CONFLICT

Bloody conflict threatens Thailand's security

BANGKOK: -- A civil war raging between Muslim separatists and the Thai military in the south of the country becomes a great challenge for Bangkok as the conflict escalates.

It happened last December - masked men stormed into a school in southern Thailand and shot three Buddhist teachers in front of their colleagues and students. That was the apex of a series of attacks carried out by Muslim separatists on schools in the region. Over 1,300 schools were shut down as a precautionary measure.

In Thailand's southern most provinces Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, on the border to Malaysia, separatist groups have for years been fighting against state control for more autonomy. They have carried out attacks on police stations, used car bombs and fired machine guns at stores and public establishments.

They have threatened shopkeepers who have their stores open on Muslim holidays. They behead people they suspect of sympathizing with the government in Bangkok. Such incidences take place nearly on a daily basis just a few hundred kilometers away from Phuket and the idyllic tourist destinations of the west coast.

Bloody civil war

In December, the International Crisis Group (ICG) published a study which said there was a bloody civil war going on in the south of Thailand which was becoming more violent and brutal by the day. Over 5,000 people have died since the wave of violence broke out in 2004.

Around two million people live in [more...]

Full story: http://www.dw.de/blo...rity/a-16526013

-- DW 2013-01-17

Tch, tch...bloody journalists.

Obviously they haven't spoken to Police Captain Dr. Chalerm - What problem? There isn't one. - Yubamrung.

Now it's a Civil War? I thought it was just a little bit of Southern Unrest. Nothing to worry about, especially given the priority this government isn't giving it.

Edited January 17, 201313 yr by WhizBang

Much ado about nothing. DPM Chalerm has the matter well in hand. With the leadership and guidance of the brilliant Thai army strategists, this unrest will be dealt with soon enough. What we need is more dialogue, outreach and of course mutual understanding. It is time we all joined hands and showed that we love our neighbours to the south. I'm sure if we are all more respectful of the protesting ethnic malays and comprimised, we'd reach an understanding. Maybe we can start with some of the better parts of sharia law. That would put a stop to those daily muggings on Phuket. Once the locals see a few amputees, they'll get the message. And it might do some good for Pattaya as a few public lashings would clear out those nasty drunks that make the font page of the local rags every week, Personally, I think Hua Hin would benefit if we could get some of those bargils to wear burqas or hijabs. The hideousness quotient of some of them would certainly be reduced.

Now it's a Civil War? I thought it was just a little bit of Southern Unrest. Nothing to worry about, especially given the priority this government isn't giving it.

Off topic but...........

"Just a little bit of Southern Unrest".

It can't be far away. Someone needs to take a stand.

Much ado about nothing. DPM Chalerm has the matter well in hand. With the leadership and guidance of the brilliant Thai army strategists, this unrest will be dealt with soon enough. What we need is more dialogue, outreach and of course mutual understanding. It is time we all joined hands and showed that we love our neighbours to the south. I'm sure if we are all more respectful of the protesting ethnic malays and comprimised, we'd reach an understanding. Maybe we can start with some of the better parts of sharia law. That would put a stop to those daily muggings on Phuket. Once the locals see a few amputees, they'll get the message. And it might do some good for Pattaya as a few public lashings would clear out those nasty drunks that make the font page of the local rags every week, Personally, I think Hua Hin would benefit if we could get some of those bargils to wear burqas or hijabs. The hideousness quotient of some of them would certainly be reduced.

"Much ado about nothing" ?, More like A Comedy of Errors IMHO.

"With the leadership and guidance of the brilliant Thai army strategists". Crikey, what would Baldrick say?

"....if we are all more respectful of the protesting ethnic Malays" Yes, let's have tea with the local version of theTaliban.

"Maybe we can start with some of the better parts of sharia law." Yes, amputations, lashings and

stonings. Now we can apply 6th century answers to 21st century problems. (I do realize you were being facetious gk.

"......get some of those bargils (sic) to wear burqas or hijabs" A major part of the problem with Islam is that they,the men, (the women don't count) are all thinking of the 72 virgins waiting for them when they've been killed or blown themselves up.

For those that can't wait, the entertainment Meccas of Hat Yai and the other southern border towns, eagerly satisfy the sexual appetites of the Islamic warriors with lusty Thai women (at a price of course) .

Ergo All's Well That Ends Well.

Bloody conflict threatens Thailand's security

Ya think ?

Much ado about nothing. DPM Chalerm has the matter well in hand. With the leadership and guidance of the brilliant Thai army strategists, this unrest will be dealt with soon enough. What we need is more dialogue, outreach and of course mutual understanding. It is time we all joined hands and showed that we love our neighbours to the south. I'm sure if we are all more respectful of the protesting ethnic malays and comprimised, we'd reach an understanding. Maybe we can start with some of the better parts of sharia law. That would put a stop to those daily muggings on Phuket. Once the locals see a few amputees, they'll get the message. And it might do some good for Pattaya as a few public lashings would clear out those nasty drunks that make the font page of the local rags every week, Personally, I think Hua Hin would benefit if we could get some of those bargils to wear burqas or hijabs. The hideousness quotient of some of them would certainly be reduced.

"Much ado about nothing" ?, More like A Comedy of Errors IMHO.

"With the leadership and guidance of the brilliant Thai army strategists". Crikey, what would Baldrick say?

"....if we are all more respectful of the protesting ethnic Malays" Yes, let's have tea with the local version of theTaliban.

"Maybe we can start with some of the better parts of sharia law." Yes, amputations, lashings and

stonings. Now we can apply 6th century answers to 21st century problems. (I do realize you were being facetious gk.

"......get some of those bargils (sic) to wear burqas or hijabs" A major part of the problem with Islam is that they,the men, (the women don't count) are all thinking of the 72 virgins waiting for them when they've been killed or blown themselves up.

For those that can't wait, the entertainment Meccas of Hat Yai and the other southern border towns, eagerly satisfy the sexual appetites of the Islamic warriors with lusty Thai women (at a price of course) .

Ergo All's Well That Ends Well.

I heard there has been marked downturn in volunteers for sucide bombers......now that they have seen Susan Boyle and realise what a virgin looks like

"Bloody conflict threatens Thailand's security"

I'm surprised that somebody has finally realised this.

After all it started long before 2K4 however only after

that time frame...well...still nothing has been done

by any side of the conflict (seriously) save for Chalerm

getting drunk in Kuala Lumpur after the talks which

may not have gone anywhere.

edited to change a "t" to a "y"...bulgingdigititis...

Edited January 17, 201313 yr by sunshine51

Bloody conflict threatens Thailand's security

Ya think ?

You beat me to it!

Another amazing headline by The Nation!

Who would have thought that security might be threatened by a bloody conflict!

This journalist at least has the courage to call it what it is; a civil war.

Another legacy of the convicted criminal Thaksin, seems everything he touches turns to death and destruction..

"In the 1980s, the Thai government reversed its assimilation policy under the premiership of General Prem Tinsulanonda. Prem supported cultural rights and economic development in the historically marginalized region, and also worked with the Malaysian government to enhance security in the southern border area. By the late 1990s, the separatist movement fell quiet. But when Thaksin Shinawatra became prime minister in 2001, a new series of separatist attacks began. His government responded aggressively, causing renewed bloodshed. Many blame his reaction for exacerbating tensions. Joseph Liow Chin Yong, an expert on Southeast Asian Muslim politics at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, says the current violence stems from Thaksin's "policy missteps, one after another."On January 4, 2004, unidentified gunmen raided an army ammunition depot in Narathiwat Province in the early morning, and made off with over 400 rifles and other ammunition. All four senior noncomissioned officers guarding the depot were murdered, with then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra famously saying they deserved to die for being careless. This quickly led to large scale violence, with insurgents killing 600 people in a series of bombings and shootings aimed mainly at the police and the military, but also killing many civilians............In July 2005, Thaksin Shinawatra, then Prime Minister of Thailand, assumed wide-ranging emergency powers to deal with the insurgency. In September 2006, Army Commander Sonthi Boonyaratkalin was granted an extraordinary increase in executive powers to combat the unrest"

Bloody conflict threatens Thailand's security

Ya think ?

You beat me to it!

Another amazing headline by The Nation!

Who would have thought that security might be threatened by a bloody conflict!

Much ado about nothing. DPM Chalerm has the matter well in hand. With the leadership and guidance of the brilliant Thai army strategists...

This post reads like pure hyperbole or satire, but others seem to be taking it seriously. Can't possibly be serious (?)

Same long running problem, different day, different spin.