Teenager Killed, Child Wounded as Insurgents Target Buddhist Monks in Southern Thailand

Buddhist monks mark the Songkran celebrations at Wat Pho temple in Bangkok, Thailand, April 13, 2025

A deadly attack by ethnic Malay Muslim insurgents in southern Thailand has claimed the life of a 16-year-old boy and left a 12-year-old critically wounded. The shooting occurred on Tuesday in the Sabayoi district of Songkhla province, when armed men opened fire on a pickup truck transporting Buddhist monks and novices from Wat Kura temple during their early morning alms collection.

The victims, Pongkorn Chumapan, 16, and Pokanit Morasin, 12, were ordained novices participating in a traditional school break practice for Thai boys to study Buddhism and accumulate merit. The National Revolutionary Front (Barisan Revolusi Nasional, BRN), a separatist movement opposed to Thai rule over the predominantly Malay-Muslim southern provinces, has been blamed for the attack.

This incident is the latest in a long-running insurgency that has plagued Thailand’s southern border provinces since 2004, claiming more than 7,000 lives—primarily civilians. The BRN often views Buddhist monks and novices as symbols of the Thai state’s authority, making them frequent targets. To date, at least 23 monks and novices have been killed, and more than 30 injured while performing religious duties such as morning alms rounds.

Children have suffered significantly in this conflict, not only as deliberate targets but also as collateral victims of indiscriminate violence. On Sunday, BRN operatives detonated a motorcycle bomb outside Khok Khean police station in Narathiwat province just as a pickup truck carrying Muslim children from an evening Quranic class passed by. At least seven children were injured, including one girl who remains in critical condition.

Such attacks are blatant violations of international humanitarian law, which prohibits violence against civilians and provides special protection for children during armed conflict. Regardless of the BRN's claims that their targets represent the Thai Buddhist state or that such actions are religiously justified, there is no legal or moral defense for targeting noncombatants.

Both BRN insurgents and Thai security forces have been accused of serious violations of the laws of war throughout the nearly two-decade-long conflict. However, violations by one side do not justify retaliatory abuses by the other.

Malaysia, which has served as a peace dialogue facilitator between the Thai government and BRN, along with the broader international community, must take a firm stand against the continued targeting of civilians. They should apply diplomatic pressure on the BRN to halt attacks that amount to war crimes, and urge Thai authorities to hold accountable any security forces responsible for unlawful actions.

Until all parties are committed to protecting civilian lives and adhering to international humanitarian law, true safety and peace in southern Thailand will remain elusive.