Army says bus torching likely not rebel work

Army says bus torching likely not rebel work

Piyawat muses over 'gentlemen' attackers

Easy to blame separatists for violence like Sunday's torching of an interprovincial tour bus, says the southern army commander - but probably it wasn't. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Easy to blame separatists for violence like Sunday's torching of an interprovincial tour bus, says the southern army commander - but probably it wasn't. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Unidentified men who torched an interprovincial bus in Yala on Sunday were probably not militants as they acted like "gentleman", harming no passengers and even helping them leave the vehicle, 4th Army chief Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanich says.

Though Lt Gen Piyawat has come to no firm conclusions on the attackers' motives, he said some irregularities during the preliminary investigation made it difficult to believe the torching was insurgency-related.

The attackers did not injure passengers, carried their bags and helped the elderly and disabled people get off the bus, Lt Gen Piyawat said, viewing this act as "very gentlemanly".

His observation matched the account of a 65-year-old passenger, Phuangsuda Lopat, who said earlier that one attacker even helped carry her bags. She was among 11 people who were aboard the bus, which had left Yala's Betong district bound for Bangkok.

A similar incident in which a bus was set on fire occurred in 2014. In fact, the same bus driver and bus attendant were victims in that attack, Lt Gen Piyawat added. The driver was Abdullah Sabaebo and the other Marorwe Ding. Both work for Siam Transport Co.

Evidence is still sketchy, which means officers are unable to confirm whether the attack had anything to do with the southern insurgency, but the behaviour of the attackers led Lt Gen Piyawat to suspect the torching might been the result of a conflict involving bus companies, he said.

Betong is well known for its attractions and draws many visitors. It is also under the government's triangle economy city concept under which it will turn into a model for a sustainable and self-reliant city as part of the state's non-military approach to the insurgency.

While tourism can boost the local economy, more opportunities to earn money can also lead to conflicts and one of these may involve concessions for bus operations, the 4th Army chief said, insisting everything must be investigated to determine the real motive for the attack.

The bus was set ablaze on Sunday afternoon on a section of Road 410 in Yala's Bannang Sata district. The double-decker was forced to stop after burning tyres on the road blocked its path. More than 10 armed men in military-like uniforms emerged from a roadside wood and ordered everyone to get out of the vehicle. They spoke in Jawi, a Malay dialect, according to police. The attackers then doused the bus with petrol and set it alight, destroying it.

Investigators are questioning suspects in the area, including the owner of a house where a tree was believed to have been felled by the attackers as part of their plot. A petrol station owner was also being interrogated.

Lt Gen Piyawat also asked local authorities to dismiss the Ban Kasod village head, who claimed he had no knowledge of the attack. "I'm not worried this [dismissal] will cause divisions in society," he said. "There are many other people who want to work for the nation."

Despite the unusual nature of the attack, police have not ruled out the possibility that it was perpetrated by rebels. Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said officers are monitoring a group led by Ahama Leubasar, a key Runda Kumpulan Kecil guerrilla leader. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon also declined to rush to conclusions about who the culprits were, saying only the latest event was an act of "persons with ill-intentions toward society".

Meanwhile, Paniwan Ruangmanee, head of Yala bus terminal, said Monday she had ordered a halt to all interprovincial bus services in Betong until it is judged safe for them to resume.

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