assault. It was believed the attack was the work of an RKK separatist group operating in Sai Buri and Thung Yang Daeng districts.