MARCH 26, 2002 TUE
AL-QAEDA CONNECTIONBANGKOK - An armed group with links to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network could be responsible for the recent string of murders in southern Thailand, the military said.
Muslim group linked to attacks in Thailand
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MARCH 26, 2002 TUE
AL-QAEDA CONNECTIONBANGKOK - An armed group with links to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network could be responsible for the recent string of murders in southern Thailand, the military said.
The group, Guragan Mujahideen Islam Pattani, is currently being kept under close surveillance by the military, the Bangkok Post reported yesterday.
An anonymous army source said the group launched violent attacks in the southern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat recently to heighten its profile.
Eight policemen and a teacher have been killed so far in armed raids since March 11.
The Yala Teachers Federation has already issued a warning to its members to be extra careful about their safety.
A key member of the organisation, Wae Ka Raeh, is believed to have received training at an Al-Qaeda training camp and was involved in fighting in Afghanistan. He is reportedly hiding in Malaysia now.
'The army chief ordered surveillance of the group over concerns it was linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network,' the source said.
The 40-member group allegedly earns about 10 million baht every year by carrying out acts of sabotage and assassinations for influential business figures in the south.
The army also has evidence that some politicians had employed the group's services.
'Documents suggesting links were found on the bodies of group members killed in the recent clashes,' the source said.
Despite the violence, Deputy Prime Minister Pongpol Adireksarn said the Cabinet would not scrap a planned excursion to Narathiwat from March 27 to March 29, The Nation daily reported yesterday.
Copyright © 2002 Singapore Press Holdings.
