Hundreds Of Thai Muslims Arrested

[Naam]

The Koran dictates the way they will live and the Thai life style is not in accordance with the Koran

it is always good to have experts around who have studied the Qr'an and concluded that its teachings are not in accordance with thai life style.

perhaps the expert(s) would be kind enough and point out which Suras are meant? we ignorants would be quite grateful to improve our knowledge.

[Mid]

Govt extends emergency law in the deep south

Tue, July 17, 2007 : Last updated 19:54 pm

The Cabinet on Tuesday agreed to extend enforcement of emergency law in the restive south for another three months after the current round expires on July 20, a government deputy spokesman said.

The extension of the enforcement enable security officials on the ground to contain violence erupted in the predominantly Muslim region since the beginning of 2004, said deputy spokesman Natthawat Sutthiyothin.

The emergency law came into force since 2005 authorised the government to announce the renewable state of emergency for three months time in the unrest area and empower officials to have more certain level of liberty to deal with the situation.

Under the law, officials could detain suspects without charge for maximum 30 days. About 350 suspects have been rounded up and detained under the law in the past few weeks.

nationmultimedia.com

Edited July 17, 2007 by Mid

[lotus eater]

There seems to be a stubborn refusal by many here to accept that the major - if not entire - motivation that drives this violence has to do with historical, linguistic and cultural factors. The religious element is far less a factor than it is for example in the motivation of the catholic inorthern rish to secede from England and to revert to Eire. Whereas in that case the religious antagonisms were played down in reports and officially not called that - the term used was different 'traditions', not even sects/sectarian as is used in Iraq today - here on TV many assume the root cause has to be the muslim religion of the insurgents.

If this compulsion to label it as 'muslim' was avoided many of the apparent contradictions and arguments here would be resolved - for example the peaceful Thai muslims all over the country, indeed the muslim head of the army and the CNC Gen Sonthi on the one hand and the insurgents on the other.

Unlike many posts here which serve only to show the writers' anti-muslim views I think the Thai authorities know perfectly well it isn't a muslim/buddhist problem but rather a separatist one - though for obvious reasons they often refer to the insurgents as 'muslim'.

Having said all that the more the government employs repressive methods the more the presently small muslim aspect will grow. That's what's happened over the years in at least 3 cases of insurgencies elsewhere in the world. The Thais must find another way to bring the malay-tending southerners to a voluntary reconcilation of a Thai national future.

[Naam]

There seems to be a stubborn refusal by many here to accept that the major - if not entire - motivation that drives this violence has to do with historical, linguistic and cultural factors. The religious element is far less a factor than it is for example in the motivation of the catholic inorthern rish to secede from England and to revert to Eire. Whereas in that case the religious antagonisms were played down in reports and officially not called that - the term used was different 'traditions', not even sects/sectarian as is used in Iraq today - here on TV many assume the root cause has to be the muslim religion of the insurgents.

because many are not willing to inform themselves but rather prefer to shoot from the hip and present their personal views.

[farang prince]

There seems to be a stubborn refusal by many here to accept that the major - if not entire - motivation that drives this violence has to do with historical, linguistic and cultural factors. The religious element is far less a factor than it is for example in the motivation of the catholic inorthern rish to secede from England and to revert to Eire. Whereas in that case the religious antagonisms were played down in reports and officially not called that - the term used was different 'traditions', not even sects/sectarian as is used in Iraq today - here on TV many assume the root cause has to be the muslim religion of the insurgents.

If this compulsion to label it as 'muslim' was avoided many of the apparent contradictions and arguments here would be resolved - for example the peaceful Thai muslims all over the country, indeed the muslim head of the army and the CNC Gen Sonthi on the one hand and the insurgents on the other.

Unlike many posts here which serve only to show the writers' anti-muslim views I think the Thai authorities know perfectly well it isn't a muslim/buddhist problem but rather a separatist one - though for obvious reasons they often refer to the insurgents as 'muslim'.

Having said all that the more the government employs repressive methods the more the presently small muslim aspect will grow. That's what's happened over the years in at least 3 cases of insurgencies elsewhere in the world. The Thais must find another way to bring the malay-tending southerners to a voluntary reconcilation of a Thai national future.

Perhaps you would like the Thais to submit fresh victims for the insurgents to kill? Since the insurgents refuse to submit demands or negotiate with the Thai government, what would you suggest the government's strategy should be?

[lotus eater]

There seems to be a stubborn refusal by many here to accept that the major - if not entire - motivation that drives this violence has to do with historical, linguistic and cultural factors. The religious element is far less a factor than it is for example in the motivation of the catholic inorthern rish to secede from England and to revert to Eire. Whereas in that case the religious antagonisms were played down in reports and officially not called that - the term used was different 'traditions', not even sects/sectarian as is used in Iraq today - here on TV many assume the root cause has to be the muslim religion of the insurgents.

If this compulsion to label it as 'muslim' was avoided many of the apparent contradictions and arguments here would be resolved - for example the peaceful Thai muslims all over the country, indeed the muslim head of the army and the CNC Gen Sonthi on the one hand and the insurgents on the other.

Unlike many posts here which serve only to show the writers' anti-muslim views I think the Thai authorities know perfectly well it isn't a muslim/buddhist problem but rather a separatist one - though for obvious reasons they often refer to the insurgents as 'muslim'.

Having said all that the more the government employs repressive methods the more the presently small muslim aspect will grow. That's what's happened over the years in at least 3 cases of insurgencies elsewhere in the world. The Thais must find another way to bring the malay-tending southerners to a voluntary reconcilation of a Thai national future.

Perhaps you would like the Thais to submit fresh victims for the insurgents to kill? Since the insurgents refuse to submit demands or negotiate with the Thai government, what would you suggest the government's strategy should be?

I think that at the top - Surayud/Sonthi - the government's view and policy is the right one. However they obviously would not contemplate negotiating anything to do with secession.

In my view 1) the thais need to accept a degree of diversity, eg in language (consider the examples of switzerland, belgium, canadian english/french, spanish/catalan, and lots of asian cases too; and 2) the army has to be disciplined to stop the repressive/hard approach which plays into the insurgents hands and alienates the population.

[seonai]

Nice to see an intellectual take on this Lotus

[dog412]

not sure i understand the great "fascination" of resurrecting the ancient state of Pattani. of course, before it WAS Pattani, i am sure it was something else. some people can just not get along.

[lotus eater]

not sure i understand the great "fascination" of resurrecting the ancient state of Pattani. of course, before it WAS Pattani, i am sure it was something else. some people can just not get along.

Everywhere was once something else - that argument you make is hardly worth refuting. (The pattani cultural and linguistic identity in fact is not ancient history.)

And your comment that the sheer fact of being muslim incapacitates anyone from 'getting along' reflects I'm afraid a breathtaking ignorance of islamic history - with its thousand years and more of exceptionally successful such coexistence from India to Spain.

Finally, the south tyrol which was transferred from Austria to Italy after ww2 as one of the 'spoils of war' is another example to consider. For 25 years its german speaking population fought a low level guerilla campaign (bombs, cutting railway lines, blowing up electricity grids, assassinations of officials, the lot). Eventually when italy stopped trying to impose italian culture/language on the area, and integrated the german language and locals into the running of the region. the violence abated - though of course the population hangs on to its german culture and language.

Look also at the recent resolution of the Basque insurrection in Spain.

[Mid]

Villagers lament South arrests of elderly and sick

A recent crackdown in the deep South has seen more than 350 suspected militants rounded up and detained.

Published on July 23, 2007

Rohya Maseng still has no idea why he was taken away from Ban Kawa in Sungai Padi district and held at a military camp in Pattani for 16 days.

Many deny any connection with the violence that has paralysed the region for almost three and a half years.

Some of those arrested are the elderly and infirm with little knowledge of the situation. They were detained without charge for weeks.

Supalak G Khundee

The Nation

SUNGAI PADI, NARATHIWAT

[Mid]

Villagers' arrest creating resentment: lawyers

Tue, July 24, 2007 : Last updated 21:26 pm

The Thai Muslim Lawyers' Association has urged the Army to reassess its detention of more than 350 villagers in the deep South under the controversial Emergency Law, saying such action created unnecessary resentment towards the state among the local community.

Kijja Ali-isloh, deputy secretary-general of the association, said the authorities did not have any evidence to charge most of the villagers being held.

Kijja also accused the military of forcing hundreds of villagers to join Army-created job training projects, suggesting that such schemes were a stunt to boost the Army's image rather than help the local community.

nationmultimedia.com

meanwhile all eyes are on Bangkok .........................

Edited July 25, 2007 by Mid

[DirkGently]

Well, if you throw stones, somebody will slap your hands.

I'd like to similar action in the UK.

[Mid]

Well, if you throw stones, somebody will slap your hands.

all well and good ,

if

you actually did throw the stones .................................

[DirkGently]

or

if you knew who threw them.

[canadiangirl]

Interesting. Because my Muslim neighbor, who was doing some work for us at the time, came and apologized to me after 9/11 and told me good Muslims did not believe in the murder of innocent people. Perhaps he is an anomaly, perhaps my Muslim neighborhood is, but these people are all peaceful and do not support the violent behavior in the South. And have made that clear to Muslims who came here trying to stir up trouble a few years ago.

Thank you for your perspective sbk. Comments like this are good to hear.

[deon]

Well being Muslim and from the uk , I can safely say you should not tar us all with the same brush as we are not all the same .Ie i am white But born Muslim dont have a beard ,as i said we are not all the same far from it

The part of bkk i stay when i am there is manly the Muslim part .

And i must admit i was shoked when i saw some so called Muslims hmmm .But one thing i can say alot of them was from down south , And even though they knew my other half was not Muslim ie she is a bhuidist. They still treated me and her the same .Just becouse a few of our faith do sad sick stupid things does not mean we are all like that .

And for thouse who think that we are wel wake up and smell the coffie .I admit we class ourselfs as one family Ie every Muslim is a brother ad sister tro each other so we all feel each other pain .Be it in Thailand or palistain or chechnia or iraq or when it was Bosnia Srebrenica when 8000 Muslm young men and boys was killed in 3 days .Yes things like that make most of us sick sad and mad .

But so does the beheading down south and in indonisea when those 3 little girls was beheaded bless them .The people who do that may call them self Muslims and pray and dress like them .

Bu when they do things that go totally against Islam then they are not Muslim Like binladen is a lost fool totaly on the wrong path .And all the actions alqida do are totaly against Islam and that is why even in iraq now alot of sunni are starting to turn against them as they kn ow it is not islam to blow up woman and children if they be shia or sunni .

Edited July 25, 2007 by deon

[DirkGently]

My views of Islam are tainted by the sight of British born Muslims cheering and clapping in the carpark of their mosque on 9-11. Yes! Clapping and cheering in theri place of worship to their god of peace at the sight of 1000's of people dying.

I presume many are like Deon (above), but an awful lot are not as balanced.

[seonai]

Thanks Deon, nice to hear a balanced viewpoint.