Thailand Mulls Security Wall

[Mid]

Thailand mulls security wall on Malaysia border

04 Feb 2007 07:50:41 GMT

Source: Reuters

YALA, Thailand, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Thailand's army-appointed prime minister said on Sunday he supported building a security wall along part of the border with Malaysia to stop smuggling and illegal border crossings.

[londonthai]

china has tried it a long time ago - didn't work in the long run

[Maejo Man]

china has tried it a long time ago - didn't work in the long run

Hadrian tried it too, and they just climbed over it

[farangsay]

More recently by the Soviets and more recently still

by the Israelis.

Naturally the people on the other side will interpret

it as a friendly gesture.

[KireB]

Good news for Malaysia

[george]

Thailand to extend security wall on Malaysian border

YALA: -- Thailand said Sunday it would extend a security wall along its border with Malaysia in an apparent bid to curb a rising insurgency in the kingdom's Muslim-majority south.

Apart from reining in the three-year-violence that has claimed more than 1,800 lives, army-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said the new concrete wall would help prevent an influx of illegal workers into Thailand.

"The wall will help authorities check and prevent illegal immigrants from coming in and out of Thailand," Surayud told reporters. He was touring the restive south with Thailand's junta leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.

Thailand already has a three kilometre (two mile) wall on its southern border between the Thai town of Sadao and the Malaysian town of Padang Besar.

Surayud said the government would extend the existing wall south by 27 kilometres (17 miles) to Yala, one of three restive southern provinces bordering Malaysia.

-- AFP 2007-02-04

[Francis Maube]

Illegal immigrants from Malaysia???? since when? Malaysia has a shortage of labor and always had, they are millions of Indonesian working in Malaysia, both speak Bahasa, makes sense doesn't it?

A wall to stop people? Only the military could think of such a thing.

[Florin]

As posted above, past experience shows just how well such an idea works in the long run...I guess some people still have the medieval pleb control manuals. We're in the 21st century, for God's sake...they should use CCTV and motion-control sensors if they really wanted to keep tabs on movement.

[Maxwell Book]

Pakistan has announced a plan to build a wall. The first proposal called for a 1,200 mile wall. The second plan calls for a twenty mile wall. I can only imagine the second is just a symbolic gesture to show the powers that be that the war on terror is being supported.

[astral]

It sounds like Israel/Palestine.

A formula for upsetting just about everyone.

[silverhawk_usa]

It will only be for a undetermined, but short, period of time. It is being built by the same contractors responsible for laying the runways at Suvarnabhumi airport and will steadily recede and disappear into the ground.

[Jingthing]

Why stop at Malaysia? What about Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia? Thailand, the HUB of walls.

[macular]

It will only be for a undetermined, but short, period of time. It is being built by the same contractors responsible for laying the runways at Suvarnabhumi airport and will steadily recede and disappear into the ground.

You will see people there tearing down the wall to build houses right beside the disappeared section of the wall.

[redrus]

Why stop at Malaysia? What about Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia? Thailand, the HUB of walls.

Followed by a crackdown on no wall's....!

redrus

[zhudi]

Why stop at Malaysia? What about Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia? Thailand, the HUB of walls.

ha ha not a real wall lol

Followed by a crackdown on no wall's....!

redrus

[alexth]

Illegal immigrants from Malaysia???? since when? Malaysia has a shortage of labor and always had, they are millions of Indonesian working in Malaysia, both speak Bahasa, makes sense doesn't it?

A wall to stop people? Only the military could think of such a thing.

I'm sure they were talking about the thais fleeing to Malaysia, otherwise it would sound very, very stupid. Sounds stupid anyway

[Jai Dee]

Security fence coming up between Narathiwat and Malaysia's Jeli

Rantau Panjang - An 11.5km fence will be built to curb trespassing along the border of Kelantan and Thailand's Narathiwat province in Jeli, according to New Straits Time.

It is understood that a blueprint for the project is being finalised by the National Security Department and the armed forces, reported Kuala Lumpur-based newspaper.

The barrier will span the jungles between Bukit Cenong and Bukit Chenderong.

Eighth Brigade commander Brig-Jen Shaharudin Abu Bakar said the fence would deter activities that could threaten national security, such as drugs and arms smuggling.

Earlier, Shaharudin took part in a joint patrol by government agencies along Sungai Golok from Pengkalan Kubur to Kubang Pak Itam here on Sunday.

"We have yet to determine the cost of the project or the exact date for it to begin. But it will be built in stages."

Source: The Nation - 5 February 2007

[Jai Dee]

Source: New Straits Times - 5 February 2007

[Diablo Bob]

I don’t know why, but in reading this I got a flashback to the movie Blazing Saddle’s!

You know, the scene where the town erects a toll booth in the middle of nowhere to slow down the attack of the bad guys.

So Thailand doesn’t really need a wall, just a toll booth in the middle of nowhere, and the bad guys will need a shitpot full of quarters.

[JimsKnight]

china has tried it a long time ago - didn't work in the long run

Hadrian tried it too, and they just climbed over it

They work but they need to be fully manned and patrolled, something that was doable with Hadrians but no so much with Chinas great wall. Now with the latest space age gismos surveillance may be easier. Go for it generals! Keep those gimps out!

[wintermute]

china has tried it a long time ago - didn't work in the long run

Hadrian tried it too, and they just climbed over it

They work but they need to be fully manned and patrolled, something that was doable with Hadrians but no so much with Chinas great wall. Now with the latest space age gismos surveillance may be easier. Go for it generals! Keep those gimps out!

Thailand's "great wall" will be manned by the finest somtam and Gai Yan carts the world has seen along with prerequisite snoozing security salarymen and 17 year old clueless soldiers. Then a year after that they'll decide the wall is impractical and then tear it down to jump on the next "big" idea.

[apetley]

Our local builder wants to put in a quote, 1000 Bht per metre, broken glass on top will be extra, what do you think?

[londonthai]

looks like thai and maleysian issued they statements at this same time - so they might be coordinating they security actions.

it's not about illegal emmigrants, smuglers, drugs and arms but about insurgents in the south

[Jonson83]

looks like thai and maleysian issued they statements at this same time - so they might be coordinating they security actions.

it's not about illegal emmigrants, smuglers, drugs and arms but about insurgents in the south

If it is built it will be used against all of what you listed above but yes the main reason is the tossers in the south.But gratz!,someone on this thread actually used their brain

Isreal/Palestine?? Berlin?? whaaaaaaa?

<deleted> its a security fence/wall along a border....novel idea isn't it? Good people go through border crossing like good people supposed to.Bad people get stuck at fence,not get in,go home.

Good for Thailand,Good for Malaysia.Why do you think their f@@king co-operating?

In theory it makes perfect sense,whether the Thais can pull it off tho....

[TimTang]

Illegal immigrants from Malaysia???? since when? Malaysia has a shortage of labor and always had, they are millions of Indonesian working in Malaysia, both speak Bahasa, makes sense doesn't it?

A wall to stop people? Only the military could think of such a thing.

I'm sure they were talking about the thais fleeing to Malaysia, otherwise it would sound very, very stupid. Sounds stupid anyway

The reason for the wall is that the northern states of Malaysia are harbouring most of the terrorists responsible for the unrest in the south. They can pop in kill a few people and pop back again; and you can bet they ain't using official border crossings. The Thai army can't chase them down and kill them because it would be a violation of Malaysian sovereignty.

Many have dual citizenship in that region and legitimately go back a forth quite regularly. These people can be monitored provided they go back and forth through border crossings.

It would be a valuable deterrent but the terrorists would probably resort to using the sea on each side and like in Gaza, start building secret tunnels. At least it would make them work harder rather than just simply running through the jungle.

While the Israeli wall has been subject to much criticism and debate it has been quite successful at reducing the rate of suicide bombings.

Who knows if it would work in Southern Thailand but one thing is for sure, nothing else has worked so far; 2000-plus dead and rising. You'll notice in the MSM they always qualify the south as "predominantly Muslim". Gee! I wounder why? Would you remain there if you weren't a Muslim?

[Jet Gorgon]

I like Diablo Bob's solution. Maybe the Thais are trying to copy the Americans.

I've been to the Songoi Kolok border crossing many times. I've never seen officials stop and check the Thai/Malasian vehicles, be they cars, trucks or semis. Guess I've always been there at tea time.

[Scott]

These things really don't work well. They may temporarily slow the insurgents down, but that is all. On top of that, it then gives the locals a false sense of security, so that when a strike occurs it is more devastating that previous ones.

At any rate, it sounds like a good employment project for some folks and I am sure it will turn out to be an extremely expensive wall of substandard quality.

[Thaising]

Malaysia says Thai security wall must be studied

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia wants to hold talks with Thailand about the economic and social impact of Bangkok's plans to extend a security wall along the countries' common border, according to a report.

"We need to look into the ramifications and implications, the cost and how it is going to affect people to people contact and the legitimate free movement of the people from both sides," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told the New Straits Times.

Syed Hamid said Malaysia was open to measures to stop illegal cross-border activity after Thailand announced the move, seen as a bid to curb an insurgency in its Muslim-majority south.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will arrive on Sunday in Thailand and is expected to meet with his Thai counterpart Surayud Chulanont.

"I think this will be one of the subjects that will be touched on by both leaders," Syed Hamid said.

Thailand already has a three-kilometre (two-mile) wall on its southern border between the Thai town of Sadao and the Malaysian town of Padang Besar.

Surayud said on Sunday his government would extend the existing wall south by 27 kilometres to Yala, one of three restive southern provinces bordering northern Malaysia.

Apart from reining in the three-year insurgency that has claimed more than 1,800 lives, Surayud said the new concrete wall would help prevent an influx of illegal workers into Thailand.

"It has always been the intention of both countries to stop smuggling and illegal border crossings," Syed Hamid was quoted as saying.

"Whatever is considered to be the most effective, should be looked into by both sides," he said.

The ongoing violence in southern Thailand has strained its relationship with Malaysia, with reports of insurgent training camps in Malaysia and claims that Thai restaurants there are funding the separatist movement.

Thailand also believes that militants behind the insurgency are abusing dual citizenship to escape across the border with Malaysia after committing attacks.

AFP

[midas]

but if they put the wall up - surely would be difficult for them to

make an illegal entry by boat along the coast - is the coast

that well patrolled ?

[OlRedEyes]

It will only be for a undetermined, but short, period of time. It is being built by the same contractors responsible for laying the runways at Suvarnabhumi airport and will steadily recede and disappear into the ground.

Sort of like a bio-degradable wall?