Muslims and Buddhists wary coexistence in southern Thailand
Sept. 29, 2009 -- SAI BURI, THAILAND: A girl in a computer class at the Darunsat Wittya Islamic School in Sai Buri, Thailand. The school is the largest Muslim high school in Pattani province. Although it is a private school, the Thai government pays students' tuition to attend the school. The curriculum combines Thai official curriculum with Islamic curriculum. Many of the students go on to college level education in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The Thai government views Islamic high schools with suspicion, fearing they radicalize students. Thailand's three southern most provinces; Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat are often called "restive" and a decades long Muslim insurgency has gained traction recently. Nearly 4,000 people have been killed since 2004. The three southern provinces are under emergency control and there are more than 60,000 Thai military, police and paramilitary militia forces trying to keep the peace battling insurgents who favor car bombs and assassination. Photo by Jack Kurtz
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