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At least eight soldiers are dead after what authorities in Thailand say was an attack by Islamic militants¹ in the country's south.

泰国当局说，穆斯林激进分子在泰国南部发动的袭击造成至少8名士兵死亡。

Thai army officials say the soldiers were ambushed³ after escorting a group of teachers to a school in Narathiwat Province.

军方官员说，这些军人在那拉提瓦府护送一些教师前往一所学校后遭到伏击。

Officials say a roadside bomb exploded as the soldiers' vehicle passed, then gunmen peppered the soldiers with gunfire, and beheaded the body of one of the soldiers.

It was the first major attack in several months on government forces in the south, where an Islamic separatist insurgency⁴ has killed an estimated 2800 people since it flared⁵ in 2004.

这是几个月来政府军在南部遭到的第一起大规模袭击。从2004年伊斯兰分裂分子掀起反叛活动以来，据估计他们在南部地区已经打死2千8百人。

The government has deployed⁶ 40,000 troops, captured suspected militants, and restructured its operations in the region during the past year. In recent months, the number of large coordinated⁷ attacks has decreased.

泰国政府在过去一年里已经部署了4万多名部队，逮捕了涉嫌为激进分子的人，并重新规划了政府在该地区的行动。最近几个月，有多方参与的大规模袭击已经减少。

But observers say the ambush² shows that the insurgency is not going away. Professor Panitan Wattanayagorn, an expert on security in southern Thailand at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, says the military is bracing⁸ for more attacks.

但是，观察人士指出，这次伏击显示叛乱活动不会停止。曼谷朱拉隆功大学的教授沃坦雅格恩是研究泰国南部安全的专家。他说，军方准备应对更多的袭击。

"In the last few weeks, the militants have decided⁹ that they need to show their strength and they also want to captivate the minds of the public, making sure that the public will still support them. Public support for the militants has decreased. ... I think the militants are now trying to use terror and scare tactics to bring back support," the professor said.

沃坦雅格恩说：“在过去几个星期里，激进分子决定他们需要显示自己的力量，他们也想蛊惑民心，确保民众仍然支持他们。民众对激进分子的支持已经减少。我认为激进分子现在试图用恐怖和恫吓的策略重新赢得支持。”

The insurgents¹⁰' support base includes Muslim ethnic¹¹ Malays who resent domination by Thailand's Buddhist¹² majority. Little is known about the rebels since they have never identified themselves or presented a concrete list of demands.

反叛分子的支持来源包括少数民族马来族的穆斯林，他们憎恨泰国占多数的佛教徒的统治。有关这些反叛分子的信息极少，原因是他们从来不公开自己的身份，也不提出具体的要求。

Human rights advocates say that while large attacks on military targets have decreased, bombings or drive-by shootings aimed at non-Muslim civilians¹³ take place almost daily.

人权活动人士说，虽然对军事目标的袭击有所减少，针对非穆斯林平民的爆炸和驾车枪击事件几乎每天都在发生。

Sunai Phasuk, a consultant¹⁴ for the New York-based group Human Rights Watch in Bangkok, says the political crisis surrounding last month's general elections in Thailand is largely to blame for the continuing violence.

"The situation in the south will continue to be the most pressing security agenda for the new government of Thailand, which sadly, because of the political turmoil¹⁵ in Bangkok, no one could really pay attention to the south," Sunai said.

The insurgency was rarely discussed as a campaign issue before Thailand's December 23 general elections. Parties have yet to form a government since the vote and the country's political landscape remains¹⁶ uncertain.

在泰国12月23号的大选之前，叛乱活动很少被当作竞选议题来讨论。由于泰国的政治前景还不确定，自从选举以来各党派还没有组建政府。

One analyst¹⁷ notes that the attack is a sign that whoever ends up governing Thailand should make the southern conflict a top priority.

一位分析人士指出，这次袭击是个迹象，表明不管谁将成为泰国的领导人，都应当把南部的冲突作为首要问题来对待。