Gunning for Cops

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No one knows for sure who is to blame for the murders. But even by the bloody standards of Thailand's troubled Muslim south, it's the worst wave of violence in decades. Police stations, train stations, hotels and government offices have all been bombed lately. Since January alone, 17 policemen have been murdered, and a bounty of 200,000 baht ($5,000) has been offered up by a shady Muslim group to encourage further cop killings. And nobody knows why. "It's creepy," says Sergeant Marohsae Moohanan of Sungai Padi Station near Thailand's border with Malaysia. Earlier this month, two members of his patrol were shot dead in an ambush just outside town. One minute, he and his partners were cruising on motorcycles toward an elementary school; the next, they were getting fired at by strangers who then vanished into the forest like ghosts. Now, at the once languid station where patrolmen used to doze in the midday heat, officers cradle their assault rifles and eye every visitor with tense suspicion. "We're all pretty spooked," says Marohsae.

In Thailand that's a twist. Throughout the country, and particularly in remote and rural areas, it's the police who have traditionally inspired fear. While there are plenty of honest cops, many others are corrupt and abusive. Misuse of deadly force is so brazen that officers once allegedly shot dead six drug dealers who had already surrendered and were handcuffed. Television cameras showed them being marched into a shack, six shots were heard, then six bodies wrapped in white sheets were carried out. But here in the deep south, it's the police who are afraid. Among the Malay Muslims of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Songkhla and Satun provinces, hatred of the mostly Buddhist police runs deep—stemming from what Muslims contend are decades of religiously motivated violence and discrimination. "They used to beat us at will. People disappeared every day," claims Yuso Pakistan, a former Muslim separatist. Locals also claim that police are deeply enmeshed in much of the illegal business that plagues the area. Says Pattani lawmaker Vairoj Phiphipakdee: "Sadly, there is some quiet satisfaction the police are getting killed."

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The question is: Who is killing them? As the deaths began to mount, the government at first blamed Muslim separatists. A group calling itself the Pattani Islam Mujahadeen grabbed attention by posting the bounty for cop killings. But the Mujahadeen have never made any political demands, and some doubt they even exist. Vairoj says they do, and claims he made contact with them in the jungle. A few, he says, have received combat training in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dangerous as this group may be, however, almost no one believes there are enough Mujahadeen in Thailand to have wreaked all this mayhem.

In the poor and desolate Muslim provinces of the south, violence is a hallowed tradition. The thick forests and craggy hills of this region provide an ideal haven and hideout for outlaw gangs that run contraband, sell drugs and weapons, or extort protection money. But it's not just the impenetrable terrain that shields the bandits, says Perayot Rahimula, a political scientist at Prince of Songkhla University. Both Perayot and Vairoj say what most locals are afraid to: the outlaws are controlled and protected by corrupt local politicians, rogue soldiers and the police. As disputes over these illicit businesses flare up, so do the killings. So far, most of those who have been killed have either been cops or civil servants.

Locals are wary of getting caught in the cross fire. By dusk, streets are deserted and homes and shops shuttered in many small towns. "Frankly, we're too afraid to go out at night," says Waehamad Ismail, a farmer who lives on the edge of Sungai Padi. The police are even more nervous. To calm his officers, National Police Chief Sant Saturanond headed south last week to hand out 1,500 bulletproof vests. And if Kevlar doesn't work, maybe magic will. The chief brought along a revered Buddhist monk to distribute sacred, protective amulets.

Some cops have applied for transfers, anxious to be posted anywhere except the five provinces. But the south is Sergeant Marohsae's home, and he won't leave. "Of course we're scared," he admits. But he vows: "We will fight back. We have no other choice." If only he knew whom to fight.