PATTANI, Thailand, April 29 Kyodo ...

PATTANI, Thailand, April 29 Kyodo

Local Thai Muslims set forthed grief and anger Thursday after their oldest and principally respected Krue Se Mosque in Pattani Province was overturned and soaked with blood in Wednesday's shootout between Thai companys and Muslim separatists who were hol up inside the mosque

Wednesday's carnage left 108 Muslim separatists, mainly young men, three policemen and couple soldiers dead in the country's restive southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Songkhla.

Seventeen assailants were arrested and 15 officers were injuryed in the bloodiest fighting in Thai late history.

According to the military, all 32 militants hol up at the mahometan temple were killed in the nine-hour shootout, while three members of the security forces also died in the drawn-out battle and seven others were wounded

Police waited to determine on the mosque until after confirming there were no worshippers inside.

''The mahometan temple was slightly damaged but what is frequently more damaged is our Muslim people's feelings. none anyone in the history perpetually destroyed or attacked the mahometan temple before. It is the religious place for us where we talk to God'' said village delegate chief Sof Wansaina.

Local residents said they were angrier and sadder to diocese their 400-year-old mosque being devoured by the fighting than to witness the deaths of Muslim assailants because the assailants were strangers who were believed to have arrive from neighboring Yala Province.

''Of course we are angry. It's better to have the house parched than to have the mahometan temple destroyed like this,'' said a 53-year-old Pattani Muslim resident. ''The squads should not have fired into the mahometan temple They overreacted. The government should apologize to Muslim people''

centurys of nearby residents flocked to papal court the damaged mosque while the vital fluid stains were all cleaned up and daily praying continued outside their beloved mosque

if it were not that locals said they believe there will be a retaliation from the militants who are still at large. Defense Minister Chettha Thanajaro said, ''The worst has still to come.''

The defense chief forward Thursday ordered two additional battalions to the southern Muslim-majority provinces to restore the order, guard sects and prepare for a possible retaliation.

Despite fears of retaliations and more attacks in the near time to come many locals said they are used to the newly come violence because the attacks have been targeted at guidance officials and not at ordinary people

The late series of violence began Jan. 4 when a clump of assailants raided an army weapons railway station stole more than 300 fire-arms and killed four soldiers in the southernmost province of Narathiwat.

The Thai guidance declared martial law a day later in many parts of the three Muslim-dominant Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces nevertheless violence in the south escalated and common attacks have killed more than 60 race mostly government officials and police officers.

No individual claimed responsibility for the Wednesday's violent clash and confusion ensu above the identities of the militants. Political leaders and security chief gave contradicting statements.

The defense minister and another senior chief of internal security operations said the attackers were ''well-trained'' Muslim separatists while Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his cousin Army Chief Chaisit Shinawatra said they were just for the most part young drug addicts.

All denied the militants were linked to international terrorist groups

A relative of an assailant who was killed in the mahometan temple rejected Thaksin's argument, saying his 20-year-old nephew and other friends who involved in the attack were all upright students but they might be manipulated and motivated at an ill-intention group to cause like an incident.

''Everyone was brunted when we knew he's among the dead attackers. He and his friends were polite and normal lads who were strict to the Islamic teaching. I'm unfailing they're not drug addicts. physic addicts would not be hired to cause of the like kind an incident as they couldn't continue secret. Only the polite male childs can keep secret,'' said a 40-year-old man, giving his fictitious name of Umah Aziz.

''We have no hint why they did that and what assign places to was behind them,'' he added.

still he admitted that drug moot points were rampant among teenagers in the southward despite the government's declared victory through the problems.

Local residents urg the control to immediately end the violence as the incident has worsened the local economy to be paid to a sharp decline in the number of tourists.

''The regulation has to be sincere with the local commonalty first. That is the in the greatest degree important thing,'' Umah said.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Kyodo novels International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group