Third Warrant Issued Over Thai Tourist Town Attacks

BANGKOK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -29th Augst,2016) : A Thai military court on Monday issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect in a spate of bomb attacks on tourist towns, all three of them Muslims from the insurgency-plagued south. No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing and arson spree, which hit popular resorts across the south this month, killing four and wounding dozens including European visitors. Usmeen Katemmadee, a 29-year-old from Pattani province who was named Monday, is wanted for bomb possession and arson over an attack against Hua Hin, where a double blast killed two people. Two earlier warrants were for a man called Ahama Lengha from Narathiwat province and for a man named Russalan Baima from neighbouring Songkhla.

All three Names are Muslim. The attacks were highly unusual in a nation where western visitors are rarely caught up in bouts of political violence. Thailand's military leaders have been keen to play down suggestions that the perpetrators could be Muslim Malay militants from the three southernmost provinces, where a local insurgency has raged for more than a decade. However the police investigation has increasingly pointed in that direction. Last week Thailand's police chief said investigators believe most of those behind the attacks were Muslims from the so-called deep south.

But police have steered clear of pointing the finger of blame directly at Malay Muslim militants, suggesting instead the men could have been hired. Analysts say the leadership fears any admission that southern insurgents were behind the attack might harm tourism and raise questions over the military's ability to ensure security. Thailand annexed the culturally and linguistically distinct zone bordering Malaysia over a century ago. More than 6,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in 12 years of violence between the Buddhist-majority state and the shadowy ethnic Malay rebels seeking greater autonomy. Drive-by shootings and roadside bombs happen almost daily, with a large car bomb killing two outside a hotel in Pattani on Tuesday. Yet the violence has remained almost entirely local, with the militants wary of attacking foreigners for fear of sparking an international backlash. The rebels never claim their attacks but factions are known to be frustrated with their lack of progress after more than a decade of fighting. Rights groups accuse soldiers of widespread abuses, including torturing detainees and extra-judicial killings.

The rebels also employ brutal tactics, including beheading monks and teachers.