Six Hurt In Thai Bomb Blasts

[stumonster]

Six hurt in Thai bomb blasts

From correspondents in Narathiwat, Thailand

February 16, 2005

TWO bomb blasts rocked southern Thailand today, with one injuring six people, just hours ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, police said.

Three soldiers and three civilians were hurt when a bomb exploded at 08:30am (12.30pm AEDT) near a market in Ragae district of Narathiwat province.

“Six were wounded and among them two soldiers and one villager were listed in serious condition,” a police spokesman said.

The roadside bomb was placed some 50m from a Krung Thai Bank cash machine, where soldiers regularly patrol, he said.

The second bomb exploded earlier in Ruso district, also in Narathiwat province, but injured no one, police said.

Police were initially called to a house fire and as they were were about to leave the scene, the bomb, which was hidden near the house, went off, Ruso police station superintendent Colonel Watcharin Ammarapitak said.

“But nobody was injured,” he added.

Thaksin was expected to leave Bangkok around midday today for a three-day tour of the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani to supervise Government efforts to tackle unrest caused by suspected Muslim separatists.

Narathiwat is one of the three provinces in the far south near the Malaysian border where more than 500 people have been killed since January last year and there has been no sign of an end to the violence.

But Thaksin, due to meet both Muslim and Buddhist leaders during his first visit since returning to power in a landslide election win earlier this month, said there would be no change in policy on an area where he won not a single seat.

“We will resort to a policy of both iron-fist and velvet gloves in dealing with the south,” Thaksin was quoted by Thai newspapers as telling a cabinet meeting yesterday.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/commo...55E1702,00.html

[taxexile]

BBC NEWS

Last Updated: Thursday, 17 February, 2005, 14:26 GMT 

FOUR KILLED IN BOMB BLAST

Bomb attack in southern Thailand 

Mr Thaksin had harsh words for any separatists in the south

A bomb in southern Thailand has killed four people and injured at least 35, as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited the troubled region.

The bomb exploded in the border town of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat province at 1905pm (1205GMT), police said.

It came hours after Mr Thaksin said he would use military muscle and economic sanctions to punish those villages that were sympathetic to Islamic rebels.

Local leaders in the largely Muslim region strongly criticised the plan.

The bomb was planted in a car parked near the Marina Hotel, said police spokesman Nawin Nilwanith.

Sungai Kolok is a popular tourist town on the border with Malaysia. It is not the first time the town has been the target of a suspected militant attack.

The bombing came as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was touring the country's Muslim-dominated south, the scene of sectarian violence which has claimed more than 550 lives since January last year.

During Thursday's tour, Mr Thaksin outlined his latest plans to tackle the ongoing violence - plans which the BBC's correspondent in Bangkok, Kylie Morris, says are his most controversial yet.

Some 1,580 southern villages have been surveyed for their co-operation with the government, and categorised as red, yellow or green, depending on the degree of violence found there.

Villages are designated as red if they are frequently violent, if they refuse to co-operate with the authorities, and if more than half the residents are judged to be sympathetic to the aims of the insurgents.

Three hundred and fifty-eight villages are cited as red zones, including 200 in the province of Narathiwat.

Mr Thaksin has said he will give more than $500m to villages across the country within the next 10 weeks, and each community's quota will depend on its colour code. Red zone villages will not get any money.

"We don't give money to those red villages because we don't want them to spend the money on explosives, road spikes or assassins," Mr Thaksin told villagers in Narathiwat.

"If the money sanctions do not work, I will send soldiers to lay siege to the red zone villages and put more pressure on them," he added.

"I will never allow anyone to separate even one square inch from this country, even though this land will have to be soaked with blood. So I'd like everyone to be friends with me. Don't be friends with bad guys," he said.

But Abdulrohman Abdulsamad, chairman of the Islamic Council of Narathiwat, said Mr Thaksin's ideas would only succeed in pushing villagers into the arms of militants.

"When [the Muslim world]find that we are being ignored or sanctioned... they will step in," he said.

Mr Thaksin is meeting both Muslim and Buddhist leaders on his three-day tour.

More than 500 people have been killed in the south in a wave of violence blamed on Muslim insurgents.

In the past months, Buddhist monks, teachers, police and soldiers have been ambushed and murdered on an almost daily basis.

[toastwars]

Toxin using a blowtorch and a chainsaw to melt hearts and change minds again

[aaaaaa]

Thailand: The riddle of the South

Thursday, 15 February, 2005, 02:04 GMT

By Roger Hardy

BBC Islamic affairs analyst

..........So what's gone wrong?

As I travelled through the south, I felt I was trying to unravel a mystery.

There seem to be three underlying factors fuelling the Muslims' sense of grievance.

They believe their history and culture are not acknowledged. For centuries, Pattani was the centre of an independent Muslim kingdom - the Pattani sultanate - which was only incorporated into the Thai state in the early 20th century.

They feel economically marginalised. The south is one of the poorest parts of the country - drawing little benefit, for example, from the country's successful tourist industry.

Thanks to globalisation, they have much stronger links with the wider Muslim world - and share Muslim anger over such issues as Palestine and Iraq.....

Experts can shed some light on the puzzle, but not much.

They believe an older separatist movement - active in the south in the 1960s and seventies - has now been superseded by a newer Islamic one.

Government advisers in Bangkok go further and allege the involvement of Jemaah Islamiyah, regarded as the regional arm of Al-Qaeda.

But they offer little by way of proof.......

A wider insurgency?

The reality is that the Muslims of the south deeply resent the Thai army and its pervasive presence.....

The danger is that, if his government sticks with its hard-line strategy in the south, the insurgency will be transformed from a local problem into a regional or even an international one.

well, surely this "islamic specialist" doesn't come up with more particular ideas how to solve "the riddle". may be that is the main skill of specialists - to formulate riddles, not to solve them?

one such riddle caused dividing of India and West& East Pakistan once - but nevertheless confrontation continues. even within Pakistan shites & sunnis kill each other, as many othe places like Iraq etc.;

Civilians flee Philippine clashes

Hundreds of civilians are continuing to flee their homes in the southern Philippines, after 10 days of clashes between troops and Muslim rebels.

About 25,000 villagers have now left the area, said provincial spokesman Sabri Asri.

and even in Indonesia , biggest islamic country in the world there are rebels

Indonesia troops kill Aceh rebels

"Indonesian troops have killed at least seven suspected rebels in the province of Aceh, an army spokesman has said.... "

- what they fighting for, some similar sort of sultanate of their own or what ? so, separation is not a solution - then what ? M. Roger doesn't say....

[stumonster]

Four dead in Thai bomb blast

From correspondents in Bangkok

February 18, 2005

A BOMB exploded outside a hotel in southern Thailand overnight, killing four people and wounding up to 40, just two hours after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra cut short a trip to the restive region, police said.

The blast is believed to be the deadliest single bombing in a campaign of violence that has gripped the Muslim-dominated deep south for the past 13 months and left about 600 people dead.

"At present there are four people dead and 24 injured, including two critically," police Superintendent Surasak Romyanon told AFP by telephone from Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat province, where the bomb went off at 7.05pm (11pm AEDT).

Another police officer on the scene, Lieutenant Colonel Vek Suwanarach, said the number of injured had risen to 40 after the bomb detonated in a pickup truck outside Sungai Kolok's Marina Hotel, an area crowded with open-air bars.

"All the dead are males and appear (to be) Asian," he said, although the nationalities of the victims could not be immediately established.

A wedding party attended by a number of local police had gathered on the third floor of the hotel, police said, but it was not immediately clear if any of the attendees were among the victims.

"This bomb was the work of militants who aim at large-scale public gatherings to cause maximum damage," Siva Saengmanee, deputy of the Southern Border Province Peace-Building Command, told The Nation TV.

Sungai Kolok is a town along the Malaysian border whose nightlife district is routinely visited by scores of Thai and Malaysian tourists.

The bomb came just two hours after Thaksin flew out of the deep south.

His first trip to the Muslim-dominated region since his party won a landslide re-election earlier this month was cut short by a day, so he could travel to a rally for a party colleague running in a by-election in north-east Thailand.

Tonight's bombing was the fourth major blast in Sungai Kolok since last March, when a bomb ripped through the town's nightlife district near the Marina Hotel. Some 28 people including several Malaysians were wounded.

Two people were killed in a bomb blast in the same area, blamed on separatists in December, and in October another bomb killed a Malaysian tourist and a bar worker and wounded more than 20.

During his high-security trip Thaksin vowed to crush the separatist revolt, which is seeking greater autonomy from the majority Buddhist Thai kingdom, within four years.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/commo...55E1702,00.html

[taxexile]

the problem is

They feel economically marginalised. The south is one of the poorest parts of the country - drawing little benefit, for example, from the country's successful tourist industry.

one of the reasons for the problem is

Thanks to globalisation, they have much stronger links with the wider Muslim world - and share Muslim anger over such issues as Palestine and Iraq.....

people are reluctant to holiday in muslim coutries that have "history" because the safety of non-muslims is not guaranteed and is often in danger.

i have travelled in indonesia with my thai wife and in some of the more out of the way places in sumatra we had stones and firworks thrown at us in the street , we were intimidated by groups of teenage males and my wife was grabbed and felt up by these ignorant people. we ended up hotel bound.

i have been in kashmir when there has been trouble and the speed at which feeling can turn against westerners is alarming , when wild eyed bearded men suddenly appear on the streets with machine guns you realise your idea to get off the main tourist path and find your own way around was a mistake.

if you want to relax on your holidays and travels , then stay away from muslim countries. pity, cos the food is pretty good ,

its no wonder the souths tourist industry is hurting , but thats all part of the insurgents plans , keep the people poor and ruin the infrastructure and they will turn against thaksin even more and join in the insurgency.

those insurgents and extremist leaders and preachers need killing. its the only way i think. you cant rationalise with violent people that put fear into the hearts of not only visitors but the local population too , who just want to get on with their lives and feed their families and buy a new tv and go out for a meal.

thaksin is , i'm afraid , right.

Edited February 18, 2005 by taxexile

[Golf]

Finally, the Islamic specialists brought the insurgency to a new level. The civil war or the all-out war, I think. Mr.Taksin might be the best in business, but he is the worst in dealing with social and political matters! The situation is worsen mostly by the government officers in the area.

1. Randomly false arresting, mischarges

2. kidnaping and killing innocent people

3. Abuse of power and authorities, unfair treatments

4. Extra juridical killing

5. Discriminations based on religious

6. Lack of education and basic living improvement.

7. Taakbai and Gruu Se Mosque massacres

The government officers have been doing the number 1 through number 6 for more than 100 years. Think about it. Like you keep pumping the balloon. It will eventually blow up and this is it. In the 60's and 70's, The Northeastern region was lack behind every regions in the kingdom. Issan people were in deep problems and they couldn't take it anymore. They upraised and wanted to separate a whole region. Thai government used the force to suppress them. Killing as many as 30 issan political figures. Issan people were defeated and never see the light again. The history WILL repeat itself again in the South and it will be no way out until this group get what they want.

Edited February 18, 2005 by Golf

[Diggerbasher]

Mr Thaksin must by now realise he needs to take a far gentler approach.

[Jowels]

Diggerbasher - A nice idea, but would you care to offer an example of a place where a softer approach has worked?

[stumonster]

Mr.Taksin might be the best in business,

I do not believe mr 't' got where he is because of ethical business skills. I think he might well be trying to apply the strategies that allowed him to amass his...er #coughh# families/maids/chauffers/dogs/cars... wealth. It sure does look like bribery and intimidation to me.

[stumonster]

Thai car bomb toll hits six

From correspondents in Bangkok

February 18, 2005

THE death toll from a powerful car bomb in Thailand's southern border town of Sungai Kolok rose to six today, with 44 people confirmed injured, police said a day after the blast.

“One of the injured died this morning at Sungai Kolok hospital,” a police officer in the town said, taking the toll from yesterday’s blast to six.

It was the deadliest single bombing in a campaign of violence that has gripped the Muslim-dominated deep south for the past 13 months and claimed about 600 lives.

Of the injured, 13 remained in hospital, with as many as five in critical condition, while the rest had been treated and released, another policeman said.

All the dead were believed to be Thai, though police said they had officially confirmed the identity of only two victims.

Narathiwat province governor Pracha Taerat said the “unprecedented” bomb was made with about 100kg of explosives and detonated in a pickup truck parked outside the Marina Hotel in an area crowded with open-air beer bars.

The area was cordoned off after the blast and forensic officers continued to pore over the site to collect evidence, police said.

Sungai Kolok, along the Malaysian border, has a thriving nightlife district routinely visited by scores of Thai and Malaysian tourists. It has been the scene of three other major blasts since March.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/commo...55E1702,00.html

[taxexile]

islamic fundamentalists are rarely native to the area where they cause their trouble , these bearded,bandanad bombers seek only to bring people down to their level , they are nihilists, rebels without a cause and will hijack any hopeless cause involving islam , and given half a chance will take any society they infect back to the middle ages. most muslim people dont want them or their ideas , but by the time they have infiltrated (with the help of millions of dollars from the middle eastern supporters of their branch of islam) the area it is too late for the locals to kick them out. the scum are not averse to killing their own when it suits them. their demands will never end.

only israel knows how to deal with them , but of course it isnt politically correct to support israels hardline methods these days.

come on thaksin , load up your guns and get rid of those scum and let the millions of normal peace loving muslims get on with their lives.

[stumonster]

Car bomb rattles Thailand

by Boonradom Chitradon

February 18, 2005

THAILAND is grappling with an alarming escalation of violence in the Muslim-majority south after an unprecedented car bomb killed six people last night, just hours after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra left the region.

A small bomb exploded in neighbouring Yala province today, slightly injuring two soldiers assigned to provide protection for teachers, police said.

"The violence has escalated but not to the extent of a civil war," Thaksin told reporters in Bangkok.

"We expected this type of violence to continue for a while because security officers have not been aggressive enough" in their pursuit of militants.

The blast came just hours after the prime minister cut short a visit to the region during which he unveiled a highly controversial plan to block state funding for more than 350 "red zone" villages deemed to be prone to violence and sympathetic to separatists.

Most of the red villages are in Narathiwat, the province where the blast occurred.

Thaksin said it was unlikely that foreign terrorist elements were behind the attack but admitted it was aimed at putting pressure on his administration.

"If there was a first (car bomb), there will be a second and a third," Phuvadol Songprasert, a humanities lecturer at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, said, adding that such a powerful explosion was not unexpected.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/commo...55E1702,00.html

[Backpack_thailand]

All this is in line with the situation in Northern Ireland. On the face of it it seems to be about indpendence, both politically and economically..

..however, at some point the "fight" becomes a way of life and the young people of the area don't know any different.

The only peaceful solution in both N.I and Soutn Thailand is full independence, which neither govt. will EVER give...

And so it will gon and on and on etc. etc.

[JimGant]

They feel economically marginalised. The south is one of the poorest parts of the country

Well, duh. When the schools they attend teach nothing contstructive, but only Arabic, Koran memorization, and car bomb 101 -- whatya expect?

Full time schooling with subjects having no relationship to Islam should be the requirement. This, like in civilized parts of the world, would not subtract in any way their freedom to study their religion on their days off.