"Teachers here are still afraid after what happened on that day. We don't want to go the school because we genuinely fear for our lives," said one teacher, who asked not to be named.
Ban Ba-ngo is a
state school in Mayo district of Pattani province. It now has only five
teachers. The other two employed at the school were both murdered by
insurgents on Dec 11.
The school's
director Tatiyarat Cheukaew and teacher Somsak Kwanma were shot down on
that day when five armed men, some of them in military uniforms, burst
into the school and opened fire while the teachers were having lunch.
The school is
expected to remain closed for another week, the same teacher said.
Soldiers stand
guard at Ban Krong Pinang School in Krong Pinang district, Yala,
as most
schools in the far South reopen on Monday. (Photo by Maluding Tido)
Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanich said
on Monday morning that all schools closed by fearful teachers in Narathiwat,
Pattani and Yala provinces, and part of Songkhla, had reopened. Ban Ba-ngo
proved him wrong. It was not clear if there were other standout schools.
Security forces
provided upgraded protection for teachers on their way to schools across the
region, with advanced teams sent ahead to secure the routes ahead
of the convoys of teachers and their guards. The same procedure was in
place to return them to their homes.
Joint teams of
soldiers, police and volunteers were posted in front of all schools and
inside the grounds.
Col
Prasitthipong Moondee, the chief-of-staff of the Yala Task Force, said
protection would be provided at schools around the clock.
Fourth Army
commander Lt Gen Udomchai Thammasaroach said the focus for protection measures
was in known risk areas in the four provinces. He urged local people
to stay alert and to help security authorities keep teachers safe
from more attacks by islamic militants.
Soldiers have
been assigned as the main force to protect teachers in locations deemed most
dangerous, while police and volunteerswere responsible in other areas, the
deputy education minister said.
The Education
Ministry would offer more incentives for teachers working in the restive
area, including a four million baht financial compensation package for
the family of teacher killed while at work, along with scholarships for
their orphaned children to study to the level of a bachelor's degree, Mr
Sermsak said.
Adul Promsaeng,
director of the Education Zone 1 in Yala, said during a visit to Ban Krong
Pinang School in Krong Pinang district that state authorities should
ensure tight security every day for teachers, instead of doing it only
when a tragedy occurs.
Daleeya Sa-ar,
a Prathom 5 (grade 5) student at Krong Pinang School, said she was happy to
return to school again. "I love my school and I want to see my teachers
safe,'' she said.
Insurgents have
killed 157 teachers in the four provinces since violence returned to the region
in January 2004. Five teachers were slain in the past six weeks.
The
attack on Dec 11 prompted the Confederation of Teachers in Southern Border
Provinces to close more than 1,200 schools, shutting about 200,000
students of the classrooms.
The mounting
death toll of teachers also worries Human Rights Watch who joined a call for
the immediate end of attacks on teachers and schools.
"Insurgents
in southern Thailand who execute teachers show utter depravity and disregard
for humanity," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"These attacks harm not only teachers and schools, but the Muslim
students, their families, and the broader Muslim community the insurgents claim
to represent."
Human Rights
Watch also urged the government to come up with a better strategy to protect
teachers.
(bangkokpost.com)