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 ENGLICH |
| Appeal Court upheld life jail terms for Patani Liberation
movement |
BANGKOK: Nov, 16, - The Appeals Court
yesterday overturned a lower court not guilty verdict against the third defendant, Abdul
Rahman Bin Abdulkadir, a member of Patani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo), for
committing a number of crimes in the deep South between 1988 and 1998, sentencing him to
50 years in jail.
However, the court upheld the lower court judgement of Oct 15, 2002 that had sentenced the
first, second and fourth defendants to life imprisonment on charges of insurgency against
the state, mobilising rebels and storing weapons.
They were Haji Daud Ternam, 48, former head of PULO military wing, Haji Abdul Rahman
Betong, 68, former chairman of Pulo and Haji Ismail Ternam, 54, former commander of Pulo
combat forces.
The fifth defendant Yami Maseh, 55, had been acquitted because the court found no evidence
linking him with the prosecution's charges.
The court ruled that prosecutors had provided it with enough evidence and witnesses that
Abdul Rohman, 57, had really taken part in planning to commit several crimes in the deep
South after joining Pulo in 1988. Furthermore, Abdul Rahman had attended five military
meetings held to discuss criminal plans of Pulo when he was a member.
The court did not specify exactly which crimes he had been involved in, but said they
involved extortion, bombings, arson, sabotage and killings of state officials.
The court also said Abdul Rahman's claims that he was a Pulo member but was not involved
in the crimes or separatism were groundless. It also ruled that it was impossible that
Abdul Rahman did not know anything about the Pulo separatist group. In fact he had also
been a leading Pulo member and had conspired with other members to commit the crimes.
Relatives of the four defendants said they would later submit their appeals to the Supreme
Court.
In early 1998, five leading members of Pulo were arrested in Malaysia. On April 16, 1998
prosecutors charged them at the Criminal Court with insurgency, mobilising rebel forces
and storing weapons.
In the deep South, a soldier was shot and seriously wounded in a gunfight in Jala
yesterday while two houses in Patani were torched on Monday night.
A group of unidentified men fired shots at a team of soldiers in Betong district of Yala
around 11.50 am, prompting the officers to return fire. After a brief gunfight, the
assailants fled. Pvt Voravut Thon-oup was seriously wounded in the attack.
On Monday night, two houses belonging to Buddhists in Patani were torched after they were
raided by armed men.
The first arson attack took place around 7am at tambon Ratapanyang in Patani's Jamu
district. Mrs Yupha Kuekul and her husband were not in the house when a group of arsonists
set fire to it. The house was burnt to the ground.
Shortly afterwards, another house in the same area was set ablaze. The house, belonging to
Mrs Yupha's elder sister Supanee Kuekul, was slightly damaged.
Ms Supanee said three armed men stormed into her house and forced her and her three
children to stand in front of a TV set at gunpoint before pulling the trigger. Luckily,
the weapon failed to fire. As the woman and her children ran for help, the assailants
sprayed bullets at them but missed their targets. They then torched her house.
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