Thailand Next Target Of Terror

[Spellbound]

Thailand next target of terror,

Published on Mar 20, 2004

An intellectual and writer warned yesterday that Thailand is in a state of war and will soon make world headlines as another victim of terrorism.

Thienchai Wongchaisuwan, better known by his pen name Yuk Sri-arya Thienchai, said a terrorist attack was imminent thanks to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's support for the US invasion of Iraq and his mishandling of the conflict in the South.

"He has brought September 11 to Thailand - it won't be long before Thailand will be on the news," Thienchai said at a Thammasat University symposium marking the first anniversary of the US-led strike against Iraq.

Although citizens might be unaware of "this de facto state of war yet, they - especially those in Bangkok - were soon likely to be drawn into it", he said.

"Newsweek [magazine] called the attacks in Spain the 'second September 11'," Thienchai said of this month's Madrid train bombings. "The third one could be in Bangkok or Phuket … I don't know where the violence will end, but more Thais [in the South] will kill one another."

Charan Maruleem, a political scientist at Thammasat, said that while Saudi Arabia's oil supplies were expected to last another 80 years and Kuwait's 50, Iraq's reserves were estimated to be good for many hundreds of years, perhaps even 1,000.

Although Washington is right to call Saddam Hussein a dictator, Charan said, it had no qualms about supporting Saudi Arabia, where political opposition was not tolerated and women were not even permitted to drive.

"What's more, while Muslims are accused of being fundamentalists, Christians can drop bombs and kill people without being questioned."

Muslims were being demonised in southern Thailand, said Charan, who is a Muslim, as religious schools were branded by the government "breeding grounds for terrorism".

Charan, a friend of Thai-Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelapaichit, who had disappeared and is believed to have been kidnapped, said the climate of violence had spread even to hospitals in the deep South, with many doctors and nurses wanting to move away.

"The South will be a land of fire if the government doesn't handle it properly," he said.

More criticism on the US came from Asada Jayanama, former Thai ambassador to the United Nations, who claimed that prior to the invasion of Iraq, Washington used its bilateral relations to prevent the matter of Iraq coming before the UN General Assembly.

Asada said Thailand had abandoned any semblance of supporting multilateralism, pursuing instead the benefits of a free trade agreement with the US.

"I can't say who will exactly benefit from such a deal - would it be the big businesses?" he said.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

Subhatra Bhumiprabhas

THE NATION

[TizMe]

Saudi Arabia, where political opposition was not tolerated and women were not even permitted to drive.

We better invade Saudi Arabia so that women wil be permitted to drive.

Finally, we have found the WMD. Women Mustn't Drive.

[englishoak]

According to Thai friends the problem in the south is an old one that flares up from time to time nothing new. At the moment it is of special interest due to sept 11/ Muslim connections.

Also true is the US hypocrisy in choosing it's bad boy's and friends ie: Iraq & Saudi Arabia. It was always about oil, money and power .World problems will continue to be about the same regardless of other lame or smart excuses.

[Spellbound]

With Muslim Thais killing the Buddhist Thais, animosity must be building. Just a thought, if the perception is that Taksin has / is making the situation worse and there is no culture respect for each other. Surely this news flow make interesting reading and makes falang businesses / tourist areas more likely for a terrorist attack (maybe sooner rather than later).

It has been well publicised that the UK capital is an expected target, along with other major capitals in Europe the threat seem so be more emergent. So if these terrorists were going to make an example of their violence felt in Thailand, it would seem Phuket, Pattaya, Bangkok could well be a target.

A certain bar / restaurant in BKK did give some anxiety when I last visited it, this bar is full of westerners most nights, and I would estimate anywhere up to about 60 or more on busy nights. There is absolutely no security check what so ever when entering this establishment, and it would make a prime target for a political statement by a terror attack. After the Madrid style attack, and the ease of its operation of using mobile phones as detonators on left behind bags. I just feel that some falang owners of such establishments must start to take security seriously. After all, its there businesses that will suffer it such an incident would occur.

I will not name the bar / restaurant that concerns me, but if you read this post again there is a clue.