US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK6764

UNCLAS BANGKOK 006764 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/MLS 
PACOM FOR FPA (HUSO) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PREL, TH, Southern Thailand 
SUBJECT: SOUTHERN VIOLENCE: COORDINATED RAIDS ACROSS THE 
SOUTH 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY: On October 26 small groups of militants 
launched a series of 49 apparently coordinated raids in rural 
areas throughout far southern Thailand.  Four civilians and 
two militants were reported killed in the raids, which appear 
to have been focused on stealing weapons from village defense 
volunteers.  While following in the pattern of past raids, 
their number and apparent coordination is troubling, and 
demonstrates the organizational capabilities of the 
insurgents.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (SBU) On October 26 militants launched what appear to be 
well coordinated raids in rural areas in the far southern 
provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani.  A spokesman for 
the Thai 4th Army reported that, beginning at approximately 7 
pm, small groups of militants went to villages throughout the 
three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, and 
Narathiwat, demanding that the local village defense 
volunteers hand over their weapons (NOTE: the defense 
volunteers are local civilians who have been given 
rudimentary military training and then armed, usually with 
shotguns, in order to protect villages in rural areas from 
insurgent attacks. END NOTE).  The assailants reportedly shot 
two uncooperative village leaders, as well as two other 
civilians.  Interestingly, the raiders did not shoot the 
village volunteers from whom they took the weapons. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Defense offices in the three provinces reported to 
emboffs that there were 49 separate incidents over 
approximately a two hour period on the 26th. (NOTE: 26 in 
Yala, 15 in Pattani, 8 in Narathiwat. END NOTE).  The 
militants were apparently focused on stealing weapons from 
village defense volunteers; taking 75 guns in the raids. 
Thai security forces killed two of the assailants and 
captured another after wounding him.  Two other suspected 
militants were apprehended after they were seen placing 
spikes on a road.  Nimuk Makache, Secretary General of the 
Yala Islamic Committee, told us he expects little information 
to come from those arrested as they will likely have little 
knowledge of any organization beyond their immediate cell. 
 
4.  (SBU)  COMMENT: In many ways these organized "hit and 
run" style raids mirror the tactics seen in past incidents in 
the South.  However, the choice of targets was different -- 
civilians rather that police or military outposts -- and 
interestingly the militants did not shoot first.  This seems 
to suggest that the raiders were local people who knew who in 
the villages had been given weapons.  While the militants' 
small group tactics look familiar, the apparent scale and 
level of coordination of the October 26 raids is troubling. 
A local observer commented that the aim of these raids was 
simply to steal weapons.  Whatever their intent, the large 
number of raids -- over a large area in a short time span -- 
shows that the insurgents maintain significant organizational 
capabilities, while the Thai security forces are simply 
unable to protect villages across the whole region. END 
COMMENT 
KEUR