Security forces raided an Islamic religious ponoh school in Pattani's Mayo district yesterday to find out whether students were being trained as terrorists.
"We found that the activities bore no relation to the insurgency. There was no suspicious behaviour and no possession of weapons. It's simply just [Muay Thai] boxing training, a normal activity every teenager does," said Pol Major Piyawat Chalermsri, a commander at Pattani Provincial Police Station.
The police raided the Ponoh Mudror Satulfalah Institution after receiving reports that the place might have been used as a training centre for insurgents involved in the shooting of two Buddhist monks in Narathiwat on Jan 18.
Although the school's activities broke no laws, 11 foreign students were arrested for not having the correct visas. The police chief added that some of the arrested students were very well-educated.
"They come here to get properly educated in the Koran so they can go back and become leaders in their country, so don't hurriedly jump to the conclusion that every incident in the southernmost provinces is always related to insurgent-related violence," Pol Major Piyawat said.
"However, according to the law, three Cambodian youths have already been sent to a youth detention centre and the rest are awaiting trial. Then they will be sent to the Immigration Bureau to be processed and deported back to their country."
Among those arrested was 50-year-old Saudi Lormang, the owner of the ponoh school, who has since been released from police custody.
