Over 120 lives fear losing their jobs after an arson attack destroyed a wood factory in Pattani Province. The SEE TRUE news team spoke with villagers who said many remain scared and uncertain about how they will earn a living moving forward.
The SEE TRUE news team remains in the three southern border provinces, where armed groups carried out 108 attacks between 22-24 August. Several locations suffered significant damage, though many incidents have not received widespread attention. For example, the para rubber wood processing and drying factory of Southern Techwood (1993) Co., Ltd., located in Khao Tum Subdistrict, Yarang District, Pattani Province, was severely damaged by arson.
Ms. Monta Sakmuang, an employee who oversees the wood factory, guided the SEE TRUE team to survey the damage. They found that the storage area for dried para rubber wood contained no fewer than 10,000 pieces, all destroyed by fire. The machinery and tools were completely lost, and the steel framework of the roof over the drying wood storage building had collapsed.
During the survey, the fire was not fully extinguished; some spots continued to flare up. Employees had to keep putting out the flames repeatedly.
Ms. Monta said the factory has been operating for over 30 years, buying para rubber wood from local farmers, processing and drying it for export to China and Vietnam. It had never been subjected to arson before. This was the first attack without prior warning. The damage is estimated at no less than 50 million baht. Currently, there are over 120 employees, all worried that if the owner does not continue the business, they may lose their jobs.
The news team spoke with Ms. Rampa Abdulnaman, an employee who said she and her husband have worked at the factory since it opened over 30 years ago. Later, their child also started working there, so the whole family of three works at the same place. She said the incident has caused great concern about whether they will continue to have jobs because the damage is severe, and they are unsure if the owner will keep the business running. Fortunately, she is still allowed to work, but her husband and child have had to stop working for now.
Another employee who has worked at the factory for over 30 years, Ms. La-ong Si Daeng, also expressed worry. Having worked there so long, she said if she loses her job now, she doesn’t know where she would go to find work.
In fact, this wood factory has been located in Yarang District, Pattani Province, for a very long time and has never experienced such an incident or received any prior warnings from any groups. Therefore, it is suspected the attack was meant to create fear, damage the economy, and drive investors out of the area.
