General Sonthi Boonyaratglin

[midas]

I read this morning that General Sonthi Boonyaratglin the Acting PM is a Muslim

I didnt know this before.

If this is the case, maybe he and the new government have a better

chance of negotiating a truce in the South ?

Who knows - they might prove to more productive

than the ousted PM ?

[meadish_sweetball]

He was appointed commander in chief around this time last year, and according to analysts at the time, was chosen partly for being a muslim in the hopes that this would improve the Southern situation.

Whether his cooperation with the Thaksin administration was smooth or not throughout his first year in command is a question I cannot answer, but my suspicion is NO.

[udon]

Sonthi has been to the south many times and is no pushover.

Taksin has been , how many times?

[Rinrada]

Now the he is is head Honcho I suppose he could maybe give the 3 wee bits of bothersome territory..Patani..etc in the South back to Malaysia and ........problem solved ...yeah....

[Pakboong]

This now poses a bigger problem for the Israelis, US and Britian. I don't expect they will sit idly by and let this guy plot his own course.

[britmaveric]

Now the he is is head Honcho I suppose he could maybe give the 3 wee bits of bothersome territory..Patani..etc in the South back to Malaysia and ........problem solved ...yeah....

doubtful

[jdinasia]

This now poses a bigger problem for the Israelis, US and Britian. I don't expect they will sit idly by and let this guy plot his own course.

WHAT???????????

[carpediem]

This now poses a bigger problem for the Israelis, US and Britian. I don't expect they will sit idly by and let this guy plot his own course.

WHAT???????????

jd - yours is obviously an unpopular stance.

It is revealing and disheartening to see the consternation among so many farang that a Sonthi should be a muslim. The thais suffer no such animosities. Though like most countries they resist separatist movements. (Spain-basques; Italy-south tyrol; and many others outside europe have/had these problems). Intelligent people seem unable to distinguish separatist, nationalist, ethnic conflicts from 'muslim' - whereas they have no such difficulty when the movement is made up of non-muslims; for example these days there are the tamils fighting the (buddhist) sri lankan government. Yes it's disheartening - and it tends to confirm to the islamic world the west's prejudice or hypocrisy.

[udon]

This now poses a bigger problem for the Israelis, US and Britian. I don't expect they will sit idly by and let this guy plot his own course.

You are weird.....

Sonthi has the backing of all the armed forces & me.

[sbk]

This now poses a bigger problem for the Israelis, US and Britian. I don't expect they will sit idly by and let this guy plot his own course.

Perhaps you should learn a bit more about Gen Sondhi before assuming he will "plot his own course".

[udon]

This now poses a bigger problem for the Israelis, US and Britian. I don't expect they will sit idly by and let this guy plot his own course.

WHAT???????????

jd - yours is obviously an unpopular stance.

It is revealing and disheartening to see the consternation among so many farang that a Sonthi should be a muslim. The thais suffer no such animosities. Though like most countries they resist separatist movements. (Spain-basques; Italy-south tyrol; and many others outside europe have/had these problems). Intelligent people seem unable to distinguish separatist, nationalist, ethnic conflicts from 'muslim' - whereas they have no such difficulty when the movement is made up of non-muslims; for example these days there are the tamils fighting the (buddhist) sri lankan government. Yes it's disheartening - and it tends to confirm to the islamic world the west's prejudice or hypocrisy.

I think that you have misunderstood JD's one word post.

[Pakboong]

Anyone with an ability to zoom out on the problems in the south and who also understand that there are "first world" intelligence agencies whose day job is to create civil unrest in order to demonize the muslims, would understand my post.

When these guys go to work each day with unlimited funding behind them, they are looking for ways to keep the muslims in the news in the most negative ways possible. This is what they are chartered to do 24/7.

Understanding Bush's position on Iran, Iraq, etc... is the same position he has with all Muslims that can be exploilted for his political view.

[carpediem]

didn't pick up the irony in pakboong's original post. so withdraw mine.

(but i don't think i miunderstood jd one word response.)

[george]

Off topic. Thread closed.