Replacements Sought For Buddhist Teachers In South: Thailand

[Scott]

The Thai bureaucracy is rather pedantic. There is no way they are going to relent on 90 day reporting, extension of stay (visa), work permit etc.

[phetaroi]

I have heard it said that life is cheap in Thailand. At 3,500 baht, now we know that is true.

[squarethecircle]

Radical Islams' hatred, I would say fear, of education is amply documented in many parts of the world and I contend that the reasons for that are as I have stated.

I personally believe that the significant incentive behind a lot of the attacks in the South has little to do with a so called "Separatist" movement but is aimed at keeping the population ignorant and investment frightened off, so a self-fulfilling dilemma develops; uneducated people with few prospects turn to any avenue for ephemeral relief.

You admit that even Muslim teachers are being targeted (which was a main point in my Post) and we all know that whole schools are being deliberately destroyed by your so-called Separatists, the obvious motive being to deny education to the young.

(By the way your delighted appreciation at the absence of street dogs and prostitutes demonstrates a rather significant lack of knowledge of even the basic tenets of Islam)

Patrick

OK, didn't mean to insult YOU as a person, but I do consider your linking of this with Saudi-style radical Islam (which should be condemned) to be uninformed. There's no evident connection between Pattani and radical Muslims elsewhere. In fact the only connection I can make is with rebel forces in Aceh Indonesia and the south of the Phillippines, both of which have ended with an agreement giving the Muslim regions some form of autonomy. The Pattani insurgents I think are fighting a justified insurgency (though the way they do it isn't always justified)...as someone else pointed out the region is effectively a Thai colony, and the Thais have been abusive as colonists. The latter - such as Saudi Wahhabis - want to impose their version of religion on both other Muslims and non-Muslims. They should be fought with both pen and sword - but those are concentrated in the Middle East. Also if you think Muslims are typically uneducated or against education, a simple test of this is to go to libraries south of the Thai-Malay border and libraries north of the border, and compare the types of books you can find. I think you're right about extremist Muslims of the Middle East or dictator variety, but think that their demand for control of education, women, all parts of society, stems from a personal desire for power rather than something actually justified from the viewpoint of the Qur'an. Also, I think the Qur'an is pretty clear about dogs and prostitutes - both considered dirty or "Haram".

One more thing: people always assume that these attacks are done by Muslim insurgents, when in fact according to reports by Amnesty International and such (based on interviews with locals), there are Thai-Buddhist revenge squads operating with immunity in the region. Actually a human rights lawyer (google Somchai Neelapaijit)

for people tortured after the 2004 Tak Bai incident (where 78 Muslims died in Thai police custody) was murdered, apparently by 5 Thai cops, and no one was charged with the murder (the Thai police were granted full power over the investigation so it's not like anyone expected any justice to be served). No wonder reports indicate that 80% of the population in the rural South support the insurgency.

Edited January 3, 2013 by squarethecircle