Court orders school takeover ‘for aiding insurgency’

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) claimed in the Civil Court that the school violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act and used its land to encourage and train young people to participate against the authorities. The verdict, reached on Thursday, found that 17 rai of the school’s land had to be transferred to the state.

While on Saturday Maj General Chinwat Mandej, 4th Army Area deputy commander, led authorities to talk with Islam Burapa Islamic School’s principal, teachers and students about the land seizure verdict and said the authorities had to execute this sensitive action according to the law.

“I know it is a very sensitive issue and affects the people’s feelings about confiscating the school; but we have to because the school was used to support terrorism,” Chinwat said.

“This is a big lesson for everyone - especially the school principals, religious leaders, and the people looking after the community. [The order also affects] people, who have no bad intentions towards society.” The school could not be used to support insurgency again, he said.

The school was targeted to be a training camp for a group of activists, who sought independence from the Kingdom for the five Far South provinces by using armed force. Police arrested seven people and seized 108 items of firearms and explosive devices inside the school area in 2007.

The school principal at that time, Usong Purong, was arrested on charges of allowing action to support the insurgency within the school. AMLO complained to the Civil Court to have the school’s land seized, claiming the property was used to support terrorism and violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Chinwat added that even as the authorities had to execute the law, the school would still be allowed to operate until the lawsuit was finalised to avoid an impact on the students and their families.

The current Islam Burapa Islamic School principal Subida Doloh said she was very sad after hearing the court ruling, but she said she would appeal to the Appeals Court. In the meantime, the school will still operate as normal.

In last December, the Civil Court also sentenced to seize the land of Jihad Wittaya School in Pattani for a similar offence.