From The Bangkok Times:
155 slain teachers in South honoured
Educators vow never to abandon children, despite the deadly dangers
Teachers' Day celebrations yesterday were poignant for the parents of Khanit Lamnui, a teacher slain in the southern insurgency last year.
Khanit, who taught at Ban Kue Meng school in Yala's Raman district, was shot dead by insurgent suspects as he travelled home from class on Sept 6.
He was among the 155 teachers who have been killed in the three insurgency-torn provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
Their deaths were commemorated by fellow teachers in Narathiwat yesterday who made a solemn promise to stay committed to teaching in the restive far South during a ceremony held to mark Teachers' Day.
More than 500 teachers gathered at Ban Manang Kayi School in Muang district, where together they made a lifetime pledge to not "abandon" students in the three provinces.
Despite the dangers, teachers in Narathiwat still have good morale, Ban Khao Tanyong School director Chomsit Songson said.
However, Khanit's father Pol Capt Phian Lamnui warned teachers not to put their trust in any authorities who claimed they could guarantee their safety.
The retired policeman had told his son to be careful, but Khanit was confident he would not come to any harm.
Pol Capt Phian said he once believed police officers were more at risk than teachers, but after the loss of his son, he realised the dangers of teaching in the far South.
Pol Capt Phian said he has been in "agony" since Khanit's death.
He would often avoid meeting people for fear they would talk about the tragedy, and he found he frequently forgot important details or memories because his thoughts had been consumed by his son's death.
As they admired a photo of Khanit receiving his bachelor's degree from His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn in 2003, Pol Capt Phian and his wife burst into tears.
Teachers' Day, for them, was a stark reminder of what they had lost.
School teachers are targetted by southern separatist groups because militants want to destroy the state education system in the three provinces, said Sa-nguan Intharak, chairman of the teachers' federation in Narathiwat.
"If education in the Muslim-dominated provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat is set back, the separatist groups would realise their goal of showing Islamic countries how the government fails to adequately provide education to children in the South," he said.
The government has not been able to adequately protect teachers in the deep South, despite launching many safety measures and allocating funds for security issues and strategies since the insurgency broke out in 2004, Mr Sa-nguan said.
"We put our hopes in the government," Mr Sa-nguan said, reiterating a call for better security measures for teachers.
"They are holding the fate of the teachers in their hands."
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