Yahree Dueloh left his village in the southernmost border district of Narathiwat a decade ago, crossed the Kolok River and settled in Rantau Panjang on the Malaysian side of the border, not far from the river that serves as the official border between the two countries.
Those who knew him said he was tired of the relentless harassment from Thai security forces who suspected him of being an active member of the Barisan Revolusi National (BRN), a Patani Malay separatist movement that today controls virtually all the combatants on the ground. In a recent statement issued on Oct 18, BRN confirmed that Yahree was their operative.
