4th Year Ai-Payae Tragic Killing

Four years ago on this day (June 8, 2009 ) at  Ai-payae Village,  Juab Sub-District, Joh-i-rong district, Narathiwat province, a group of gunmen arrived unidentified and unannounced in a pick-up truck in front of the Al Furqon mosque and opened fire indiscriminately into it with automatic rifles.  After the gunshots died down, 10 Patani Muslim  Prayers in the mosque-were found dead and 12 others injured.

          The inhuman brutal attack, known among the Patani Malay Muslims in the far South as the Al Furqon incident, was regarded as the worst ever taken place in the restive region for the past six years with its repercussions being felt by Muslims the world over.

          After a year, it appears that there wa not much progress about the case.  Two suspects have so far been sought by the police, but only one of them, Mr Sutthirak Kongsuwan, former government armed pesonel turned himself in Bangkok to face the charges.  He denied the charges however. This was the usual phenomena when the alleged Buddhists were accused, they will surrendered to reduce the tension from the victims relative or the human right workers , he was later bailed because he was Buddhist if he’s not, surely he will not release on bail as because his case was a security case. During the early days in the aftermath of the deadly attack, the Ban Aipayae village was crowded with curious visitors who came from different places to take a look and inquire the information about the incident, together  they will also comfort the family of the victims who was attacked in the mosque.  Many cars and pickup trucks were seen lining the road in front of the mosque for several kilometers long. But four years later on this day, the road is mostly empty with a few cars passing through the mosque once in a while.  As for the mosque itself, no traces of the gun attack are visible from the outside of the premise which was already repaired and repainted with financial support from the Thai state. After the initial shock and fear four years ago, normalcy has returned to Aipayae village as most villagers are going about their lives as usual.

   

         Mr Kordae Yapa, the imam of the Al Furagon mosque, said that the situation had improved in a better way and some villagers no longer talk and probably forget about the tragic incident. Even though, recently the Thai government had paid the amount of  4 million Thai Baht for each dead as a compensation in the  incident, still the government has to do many things  to gain the sympathy from the Patani Malay people, especially about the gun men who sprayed the bullet into the mosque.

However,  most villagers still talk about the case while few villagers have resigned to the fact that they would have to leave it to the police to pursue the case. As for the tragedy four years ago, some of them admitted that they didn’t want to mention it ever again and also didn’t want to hear about it either as it would hurt a lot, but many of Ai-payae, nearby villagers and Patani Malay people  still remember the incident well in their mind and pleaded to the concerned conflict parties not to attack the innocent people and the Furqon Mosque killing must forever living in every one mind in order to make sure that the same kind of killing will not happen again in the future.

List of dead persons in furqon mosque

1. MR. MASORY LATEH BURLENG, ASSIST. HEAD VILLAGE NO. 8 OF JUAB DISTRICT
2. MR  YASAREE BAREH
3. MR.  MADSALAEMAE MASENG
4. MR.  ROYAK ARWAE
5. MR.  WAEDOLAH KUKAEMA, IMAM OF FURQON MOSUE

6. MR.  KASENG DEURAMAE
7. MR.  AHAMAD DURAMAT
8. MR.  MASOLEH LEUYOSENG
9  MR.  MAYUSOH MAHAHALEH
10 MR. WANSAMAN  ARWAEKACHI