Hatyai Before & After Dark :- Info-sharing & FRs

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 27 June 2007 :-

Sadao market reduced to ashes

A wet market went up in smoke, a petrol station worker was killed in a drive-by shooting, a teacher escort unit had a narrow escape from a bomb and a pick-up truck was set on fire in incidents throughout in the far South yesterday. Police suspected arson was behind the blaze which reduced about 90% of the wet market in Songkhla's Sadao district to ashes.

The other incidents occurred in Pattani and Yala, further south.

The cabinet yesterday approved a budget of 271 million baht for the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre to improve living standards in Yala, Satun, Pattani, Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla.

Assistant government spokesman Natthawat Sutthiyothin said the money would be spent on educational, agricultural, vocational and religious projects.

The cabinet also approved an extra pension equivalent to that of a C-11 level retired official for the family of the late district chief of Pattani's Mai Kaen, Chaipat Raksayod, who was killed in a bomb blast in Pattani on June 19

Police estimated the losses from the blaze at Sadao's Kobkul market, which housed up to 200 shops and stalls on two-and-a-half rai of property, at 100 million baht.

The fire began about 1.45am somewhere in the middle of the market. Firefighters from four neighbouring districts took four hours to douse the flames.

The market and shops had no insurance for losses from fire.

Police initially suspected arson and posited two theories _ an insurgent attack or retaliation by gamblers or gangs of racers who were earlier been arrested.

Since April, there have been at least five cases of arson at schools, shops and prayer sites in Pangla municipality. All told, about 11 places have been torched.

In Yala, a pick-up truck belonging to the tambon Lidol administration organisation was set on fire near its offices in Muang district. Shortly afterwards, nearby Ban Taloh school was torched, but damage was minor.

In Pattani, petrol station attendant Matorhae Mama, 27, was killed in a drive-by shooting at a tea shop in Muang district about 12.30am. Four other customers were wounded.

A teacher escort team narrowly escaped death when a bomb exploded in Khok Pho district yesterday morning.

Eight suspected insurgents were transferred from Surat Thani to the custody of Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 in Songkhla.

They had been in hiding in the province since June 22 following an attack on soldiers. They were apprehended and a pick-up truck riddled with bullet holes and three mobile phones seized in a raid on a vehicle repair shop on Monday.

Out of the eight, Humdee Bueraheng, 19, a resident of Narathiwat's Rueso district, was identified as a member of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil, which authorities say is a leading organiser of violence.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Saturday 7 July 2007 :-

Southern rail service cut as militants sabotage tracks

Rail services south of Hat Yai have resumed after a brief suspension Thursday.The suspension was carried out after insurgents sabotaged the tracks the night before, police said.

At least 65 nuts and bolts from sleepers on the track between Yala and Narathiwat provinces had been removed overnight, forcing trains services to a standstill, police said.

Railways in the restive region have come under repeated attacks in spite of stepping up in security. At least ten acts of sabotage on the tracks have been carried since early June.

Meanwhile, violence continue elsewhere in the Malayspeaking south.

A 32-year-old Muslim rubber taper was shot dead in early Thursday in Narathiwat while a gun fight between soldiers and insurgents broke out in Pattani, leaving three troops wounded.

More than 2,300 people have been killed, mostly ethnic Malays, in the south since the insurgency broke out in January 2004. The violence has continued despite reconciliatory efforts by the Bangkok government.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 15 July 2007 :-

Insurgency in deep South 'could evolve into civil war' - Security expert: Need information strategy

A security expert warned yesterday insurgent violence in the deep South could degenerate into civil war. Political scientist Panithan Watanayakorn said the strife-torn region could be beset by guerrilla warfare, like Aceh in Indonesia.

Mr Panithan, also security adviser to the prime minister, said it could then plunge into a catastrophic civil war.

''It is important the government learns about this insurgent organisation to undermine its structure,'' he said.

Mr Panithan said the insurgents had been successful in convincing the public they were capable of realising their goals.

''And this reflects the futility of government efforts over the past 20 years [to tackle the unrest],'' he said.

He said the state needed to develop a strategy of information management to counter the insurgency.

He was speaking to a forum on violence in the deep South at a seminar on southern development organised by the Democrat party in Songkhla.

Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said it was crucial for the government to push for results and involve the public in the process. ''It should not leave people in the dark and in a state of hopelessness.''

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said on TV yesterday violence in the region had begun to subside, judging from a decrease in bomb attacks.

But the violence continued yesterday.

In Songkhla's Saba Yoi district, two men were gunned down while riding a motorcycle. They were ambushed by an unknown number of assailants.

In Narathiwat's Rangae district, a man was shot dead by a motorcycle gunman.

Journalists covering the southern unrest said yesterday the draft charter, if promulgated, was unlikely to tame the insurgency.

Suwat Chamchuree, from Pattani, said locals saw little benefit in the draft.

''They don't care whether it's rejected or approved. They think withdrawal of troops is better than a constitution,'' he told a seminar at Thammasat University.

Journalist Supalak Ganjanakhundee said the charter did not provide any solutions to southern problems.

''There is no mention of it from the first to the last article. The charter even fails to recognise ethnicity,'' he said.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[hatyaiking]

Anyway, with effect from November, there will be no more direct flights from Singapore to Hatyai, Tigerairways no longer list their flight to hatyai on the winter schedule.So I think all of us have to take bus or other alternative way to go there. Any better suggestions to go there?

[saintsrsaf]

Originally Posted by hatyaiking

Anyway, with effect from November, there will be no more direct flights from Singapore to Hatyai, Tigerairways no longer list their flight to hatyai on the winter schedule.So I think all of us have to take bus or other alternative way to go there. Any better suggestions to go there?

]

Where did you get the infomation from? Or maybe the december schedule is not out yet.

[noiser]

drive there? share a car?

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 18 July 2007 :-

Conference centre plan to attract tourists to Hatyai

Hat Yai - Tourism officials want to turn Hat Yai into a major conference venue, hoping to draw visitors back to the province and revive its tourism industry, which has been severely hit by the southern insurgency. The plan is the latest effort to stimulate tourism activities in the business district.

The Office of Tourism Development believes the plan could work, even though the violence continues in the three nearby provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

''We need to promote Hat Yai as a new conference hub for the seven southern provinces,'' said office director Tanitta Manichot.

Her office thought of using conference and seminar programmes as a magnet for visitors after it was noticed that many government and state enterprise seminars and training programmes are organised in provinces on the Andaman coast.

Although Songkhla sits on the opposite coast, facing the Gulf of Thailand, the province is full of tourist attractions including resort beaches and small islands. Mrs Tanitta said Hat Yai could draw thousands of visitors by offering facilities for conferences and seminars, in addition to its tourist attractions.

There are 167 hotels in the province, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Hat Yai office.

Many, with a high standard of service, are in Hat Yai city and they have the potential to provide customers with conference facilities, Mrs Tanitta said.

Success would depend on additional measures being carried out by the state and private sectors.

Hat Yai is currently struggling to rebuild its tourism industry after insurgent attacks, including two major bomb blasts and the sabotage of railway tracks, deterred many tourists from visiting the province. The occupancy rate in hotels in Hat Yai dropped from an average of 65% to 20% after the bombs in September last year which killed four and injured 82, according to the Thai Hotel Association of Hat Yai.

The hotels need the rate to stay above 50% in order to survive, the group said.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 22 July 2007 :-

Bomb targets southern tourist area

Narathiwat - A bomb exploded at a recreation park near a beach in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district but no one was wounded. The site is a popular visiting point for local residents and tourists on weekends.

A remote-controlled bomb was hidden at the site but no one was wounded in the explosion.

Meanwhile, a school was torched in Cho Ai Rong district after security forces raided a village and detained 25 people for questioning on Friday.

Banyaning School was burned to the ground on Friday night. Completely destroyed in the arson attack, police believe the fire was motivated in retaliation for the raid.

A number of electric power poles were felled and spikes were strewn on roads to prevent police from initially responding to the fire.

A combined force of 150 police and soldiers had encircled Durulinsan village in Cho Ai Rong and conducted close searches in 20 locations earlier in the day. The village is the hometown of Masae Useng, a key insurgent group leader, with a Bt5 million bounty on his head.

The arson occurred in the nighttime after officials held 25 suspects for questioning.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 1 August 2007 :-

Narathiwat rattled by a spate of explosions

A series of bombings rocked Narathiwat province on Wednesday morning.

The first attack was reported at the province’s Ba-joh district where an explosion aimed at a group of security patrol officers failed to cause any serious injuries.

In separate incidents, one bomb went off near an outdoor market while another was triggered outside a local temple. A third went off at the entrance of the Imperial hotel. There were no immediate reports of any casualties from these attacks.

Authorities did report seven injuries, one seriously, from a blast at Tanyongmat market in Tanyongmat municipal district. Another explosion went off in Sung-ngai Kolok municipal district.

Meanwhile in Pattani province, a soldier on patrol near a local school was ambushed in Yarang district but safely escaped.

In the latest development on security, the government has dispatched more soldiers at government interests and schools in Pattani province following many reports of suspicious objects being found.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

REMARKS
Hopefully they don't think of bombing Hatyai again !

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 2 August 2007 :-

7 bomb blasts rock Narathiwat - 5 insurgents die in shoot-out with troops

4 districts of Narathiwat were shaken by seven bomb blasts which killed a villager and wounded 10 others early yesterday morning. In Yala, five suspected insurgents were killed in a clash with security personnel in Bannang Sata district yesterday evening, following a raid in Ban Gasod village.

An HK rifle, an M16 assault rifle, a pistol and a shotgun were seized.

The Narathiwat bombings occurred between 7.45am and 9am in Bacho, Muang, Rangae and Sungai Kolok districts.

The first explosion occurred in Bacho district when an eight-member teacher escort team was hit by a remote-controlled bomb, injuring two soldiers.

Later in Narathiwat municipality, an explosion occurred at a food shop on Prachapirom road, followed shortly after by another blast in front of Bang Nak market on Rangae Makka road.

A 4th bomb went off at Kasikornbank on Pupapakdee road.

No one was wounded in the three blasts at the municipality.

In Rangae district, a bomb tied to a motorcycle exploded at a noodle shop in Tanyongmas municipality market, killing a woman and wounding 10 villagers about 8.30am.

The dead woman was identified as La-ied Laosonglitthi, 48.

The 6th bomb blast occurred at a security booth at the Isuzu motor showroom on the Tak Bai-Sungai Kolok road in Sungai Kolok district. Nobody was injured.

Also in Sungai Kolok district, a 7th blast occurred at a local office of the Excise Department on the Asian Highway. No casualties were reported.

Police said the near-simultaneous explosions in four districts were probably in retaliation for the recent arrest of 53 suspected insurgents during coordinated raids in Narathiwat and Yala on Sunday.

In Songkhla, a bomb explosion killed a government official and wounded a villager at a crowded market in Na Thawi district last night.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The New Straits Times dated Friday 10 August 2007 :-

Malaysian shot after meeting in Thailand goes awry

SUNGAI GOLOK : A Malaysian businessman is fighting for his life after being shot by a man during a meeting near the Che Kassim illegal jetty here on Wednesday.

Ismail Salleh, 44, was shot several times in the chest and abdomen. He was rushed by villagers to the Sungai Golok Hospital where he was warded in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

A hospital spokesman said Ismail was still unconscious and was on life support.

"Doctors are doing their best to save him. We removed the bullets in an emergency operation on Wednesday," said the spokesman.

In the incident, Ismail, who operates a business at the Wakaf Che Yeh market in Kota Baru, was in Thailand with a group of people for a business meeting.

A Sungai Golok police spokesman said the business meeting turned into an argument.

Several shots were fired at Ismail and the other businessmen fled the scene.

"Villagers who heard the gunshots rushed to the scene and found Ismail lying on the ground," said the spokesman.

Thai police have identified several of the people at the meeting but are unsure if they are still in the country.

"We will contact our Malaysian counterparts to help us in locating the suspects," he said.

Efforts to interview Ismail’s family were hampered by tight security at the ICU. Several guards were placed at the unit’s entrance, blocking entry to all except family members.

During a visit to the scene of the incident, the New Straits Times team was stopped by several villagers who cautioned outsiders not to enter the area as it was "rife with gangsters".

They warned the NST not to take any photographs for fear of untoward incidents.

This is the second time a Malaysian has been shot in Thailand this year.

In May, 19-year-old Saiful Abdul Rahim was shot in the thigh when he was caught in the crossfire of what was believed to be a shootout between rival drug gangs.

The latest incident has caused a stir among villagers living on the Malaysian side of Sungai Golok, across from the jetty where Ismail was shot.

A villager who wanted to be known only as Mek Semah said she called her children into the house when she heard the gunshot from across the river.

"I was so scared. That was the first time I’d heard a gunshot. I have told my family members to stop going to Thailand for the time being," she said.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 21 August 2007 :-

One dead in Sungai Kolok attack

The southern violence continues unabated with more killings on Monday night. In the latest attack, a security guard for Sungai Kolok municipality was brutally murdered after his neck was slashed by his attacker.

The 41-year-old victim was identified as Mawi Chamai-upai. Authorities confirmed the incident took place near a convenient store in Sungai-kolok municipality.

Investigators are still tracking down the person or group of people responsible for this attack. Only last month another security guard died in the same way in the same area.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Thursday 23 August 2007 :-

Malaysian woman arrested with 108 fake credit cards

Songkhla - A Malaysian woman was arrested onboard a Butterworth-Bangkok train late Wednesday night after police found 108 fake credit cards on her.

Acting on tip-off, railway police and Hat Yai tourist police searched the train at midnight and found Maria Carton, 29, appear restless.

She was taken to the Hat Yai Railway station where police found 108 fake credit cards in her bag. The cards were imitations of cards issued by Kasikorn and City Bank and several other banks.

She said she was hired Bt5,000 to deliver the cards to a Thai customer in Bangkok.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 24 August 2007 :-

Malaysian credit scammer arrested

Railway police in Hat Yai have arrested a 29-year-old Malaysian woman, charging she tried to smuggle more than 100 fake credit cards into southern Thailand.

The Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted Hat Yai railway police deputy chief Mahuntapol Srinot as saying the woman was found with the fake credit cards on the Butterworth-Bangkok express train.

Mahuntapol said they made the arrest after being tipped off that a woman passenger would be carrying illegal material into the country from Malaysia.

He said a police team led by Hat Yai railway police chief Aukkapak Jitprayoon boarded the train when it stopped in Hat Yai at about 6:45pm on Wednesday evening.

“Upon checking her bag, we found a plastic bag which contained the fake credit cards, allegedly issued by most of the commercial banks in Thailand,” he added.

The team also found 5,000 baht, which the woman told them was the payment for delivering the credit cards to Bangkok.

Several Malaysians have been arrested by Thai police this year for using fake credit cards to buy goods at popular shopping malls in the capital.

Last year, a Malaysian was caught stealing credit card information from a Bangkok bank.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 3 September 2007 :-

Sadao emerging as safe and prosperous haven

Sadao district, a small town in Songkhla province on the Thailand-Malaysia border, has emerged as a bustling business centre, as unabated bombings in the three restive southernmost provinces and security worries in Hat Yai have prompted investors to shift into the area.

Hotel and entertainment businesses have been booming in Sadao over the last three years, with combined investment capital exceeding 10 billion baht, according to Thawee Piyapatana, chairman of the provincial chapter of the Federation of Thai Industries.

Four new hotels with combined capacity of about 500-600 rooms are also being constructed.

Hat Yai, long considered the business hub of the South and also popular with tourists, has been relatively sluggish ever since bombing incidents began to spread beyond the three troubled border provinces.

The situation would not likely return to normal as long as the border provinces remain unstable, Mr Thawee predicted. Tourists from Malaysia have tended to stop off in Hat Yai before going on to Trang province, which is home to many more attractive tourism spots.

Other southern provinces, particularly Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani, are experiencing substantial growth, as former residents of the three troubled provinces have been relocating.

However, the now-ebbing Jatukarm Ramathep amulet fever also played a key part in the growing economy in Nakhon Si Thammarat, while Surat Thani is benefiting from the presence of new alternative energy ventures and power plants to drive growth.

According to Mr Thawee, while industrial factories in the South such as the frozen seafood, and rubber-based furniture have been hard hit by strong baht, there are no signs of layoffs yet.

In fact, he said, the Southern factories were facing a labour shortage of about 20,000 to 30,000 people, particularly manual workers.

Somjit Anuntamek, deputy secretary-general of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and president of the Southern Economic Development Committee, said the economy of the South was expected to drop this year because of lower farmers' income, as the prices of major agricultural products and indigenous fruits such as rambutan, mangosteen, and longong had fallen sharply.

The purchasing power of Southerners, be it for new cars, motorcycles or houses, has declined accordingly.

New investments in the South are also expected to be fairly small because of unrest in the three southernmost provinces.

The southern economy contributed about 9.9% of the country's gross domestic product worth of 7.78 trillion baht last year.

GDP growth in the South was 4.3% in 2006.

''I personally see the government's special economic zone which covers Yala, Pattani, Songkhla, Narathiwat and Satun province will magnify the problem,'' said Mr Somjit. ''The government would be better off limiting the area to only the three provinces and solve the problem more seriously within a limited area.''
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork