Insurgents wound seven in southern Thailand attack
Thailand, Jun 23, 2009
 At least eight people were wounded in Thailand's restive southern province of Narathiwat Monday (June 22) when suspected Muslim insurgents opened fire on a Buddhist temple. According to the Associated Press (AP), four gunmen rode up to the building on motorcycles and began shooting into the temple, where a group of about 30 people were taking part in an aerobics class. Security forces immediately fired back and the rebels dispersed, the AP reported. Buddhist temples often serve as community centers in villages throughout Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, Thailand's three southernmost provinces. The three used to form an independent Malay sultanate before being annexed by Bangkok in 1902 and they are now the only Muslim-majority provinces in the Buddhist-dominant nation. Rebels have been fighting Thai authority on and off for more than a century and more than 3,500 people have been killed since the latest round of the insurgency flared in 2004. Violence has picked up in recent weeks, with at least 36 people killed and more than 100 wounded so far in June, according to the AP. The deadliest attack occurred on June 8, when gunmen killed at least 10 Muslims who were praying in a mosque in Narathiwat. Thai authorities have blamed the attack on insurgents trying to stir up tension, while others have accused Thai security personnel of being behind the attack. The insurgents have never publicly identified themselves or stated their goals, but a report released by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) on Monday said the rebels have been recruiting fighters from private Islamic schools in the south, a charge which a spokesperson for one rebel group in Pattani denied Tuesday (June 23), according to Bangkok-based The Nation. Despite its findings, the ICG advised the government not to close troubled schools, but rather to pursue a political solution to the rebellion in the south instead of continuing to apply military pressure on the rebels. A spokesperson for the group said the government should focus on recognizing the Malay Muslims' cultural identity, ending rights violations and "opening more political space for them," The Nation reported.
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