KATHONG, Thailand – Islamic militants in Thailand are spreading a murderous message to would-be informants that government collaborators face death, further hardening the battle lines in a bloody insurgency.
Nowhere is that clearer than in this southern village, where Sudeng Warebuesa’s empty bullet-riddled house stands as a haunting reminder.
He, his wife, 8-month-old daughter and five other relatives were slain in the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 15 by a half-dozen gunmen who stormed their house, firing a barrage of bullets as they slept.
Outside, other gunmen sprayed bullets into neighboring homes – an apparent warning to keep away.
One of 300 so-called red-zone villages, Kathong is one of the most dangerous places in the country’s increasingly restive southernmost provinces. It is in the middle of an Islamic insurgency that has killed more than 1,200 people in two years, with almost daily bombings, beheadings and drive-by shootings.
One way to stay safe, villagers say, is to steer clear of the path that Sudeng took – betraying the insurgents.
“Sudeng was a key member of the rebel movement. He turned his back on it about four or five months ago and became an informant,” said Col. Somkuan Saengpataraneth, spokesman for the regional army headquarters. “He was terminated by the movement.”
Security forces have blamed the slayings on insurgents, though, as in every attack before and since, no one has claimed responsibility.
More than 20,000 soldiers and police across the region are hunting for an estimated 2,000 insurgents, but the true number remains unknown.
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