How a policeman dodged bullets in broad daylight

Don Pathan
The Nation

SUNGAI PADI, Narathiwat

Staff Sergeant Marohsae Moohanan has no problem going to bed at night but admits the pictures in his head still haunt him every now and then.

"They were within my vision. I could see them take the bullets," said the 33-year-old Pattani native who spent 11 years on the force. "We couldn't make out where the bullets were coming from."

For five minutes, Marohsae's life hung by a thread, and he did not know whether he was going to make it or not. Two of his colleagues were knocked down in the blink of an eye when three men sprayed them with AK47 automatic rifles as they were carrying out a routine assignment.

It was a sunny afternoon when the four officers, doubling up on two motorbikes, were on their way to a nearby school to provide a security escort for a group of schoolteachers on their way to their quarters. The officers at Sungai Padi police station have been doing this for the past year since the discovery of the bullet-riddled body of a teacher from a nearby district.

It was supposed to be a routine assignment, but it turned out to be one of the most haunting experiences of his life, Marohsae admits. "I emptied half of the magazine in my automatic rifle. We were about 30 to 40 metres away from them," he said.

Outnumbered and outgunned, Marohsae yelled at his partner to retreat until reinforcements arrived. But by then, the gunmen were gone and about 80 empty metal jackets were scattered along the small dirt road in the midst of a highly wooded area.

"This is the first time I have ever experienced anything like this," the officer admitted. "It's too bad. They were good guys," Marohsae said of his dead colleagues.

The local community echoed the sentiments, saying the two young officers had no enemies and that they don't understand why anybody would want to kill them.

The death of Marohsae's fellow officers is part of a spate of violence that has not only rocked the predominantly Muslim community in the country's deep South but also made a mockery of the nation's leadership in Bangkok who appear at a loss about what to do.

Since December last year, 21 police officers have been shot dead by automatic rifle fire, and not a soul has been brought to justice. Police chief Pol General Sant Saruthanond thinks the killings are the work of some influential figures who are determined to create a situation of instability so that they can continue to demand protection money from developers and businessmen in the region.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ruling out suggestions that Muslim separatists were behind the attacks, says the illicit activities may involve government officials as well. He also admits more work has to be done to bring the local community and government officials closer together.

Local residents and analysts say decades of heavy-handed tactics by the country's security apparatus, bent on weeding out separatists, still lingers in the minds of many Muslims.

During a recent visit to the region to meet with community and religious leaders, Sant boasted of a new government strategy that would guarantee all the security agencies - civilians, Army and police - pool their intelligence information. He admitted that in the past, intelligence tended to remain with the respective agencies but vowed that things would change from now on.

Still, the feeling on the ground does not reflect the optimism of political leaders, while morale is still low in spite of the 1,500 flak jackets passed out to officers by Sant himself. The jackets, locally made, are designed to stop .22 calibre and 44 magnum bullets - but all of the 21 dead policemen were shot with automatic rifles.

Officers manning checkpoints along the roads in remote areas opt for nearby bushes rather than stand behind their official sandbags, saying they were sitting ducks just waiting to be shot if they remain within the illuminated area.

Politicians dismissed suggestions the killing could be the work of Muslim separatists, calling the attackers "slapdash bandits". But a former leader of the Pattani United Liberation Organisation, or Pulo, says the government is not in a position to count anything out.

Because nobody seems to have a convincing answer to the killings, coupled with the fact that no one has been arrested for the incidents, the government's credibility in the eyes of the local community has been dented tremendously, says Yusof Longpi, the former secretary-general and a co-founder of Pulo.

"The psychological impact is tremendous. If you can take out police officers, then where is public safety, where is the leadership, and where is the direction?" asked the former rebel leader who surrendered in 1991 in return for a blanket amnesty.