Good thing beheading has nothing to do with Islam, or we would be seeing a lot more of this sort of thing from jihadists. This one was a revenge killing, indicating that it is not likely that tensions are going to die down in Thailand anytime soon. From the BBC, with thanks to all who sent me this:
Local people found the head of the 58-year-old deputy village leader on a roadside in Narathiwat province.
The incident came as Thailand named a panel to investigate last week’s deaths, and how dozens of people came to suffocate inside army trucks….
The man found beheaded was a deputy village leader. Police in the Sukhirin district of Narathiwat province said he was thought to have been shot first, the Associated Press reported.
His corpse was discovered more than 1km (0.6 miles) away from his head. He is the second Buddhist to be beheaded in the region in recent months.
A hand-written note was found by the head, saying: “This is revenge for the innocent Muslim youths who were massacred at the Takbai protest,” officials said.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is under fire for the handling of the Takbai protest, in which dozens of Muslims youths were bundled into army vans without enough air to breathe and 78 died.
Seven others died during the protest itself, which was held outside a police station to demonstrate against the detention of six Muslim men on weapons charges….
Suspected Muslim militants have targeted Buddhists – who make up the majority of Thailand – and officials, in shooting and bomb attacks, although Thai security forces have been responsible for many of the deaths.