' Peace Process' Will Unravel As Truth Emerges: Thai Editorial

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
'Peace process' will unravel as truth emerges
The Nation

Thai authorities, in their haste to help Thaksin Shinawatra, have botched the latest attempt to the end the insurgency in the deep South

BANGKOK: -- We have to wonder why the Thai authorities didn't ask Hasan Taib - the self-proclaimed "liaison" for the separatist Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Coordinate (BRN-C) - to prove that he has command and control of Malay-Muslim insurgents on the ground before they signed the February 28 "peace agreement" with him?

National Security Council chief Lieutenant General Paradon Pattanatabut said Hasan has until the next scheduled meeting, on June 13, to demonstrate that he has influence over the militants in the three southernmost provinces. But he did not go as far as saying that, otherwise, the peace process would come to an end.

Paradon was responding to Hasan's five demands - the release of all prisoners convicted of security- and insurgency-related charges; elevating the Malaysian government's status from "facilitator" to "mediator"; permission for international NGOs, Asean members and the Organisation of Islamic Conference to join the process; and recognising the BRN-C as a "liberation" organisation, not a "separatist" group.

Sources in various separatist organisations - including BRN-C cadres who call Hasan and his associates opportunists and a "Thai creation" - have said the "peace agreement" was doomed to fail from the beginning. Hasanm they point our, does not have the blessing of the real BRN-C or other long-standing separatist groups.

Moreover, sources in the Thai government say the thinking behind this peace plan came from a small number of people whose priority is to whitewash former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the current administration headed by his sister Yingluck.

The Army, the Foreign Ministry and just about every security and intelligence agency were caught off guard by the peace plan. They were only informed of it days before the February 28 signing.

Keep in mind that Thaksin's roughshod handling of the insurgency in the deep South was one of the reasons the coup-makers decided to oust him in September 2006. Now Yingluck has been travelling abroad talking about her administration's good heart for extending an olive branch to the insurgents.

According to BRN-C sources not affiliated with Hasan's camp as well as other long-standing separatist groups, the five demands are designed to derail the talks initiated on February 28. The peace agreement was never genuine, they say, because Hasan was forced into signing it by the Malaysian authorities - at the insistence of Thaksin's camp.

Certainly there are other ways to derail the process, such as Hasan admitting that the entire thing is a set-up to save Thaksin's hide.

But what would the consequences be if Hasan were to say that outright? One can only imagine the furore. So the logical thing to do was to demand agreement to these five points, knowing that the Thai authorities could never go along with them for legal and political reasons.

"Team Thaksin" - which is made up of Paradon, the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre secretary-general, Police Colonel Thawee Sodsong, and a number of trusted politicians, including those from the government's Wadah faction - naively thought the Pheu Thai strategy designed to save Thaksin's skin could also bring peace to the deep South.

Perhaps the promise of rewards awaiting them was so overwhelming that they were unable to resist the temptation to set up this over-optimistic "peace process".


-- The Nation 2013-05-03

[ramrod711]

Perhaps the promise of rewards awaiting them was so overwhelming that they were unable to resist the temptation to set up this over-optimistic "peace process".

One has to wonder what the urgency is to bring Thaksin back now. This government, with the mandate they have from the people and the popularity of Yingluck have an opportunity to make peoples live better, but all they are concerned about is bringing big brother back. Perhaps the promised rewards are the main concern.

[WhizBang]

One has to wonder what the urgency is to bring Thaksin back now. This government, with the mandate they have from the people and the popularity of Yingluck have an opportunity to make peoples live better, but all they are concerned about is bringing big brother back. Perhaps the promised rewards are the main concern.

Bringing Thaksin back was ALWAYS the number 1 goal of this administration. That, and lining their pockets with the contents of the treasury coffers, which they have done an outstanding job of so doing.

It was NEVER about improving the lives of the little people, nor of improving the country.

It was/is always about Thaksin and money, especially, HIS money. But also, let's not forget the insatiable lust for power that Thaksin has too.

[chainarong]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

[IMA_FARANG]

The "insurgency" in the south has been festering for years.

it can not be solved in a short time, or by talking to one of the many groups that are involved.

Prior to the 1930's those provinces in the south of Thailand were partially autonomous and had their own local government systems in conjunction with the Thai government authorities.

Those provinces were ceded to the then Kingdom of Siam in about 1900 by an agreement with the then British Empire in Malaya.

The Thais were given the right to control those provinces in exchange for giving up all claims to the Malay area of a state in Eastern Malaya,

The British need that Malay territory in Eastern Malaya to consolidate there control of Malaya.

I believe (though I could be mistaken) that the agreement was known as the treaty of Bangkok and signed in 1902 between the British and the then Kingdom of Thailand. It gave Thailand control of the area that later became these "Thai southern provinces" and the Thais gave up any claims to other territory in Malaya for those provinces.

For the first 20 to 30 years the parallel Thai and local governments co-operated in running those provinces.

In the 1930's a very nationalistic Thai military ruler came to power in Thailand.

He benefited politically from a very nationalistic "Thai first" policy; and he began stripping away many of the local Muslim friendly government benefits, and enforcing a more Thai centered government.

As an exam[le he changed the local education system to a Thai based education system taught in Thai.

Prior to these changes there had been a mostly unified Muslim based political party.

This Muslim based political party was regarded as being to pro Thai, and other Muslim organizations began to develop to oppose the mainstream Muslim political party.

Of course, WW2 intervened and basically put everything on hold until the end of the war.

In the 1950's with the independence of Malaya the British Empire was no longer in the game.

Since the1960's more radical Islamic parties have also joined the game.

Bottom line, the old Muslim political party (of which the BRN is basically what's left of the moderate wing) has been losing it's influence.

Far more radical Islamist groups have taken over, especially for the more radicalized youth, and the BRN is regarded by many of those youth as "traitors" in collusion with the Thais in the "oppression" of the Muslim minority.

My main point here: this Southern province "problem": took years to develop, and therefore it won't be solved quickly.

It will take years of good will to rebuild the trust of moderates on both sides of the problem, and co-operation of all parties.

That won't be easy, or a quick process,

Both sides need to grow up and see the reality of the complex problem to solve it with time.

[Sing_Sling]

^ Well said

[LuckyLew]

Bring TS back and make him live in the South of Thailand

[Arkady]

"Keep in mind that Thaksin's roughshod handling of the insurgency in the
deep South was one of the reasons the coup-makers decided to oust him in
September 2006. Now Yingluck has been travelling abroad talking about
her administration's good heart for extending an olive branch to the
insurgents.

According to BRN-C sources not affiliated with Hasan's camp as well as
other long-standing separatist groups, the five demands are designed to
derail the talks initiated on February 28. The peace agreement was never
genuine, they say, because Hasan was forced into signing it by the
Malaysian authorities - at the insistence of Thaksin's camp."

Nuff said. The peace talks were a sham from the beginning. Hasan was a stooge put up to the Malaysians by Pheua Thai's ineffectual Wadah faction in the South.

[Arkady]

The "insurgency" in the south has been festering for years.

it can not be solved in a short time, or by talking to one of the many groups that are involved.

Prior to the 1930's those provinces in the south of Thailand were partially autonomous and had their own local government systems in conjunction with the Thai government authorities.

Those provinces were ceded to the then Kingdom of Siam in about 1900 by an agreement with the then British Empire in Malaya.

The Thais were given the right to control those provinces in exchange for giving up all claims to the Malay area of a state in Eastern Malaya,

The British need that Malay territory in Eastern Malaya to consolidate there control of Malaya.

I believe (though I could be mistaken) that the agreement was known as the treaty of Bangkok and signed in 1902 between the British and the then Kingdom of Thailand. It gave Thailand control of the area that later became these "Thai southern provinces" and the Thais gave up any claims to other territory in Malaya for those provinces.

For the first 20 to 30 years the parallel Thai and local governments co-operated in running those provinces.

In the 1930's a very nationalistic Thai military ruler came to power in Thailand.

He benefited politically from a very nationalistic "Thai first" policy; and he began stripping away many of the local Muslim friendly government benefits, and enforcing a more Thai centered government.

As an exam[le he changed the local education system to a Thai based education system taught in Thai.

Prior to these changes there had been a mostly unified Muslim based political party.

This Muslim based political party was regarded as being to pro Thai, and other Muslim organizations began to develop to oppose the mainstream Muslim political party.

Of course, WW2 intervened and basically put everything on hold until the end of the war.

In the 1950's with the independence of Malaya the British Empire was no longer in the game.

Since the1960's more radical Islamic parties have also joined the game.

Bottom line, the old Muslim political party (of which the BRN is basically what's left of the moderate wing) has been losing it's influence.

Far more radical Islamist groups have taken over, especially for the more radicalized youth, and the BRN is regarded by many of those youth as "traitors" in collusion with the Thais in the "oppression" of the Muslim minority.

My main point here: this Southern province "problem": took years to develop, and therefore it won't be solved quickly.

It will take years of good will to rebuild the trust of moderates on both sides of the problem, and co-operation of all parties.

That won't be easy, or a quick process,

Both sides need to grow up and see the reality of the complex problem to solve it with time.

Rama V ceded control of the other Malay states that the Siamese had only loose control over anyway but retained the Sultanate of Pattani where Siamese influence and control had been more deeply entrenched in the vassal state. In return the British provided the loans he wanted to finish his railway system and extend it to the new border with the Unfederated Malay States.

In WW2 Thailand under the nationalistic government you mention, Thailand reneged on the Anglo Siam treaty and re-annexed the Malay states they had held previously and stationed garrisons of Thai troops. They were exceedingly unpopular in those states and the Malays couldn't wait for the wait for the British, who respected local laws and customs of all races, to come back which they did in 1947. Thailand also successfully invaded the weakly garrisoned (Vichy) French Indo-China provinces of Battambang and Siem Reap in Cambodia and the British Shan States in Burma after the British had been driven out by the Japanese.

In the 40s the Pibun government with its crazy Thai supepremacist policies went so far as to make it a criminal offence for ethnic Malays to speak Malay anywhere, even in their own homes. I am not sure how many prosecutions resulted. A British reporter for the Straits Times in the late 40s went on a tour of the 3 Southernmost Thai provinces and reported a now sickeningly familiar tale of abductions, torture and extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the Thai security forces.

The BRN and other groups probably had a measure of control of the insurgents on the ground in the 70s but now the problem is that they have organised themselves into a small cell structure on the model of the FLN insurgency against the French in Algeria. Cell members only know the members of their own cell, except the cell leader who knows one member of another cell who is his controller and who in turn knows only the member of the cell below that he controls and the person above who controls him. The French paras and Deuxieme Bureau tortured hundreds of captured and suspected FLN members in Algeria with blow torches to the genitals etc but never broke it or got close to its leadership which went on to become the government of independent Algeria. It seems that the Thai army and police are equally willing to employ torture but most of the insurgents they capture can't give away information about anyone outside their immediate cell of 5 or 6 people, even if they burn their genitals right off.

Yes, the problem has been a very long time in the making and has been made with much bitterness and cruelty from both sides. There is nothing happening today that comes anywhere close to looking like a solution.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Arkady

[MrSlatersParrot]

The genus of the problem can then be seen with the Pibun right wing nationalist regime stemming from their treatment of the malay in the south, joining the nazis and Japanese Axis the same day that Pearl Harbor was attacked.

It's worth therefore remembering that pridi Banomyong, thailand's true hero and founder of democracy in Thailand, a socialist to boot, was ambassador to the us at the time. Pibun ordered pridi to declare war against the us and Britain.

He refused and helped set up the Thai resistance.

He was regent of Thailand after the war. He drew up plans for the redistribution of wealth from the feudal elite.

Well that didn't happen and he had to flee and died an exile in France.

My point being that it is not the liberal elite who helped foster the problems in the south nor the rest of the country.

It is those who have propagated 17 coups so far who are responsible. For me there is a clear divide. The Thai army takes the lions share of the blame for the current crisis.

In Britain we had to talk to the IRA. The Irish have long memories that the English forget.

[Locationthailand]

"...Certainly there are other ways to derail the process, such as Hasan admitting that the entire thing is a set-up to save Thaksin's hide."

Do it, do it, do it... Then let's get back to reality. BRN et al are nothing short or scum terrorists bombing, maiming and killing in the name of jihad. Liberationalists? Laughable... The sooner this pathetic group is wiped from humanity the safer the world, not just Thailand, will become.

[hellodolly]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

[hellodolly]

The "insurgency" in the south has been festering for years.

it can not be solved in a short time, or by talking to one of the many groups that are involved.

Prior to the 1930's those provinces in the south of Thailand were partially autonomous and had their own local government systems in conjunction with the Thai government authorities.

Those provinces were ceded to the then Kingdom of Siam in about 1900 by an agreement with the then British Empire in Malaya.

The Thais were given the right to control those provinces in exchange for giving up all claims to the Malay area of a state in Eastern Malaya,

The British need that Malay territory in Eastern Malaya to consolidate there control of Malaya.

I believe (though I could be mistaken) that the agreement was known as the treaty of Bangkok and signed in 1902 between the British and the then Kingdom of Thailand. It gave Thailand control of the area that later became these "Thai southern provinces" and the Thais gave up any claims to other territory in Malaya for those provinces.

For the first 20 to 30 years the parallel Thai and local governments co-operated in running those provinces.

In the 1930's a very nationalistic Thai military ruler came to power in Thailand.

He benefited politically from a very nationalistic "Thai first" policy; and he began stripping away many of the local Muslim friendly government benefits, and enforcing a more Thai centered government.

As an exam[le he changed the local education system to a Thai based education system taught in Thai.

Prior to these changes there had been a mostly unified Muslim based political party.

This Muslim based political party was regarded as being to pro Thai, and other Muslim organizations began to develop to oppose the mainstream Muslim political party.

Of course, WW2 intervened and basically put everything on hold until the end of the war.

In the 1950's with the independence of Malaya the British Empire was no longer in the game.

Since the1960's more radical Islamic parties have also joined the game.

Bottom line, the old Muslim political party (of which the BRN is basically what's left of the moderate wing) has been losing it's influence.

Far more radical Islamist groups have taken over, especially for the more radicalized youth, and the BRN is regarded by many of those youth as "traitors" in collusion with the Thais in the "oppression" of the Muslim minority.

My main point here: this Southern province "problem": took years to develop, and therefore it won't be solved quickly.

It will take years of good will to rebuild the trust of moderates on both sides of the problem, and co-operation of all parties.

That won't be easy, or a quick process,

Both sides need to grow up and see the reality of the complex problem to solve it with time.

Interesting history lesson.

Are the Malaysian provinces Siam gave up trying to reunite with the southern three provinces of Thailand.

Are they living in daily fear of terrorists. Or are they content because they have the Muslim law in place for them.

[PREM-R]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

The very name Shinawatra Abhisit is synonymous with violence. Remind me who is it that is facing murder charges?

[jbrain]

BANGKOK: -- We have to wonder why the Thai authorities didn't ask Hasan Taib - the self-proclaimed "liaison" for the separatist Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Coordinate (BRN-C) - to prove that he has command and control of Malay-Muslim insurgents on the ground before they signed the February 28 "peace agreement" with him?

Well the answer to that question is quite obvious, not ?

Thai, Malaysian Leaders Say Thaksin Involved In Peace Process

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/622698-thai-malaysian-leaders-say-thaksin-involved-in-peace-process/?hl=%20thaksin%20%20involved%20%20in%20%20peace

[hellodolly]

The genus of the problem can then be seen with the Pibun right wing nationalist regime stemming from their treatment of the malay in the south, joining the nazis and Japanese Axis the same day that Pearl Harbor was attacked.

It's worth therefore remembering that pridi Banomyong, thailand's true hero and founder of democracy in Thailand, a socialist to boot, was ambassador to the us at the time. Pibun ordered pridi to declare war against the us and Britain.

He refused and helped set up the Thai resistance.

He was regent of Thailand after the war. He drew up plans for the redistribution of wealth from the feudal elite.

Well that didn't happen and he had to flee and died an exile in France.

My point being that it is not the liberal elite who helped foster the problems in the south nor the rest of the country.

It is those who have propagated 17 coups so far who are responsible. For me there is a clear divide. The Thai army takes the lions share of the blame for the current crisis.

In Britain we had to talk to the IRA. The Irish have long memories that the English forget.

I believe there was only one unit of resistance in Ireland the IRA not a constantly changing hand full of them. And the IRA had their own political party to maintain contact with the English.

Not even in the same ball park as the southern provinces.

[muttley]

Well the nation certainly pins its heart on its sleeve. I don't think they support this government .

Can anybody tell me what these sentences have to do with the Peace Process?

"Thai authorities, in their haste to help Thaksin Shinawatra, have botched the latest attempt to the end the insurgency in the deep South"

"Moreover, sources in the Thai government say the thinking behind this peace plan came from a small number of people whose priority is to whitewash former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the current administration headed by his sister Yingluck."

"Certainly there are other ways to derail the process, such as Hasan admitting that the entire thing is a set-up to save Thaksin's hide."

Yet in the entire rant there is not a jot of evidence how the peace plan is supposed to help, whitewash or save Thaksins hide.

What a pathetic, nasty little piece of "journalism"

Edited May 3, 2013 by muttley

[MrSlatersParrot]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

The very name Shinawatra Abhisit is synonymous with violence. Remind me who is it that is facing murder charges?

Abhisit shall also be remembered for his BRT bus Walled-off lanes. You know the bus lanes where the bus comes just once every half hour.

I passed it yesterday in Silom. Very impressive but no patrons waiting. Are you gonna wait half hour for the bus?

In London we have bus lanes where every few minutes a bus will come. People complain there are too many buses.

I guess nobody planning and spending all this money for walled-off bus lanes ever would use the service.

[Pimay1]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

The very name Shinawatra Abhisit is synonymous with violence. Remind me who is it that is facing murder charges?

It would be interesting to know who the families of the 2,000+ people murdered in K.T war on drugs, families of the Krue Se Mosque murders and the families of the deaths of the Tak Bai event would like to face murder charges.

[MikeOboe57]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

The very name Shinawatra Abhisit is synonymous with violence. Remind me who is it that is facing murder charges?

Falling for this hideous charade set up by the Thaksin subordinate and DSI chief Tarit is not something one should brag about.

[muttley]

The genus of the problem can then be seen with the Pibun right wing nationalist regime stemming from their treatment of the malay in the south, joining the nazis and Japanese Axis the same day that Pearl Harbor was attacked.

It's worth therefore remembering that pridi Banomyong, thailand's true hero and founder of democracy in Thailand, a socialist to boot, was ambassador to the us at the time. Pibun ordered pridi to declare war against the us and Britain.

He refused and helped set up the Thai resistance.

He was regent of Thailand after the war. He drew up plans for the redistribution of wealth from the feudal elite.

Well that didn't happen and he had to flee and died an exile in France.

My point being that it is not the liberal elite who helped foster the problems in the south nor the rest of the country.

It is those who have propagated 17 coups so far who are responsible. For me there is a clear divide. The Thai army takes the lions share of the blame for the current crisis.

In Britain we had to talk to the IRA. The Irish have long memories that the English forget.

I believe there was only one unit of resistance in Ireland the IRA not a constantly changing hand full of them. And the IRA had their own political party to maintain contact with the English.

Not even in the same ball park as the southern provinces.

You believe wrong, very wrong.

[OzMick]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

The very name Shinawatra Abhisit is synonymous with violence. Remind me who is it that is facing murder charges?

Should I also remind you who has fled the country to avoid charges being laid, as well as his conviction?

[hellodolly]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

The very name Shinawatra Abhisit is synonymous with violence. Remind me who is it that is facing murder charges?

The PTP are bringing all kinds of phoney charges up so as the public will not ask them why they are not charging people like Thaksin who paid money to have terrorists take illegal possession of parts of downtown Bangkok knowing that they were armed and death would occur,

I know it is hard for you to grasp but when there was a coup against Thaksin it was bloodless, When Thaksin attempted a coup against Abhist it was not bloodless. The people did not want him back. That is why when he ran for reelection using a clone he received less than half the votes and of the ones he received many were not for him they were for the clone.

Thailand does not want Thaksin back unless it is to do his time in jail and answer for his many other crimes.

[MrSlatersParrot]

The genus of the problem can then be seen with the Pibun right wing nationalist regime stemming from their treatment of the malay in the south, joining the nazis and Japanese Axis the same day that Pearl Harbor was attacked.

It's worth therefore remembering that pridi Banomyong, thailand's true hero and founder of democracy in Thailand, a socialist to boot, was ambassador to the us at the time. Pibun ordered pridi to declare war against the us and Britain.

He refused and helped set up the Thai resistance.

He was regent of Thailand after the war. He drew up plans for the redistribution of wealth from the feudal elite.

Well that didn't happen and he had to flee and died an exile in France.

My point being that it is not the liberal elite who helped foster the problems in the south nor the rest of the country.

It is those who have propagated 17 coups so far who are responsible. For me there is a clear divide. The Thai army takes the lions share of the blame for the current crisis.

In Britain we had to talk to the IRA. The Irish have long memories that the English forget.

I believe there was only one unit of resistance in Ireland the IRA not a constantly changing hand full of them. And the IRA had their own political party to maintain contact with the English.

Not even in the same ball park as the southern provinces.

Oh right yes well let's see. There was the official IRA. Then the provisional IRA. Then the Irish liberation army. Then there were splinter groups and let's not forget the other side. The unionists and the UDA etc.

The dems and their "status quo" supporters want no dialogue with anyone.

[OzMick]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

The very name Shinawatra Abhisit is synonymous with violence. Remind me who is it that is facing murder charges?

Abhisit shall also be remembered for his BRT bus Walled-off lanes. You know the bus lanes where the bus comes just once every half hour.

I passed it yesterday in Silom. Very impressive but no patrons waiting. Are you gonna wait half hour for the bus?

In London we have bus lanes where every few minutes a bus will come. People complain there are too many buses.

I guess nobody planning and spending all this money for walled-off bus lanes ever would use the service.

Did it occur to you that you missed the bus?

[bigbamboo]

Unfortunately for any peace process because of past actions,Tak Bai in particular, the number one hate figure in the south is a Shinawatra. It is extremely unlikely that any real progress will be made under the present regime.

[MrSlatersParrot]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

The very name Shinawatra Abhisit is synonymous with violence. Remind me who is it that is facing murder charges?

It would be interesting to know who the families of the 2,000+ people murdered in K.T war on drugs, families of the Krue Se Mosque murders and the families of the deaths of the Tak Bai event would like to face murder charges.

Well as to the Krue se mosque it was the Thai army whot dunnit!

Pure humbug!

This ain't Kansas. If the Mexican government declared all out war ( and they have done in the past) against the drug barons the majority of the Mexican population would applaud.

So too did they here in Thailand.

As we know the BIB and members of the army are involved in the production, importation and distribution of yaba etc in Thailand.

Rewards were offered for arrests in posession to get results only these warped from caught in possession to "resisting arrest"and drugs found (planted) on bodies.

The cop shop where the cops currently out on bail with death sentences were stationed were responsible for another 27 unexplained deaths.

60,000 people were detained for drug offences at the same time. It was a massive operation.

Under abhisit there was zilch. Of course the status quo had to be preserved.

Hardly a day goes by now without reading about drug busts here now.

[MrSlatersParrot]

There possibly will be no peace with a Surname like Shinawatra walking the corridors of power.

The very name Shinawatra is synonymous with violence.

The very name Shinawatra Abhisit is synonymous with violence. Remind me who is it that is facing murder charges?

The PTP are bringing all kinds of phoney charges up so as the public will not ask them why they are not charging people like Thaksin who paid money to have terrorists take illegal possession of parts of downtown Bangkok knowing that they were armed and death would occur,

I know it is hard for you to grasp but when there was a coup against Thaksin it was bloodless, When Thaksin attempted a coup against Abhist it was not bloodless. The people did not want him back. That is why when he ran for reelection using a clone he received less than half the votes and of the ones he received many were not for him they were for the clone.

Thailand does not want Thaksin back unless it is to do his time in jail and answer for his many other crimes.

Here a supporter of "bloodless coup."

You're not from Kansas?

Coups popular in your home country?

They are here amongst a certain crowd here.

17 and counting.

The people do want him back but you won't read it in your newspaper.

Thaksin's many other crimes....... Are what?

Obviously so far you approve of the theft of his money? Check out what he actually did for pay as you go networks. All approved by the courts at the time.

The 2 year prison sentence, we were assured that Interpol were after him, haha. They never were and aren't.

It's pretty rum when you get 2 years for letting your wife buy land in a PUBLIC auction with her own money!

[Sing_Sling]

The "insurgency" in the south has been festering for years.

it can not be solved in a short time, or by talking to one of the many groups that are involved.

Prior to the 1930's those provinces in the south of Thailand were partially autonomous and had their own local government systems in conjunction with the Thai government authorities.

Those provinces were ceded to the then Kingdom of Siam in about 1900 by an agreement with the then British Empire in Malaya.

The Thais were given the right to control those provinces in exchange for giving up all claims to the Malay area of a state in Eastern Malaya,

The British need that Malay territory in Eastern Malaya to consolidate there control of Malaya.

I believe (though I could be mistaken) that the agreement was known as the treaty of Bangkok and signed in 1902 between the British and the then Kingdom of Thailand. It gave Thailand control of the area that later became these "Thai southern provinces" and the Thais gave up any claims to other territory in Malaya for those provinces.

For the first 20 to 30 years the parallel Thai and local governments co-operated in running those provinces.

In the 1930's a very nationalistic Thai military ruler came to power in Thailand.

He benefited politically from a very nationalistic "Thai first" policy; and he began stripping away many of the local Muslim friendly government benefits, and enforcing a more Thai centered government.

As an exam[le he changed the local education system to a Thai based education system taught in Thai.

Prior to these changes there had been a mostly unified Muslim based political party.

This Muslim based political party was regarded as being to pro Thai, and other Muslim organizations began to develop to oppose the mainstream Muslim political party.

Of course, WW2 intervened and basically put everything on hold until the end of the war.

In the 1950's with the independence of Malaya the British Empire was no longer in the game.

Since the1960's more radical Islamic parties have also joined the game.

Bottom line, the old Muslim political party (of which the BRN is basically what's left of the moderate wing) has been losing it's influence.

Far more radical Islamist groups have taken over, especially for the more radicalized youth, and the BRN is regarded by many of those youth as "traitors" in collusion with the Thais in the "oppression" of the Muslim minority.

My main point here: this Southern province "problem": took years to develop, and therefore it won't be solved quickly.

It will take years of good will to rebuild the trust of moderates on both sides of the problem, and co-operation of all parties.

That won't be easy, or a quick process,

Both sides need to grow up and see the reality of the complex problem to solve it with time.

Interesting history lesson.

Are the Malaysian provinces Siam gave up trying to reunite with the southern three provinces of Thailand.

Are they living in daily fear of terrorists. Or are they content because they have the Muslim law in place for them.

As usual when it comes to this topic you are frighteningly ignorant. Malaysia does not have hudud/sharia law in lace but you seem to forget that every time you are provided links to that effect . . . and Malaysia has no interest in absorbing the southern provinces . . . yet another point you keep raising and keep getting proven wrong.

Unfortunately for any peace process because of past actions,Tak Bai in particular, the number one hate figure in the south is a Shinawatra. It is extremely unlikely that any real progress will be made under the present regime.

It is unlikely that any real progress will be made under any government - or can you show me where Abisith's reign coincided with harmony in the south.

This is both a face-saving exercise (Thais giving up any of 'their' territory???) and simple bloody-mindedness by Bangkok . . . with bloodshed from both sides added to the mixture

[backtonormal]

One has to wonder what the urgency is to bring Thaksin back now. This government, with the mandate they have from the people and the popularity of Yingluck have an opportunity to make peoples live better, but all they are concerned about is bringing big brother back. Perhaps the promised rewards are the main concern.

Bringing Thaksin back was ALWAYS the number 1 goal of this administration. That, and lining their pockets with the contents of the treasury coffers, which they have done an outstanding job of so doing.

It was NEVER about improving the lives of the little people, nor of improving the country.

It was/is always about Thaksin and money, especially, HIS money. But also, let's not forget the insatiable lust for power that Thaksin has too.

What has this post got to do with the Peace process. Please supply some evidence or links. A PAD hymn sheet is not evidence