Congratulations On Successful Action In The South!

[chanchao]

Congratulations to Thailand and to Taksin on dealing with yet another attack by Southern thugs VERY effectively. Even Southern religious leaders seem to agree these young thugs were just that; no great loss removing them from the gene pool.

I was in the South recently (Songkla) and I do love the South like I love any other area of Thailand, and love Southern people, very much including Southern Muslim people who are just as warm and smiling as Thais everywhere. The vast, vast majority will have nothing to do with the attempted terror we saw this morning.

After successfully cleaning up the mess, I hope and trust that the Thai government will now also reach out to the people in the deep South and continue to build a country that is a home for people of all backgrounds.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[sonthaya]

Yes, that was well done, the muslims have to learn to live like humans.

[M&M]

YEAH, well done.... kill more than 100 angry, young people... That's sure to make the situation a lot better... Not that their parents, family, brothers & sisters are going to be really upset...

People in the South are treated like second class citizens.... killing them will not solve the bigger problem.

Pretty narrow minded view guys, lets see if things get "better" or worse.

[englishoak]

the muslims have to learn to live like humans

You should try that advice sometime yourself sonthaya. Pratt!

M&M I agree with you 100% Seems like nothing changes in this world and lessons go unlearnt, I'm sure that Bush and Sharone are very pround of their protégé.

You don't honestly believe that there was over 100 "terrorists" killed do you? Duh! hello

[thaihome]

People in the South are treated like second class citizens....

I have heard that many times, but I'm not sure what it means. Can you give some examples? or are you just repeating what the demagogues down there are saying to stir the people up?

TH

[dr_Pat_Pong]

YEAH, well done.... kill more than 100 angry, young people... That's sure to make the situation a lot better... Not that their parents, family, brothers & sisters are going to be really upset...

People in the South are treated like second class citizens.... killing them will not solve the bigger problem.

Pretty narrow minded view guys, lets see if things get "better" or worse.

Do you think that the authorities should just let 'em do on killing people. A kid glove approach maybe ?

[Dutchy]

Do you think that the authorities should just let 'em do on killing people. A kid glove approach maybe ?

Killing youths armed with machetes is nothing to be proud of, they could have shot them in their legs. Killing all the people in the mosque after police and military "waited for six hours" will not bring sympathy, it's simply unneccesary and no shows no respect for life. The police lost a major chance to obtain more information from the rebels, but on the other hand, they were just youths on drugs and alcohol according to Thaksin, no need to talk then, just shoot them. This makes only sense when one has a Thai brain.

The military and police again showed exessive force of which local people complained for a long time. I sincerely think that these actions will make things worse. People who picked up their relatives for the funeral declined to comment.. That's a bit odd isn't it?

I do not support the muslim's fight in the south but do understand it a little bit more after yesterday's events. Any governmnet that let these things happen does not deserve support..

Dutchy

[taxexile]

This makes only sense when one has a Thai brain

exactly dutchy, and as this is thailand it will make sense to 99.9% of the people in this country.

those thugs (youth armed with handguns and machetes) set out to kill and can have no complaints when their intended targets have exactly the same intention.

in the west it would have certainly been handled differently (roads closed,transport stopped,businesses shut down while a two or three day standoff developed before teams of counsellors and social workers and specialised racial liason operatives could calm things down,all at huge expense to the taxpayers and with great disruption to the normal lives of law abiding members of society)

personally i think the thai way is best and the west could learn a lot from the no-nonsense approach of the thais.

[Padkapow Guy]

personally i think the thai way is best and the west could learn a lot from the no-nonsense approach of the thais.

I could not agree more Tax.

I wish the U.S. would adopt this type of policy. Cut the head off the snake before it has a chance to grow.

I hate the fact that the U.S. is worried about muslims feelings and hold of on attacking mosque's because it is some kind of holy place. When the terrorist hide weapons and themselves in there. This only puts the U.S. troops at a greater risk.

If they choose to hide in a holly mosque then they choose to have it blown up.

I could careless of it historical importance. The soldiers life is more important to me.

[chanchao]

Interesting replies so far, overnight, mostly from people abroad I'd say (up to the last two of course). Now let the expats in Thailand have their say... ;-)

[Johpa]

People in the South are treated like second class citizens.... killing them will not solve the bigger problem.

People in the South are treated like second class citizens as are peoples up north. And peoples from Isaan are treated much worse than the Southern Thai folks. Jeez, you all know how the Akha are treated, and trust me the Karen and Lahu are trated almost as poorly and they all are treated much worse than Muslims in Pattani.

The fallacy being promoted by the "separatists" is that the second class treatment is connected to the Southern most provinces being Muslim.

But I agree, killing 100 poorly educated disenfranchised kids in a setup ambush without attempting to find alternatives will probably not help matters. But then again, the everyone knows the Royal Thai Police rarely take prisoners.

Happy Trails

Johpa

[Dutchy]

This makes only sense when one has a Thai brain

exactly dutchy, and as this is thailand it will make sense to 99.9% of the people in this country.

It's scary then that the Thai government would like to see Thai people in UN positions, Thais simply lack intelligence, sincerity, culture and knowledge of the difference of right and wrong that's needed in order to function and compete at international levels. After Thaksin's war on drugs any member of his governmnet would be unsuitable for international positions as they don't seem to have an opinion on what happened.

Moral of the story, the Thai way of doing things is incompatible in a globalizing world, if the Thais won't accept global human rights standards it will remain a country where the buffalo and 'mai pen lai' rules. I don't mind that people call it the "laughing stock of the world" but when many lives are wasted it something completely different and a serious matter.

I doubt if your statement that what happened makes sense to 99.9% of the people in Thailand. Reports and reviews have been highly critical in the Thai press.

Dutchy

[Bluecat]

I give my assumptions on the question, so that I make a ass of you and me,...

The attackers were young and very poorly prepared for such an attack.

Not very bright.

These people just met together, took drugs and decided to attack well armed police forces?

I do not think so. They were probably manipulated by a very limited number of people who know very well the Thai government and how to inflame the situation further.

Just take an hundred of these people, do not give them any weapons, "charge" them up and send them attacking police posts.

In the meantime, inform the said police posts that they are coming so that you are sure the police forces will be well prepared and you know that they will want to please their government by killing as many of them as possible,...

Your goals will therefore be reached:

- Making prime news all over the world

- Making more and more muslims angry

Hopefully, in the mind of these organizers (if they indeed exist,...), if you do it a few times, you will be able to take a well earned rest because they will not need you anymore, they will start organizing attack by themselves.

What is the solution? I have no idea unfortunately and I'm a bit afraid that the situation will get far worse before it gets better,...

[GuestHouse]

If you go out in a gang armed with machetes and guns to raid police stations and army camps and you get shot...

Where is the surprise.

Since the beginning of the year people have been going around the south tourching public buildings, murdering government employees, murdering Bhuddist monks, steeling weapons, steeling explosives, planting bombs ... the list goes on.

So yesterday they thought they were going to get away with it again.

They did not.

My thoughts are for the families of the police officers and military personnel that got killed.

If these people had not gone out with weapons and intent to use them they would still be alive today.

If the security forces had not stopped them, they would have killed more police officers and military personnel and they would have got their hands on more weapons.

It's a tough sport this running around with weapons....

[chanchao]

I think we've seen the end of it.

Will admit to it if I'm proven wrong, but the South is a safer place today than it was 2 days ago!

[taxexile]

It's scary then that the Thai government would like to see Thai people in UN positions, Thais simply lack intelligence, sincerity, culture and knowledge of the difference of right and wrong that's needed in order to function and compete at international levels.

you are probably right, but what happened yesterday was an internal matter.

After Thaksin's war on drugs any member of his governmnet would be unsuitable for international positions as they don't seem to have an opinion on what happened.

the political system here is an infant democracy, as it matures the standards will improve. 50 years ago this was a country of rice fields and dirt tracks, societal and intellectual changes have not kept pace with the modernisation that we see around us. you can build a road,a skyscraper,a power plant or an internet highway in 6 months, changes in the way a society thinks and acts happens over generations and cannot be forced. i think the thais are doing just fine.

Moral of the story, the Thai way of doing things is incompatible in a globalizing world, if the Thais won't accept global human rights standards it will remain a country where the buffalo and 'mai pen lai' rules. I don't mind that people call it the "laughing stock of the world" but when many lives are wasted it something completely different and a serious matter.

those youths that were killed set out yesterday with the intention of killing,the police and army reacted in much the same way as the police in the usa or europe would have reacted 50 or so years ago,possibly fewer.

what is right for the west may not be right for here, who are we to judge, look at the way the us,the uk,germany has acted in our lifetimes.

the thais,along with other asian countries are sorting themselves out just fine,it doesnt happen overnight. they have achieved in 50 years what it has taken the west 150 years to achieve, and it sure isnt perfect there, how come so many westerners are moving east.

in another 50 years the west will be looking to asia for guidance. of that i am sure.

[Mig15]

Bluecat is right this looks like it has been orchestrated to stir up feeling amongst the Muslim population. And it does not take much to realize the reaction of the Thai police to this sort to thing.

[Snark]

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[johnny k]

Not a chance K. Chanchao - not a chance. Maybe when Taksin's built a wall like Sharon, oh sorry, that's not going to work either !!!

Another example of heavy handed police retribution, which will lead to more violence.

28th April 2004 will not be remembered as a good day in years to come I'm sure

[Crash999]

You goal will therefore be reached:

- Making prime news all over the world

- Making more and more muslims angry

Bluecat is on the right track.

I really believe that it's the goal of these insurgents to create animosity towards Muslims- a similar strategy as used by small extremist groups all over the world. Try and create animosity towards Muslims and provoke an extreme response- which will in turn move more Muslims towards extremist viewpoints, building up the support of the very people who the government wants to eliminate.

There's a common strategy seen here- what good is really served by attacking schools, or skyscrapers filled with civilians? The actual damage doesn't serve any purpose at all- it's the *reaction* they're after, the series of events set into motion by the attacks.

It's a chess game. Hence any response must be measured carefully, politicians balancing the teeming masses' desire for knee-jerk 'revenge' with long-term consequences. Unfortunately, the US has been drawn into an undesireable situation- I hope the Thai government doesn't find itself in a similar mess in the South.

[Yohan]

Please take note, the troubles in the south started two years ago when the existing militia down south was replaced by mostly central and northern army personnel. Prior to that, many of the militia members were Muslim and there was no significant problem. This was pointed out in the Bkk Post a couple of days ago.

Police and military, quite powerful in Thailand, well prepared and informed in advance about such attacks, should have some other way to disarm and arrest some 100s of young people, who are poorly armed and acting under drugs....

This failure to do so will increase hate, mistrust and violence among the ethnic Thai and the Thai Muslim.

Thai Muslims are feeling somehow like to be occupied, especially in that areas, which were formerly belonging to Malaysia. They are not ethnic Thais, are not native speakers of Thai, even of unclear citizenship (Thailand or Malaysia), are Moslems and are the majority (80 percent or more in that region).

It is true, that there was always unrest in the South, however it was getting wild some years ago, when the Thai government replaced all government related workers with Thai people from Central or Northern Thailand.... not only military, or police, but even hospital staff, railway staff, school teachers, government office employees, court judges.........

I cannot confirm, that poverty plays a role....Southern Thailand is financially quite good off compared to other regions in Thailand....

Johann

[Georgie-Porgie]

YEAH, well done.... kill more than 100 angry, young people...

They ain't angry no more!

[Yohan]

Congratulations to Thailand and to Taksin on dealing with yet another attack by Southern thugs VERY effectively.

I was in the South recently (Songkla) and I do love the South like I love any other area of Thailand, and love Southern people, very much including Southern Muslim people who are just as warm and smiling as Thais everywhere.  The vast, vast majority will have nothing to do with the attempted terror we saw this morning. 

This was not a successful action in the South and there is no reason for congratulations. More a failure of police and military to act correctly and to arrest these people alive without killing them.

Do not forget, that these are not foreign terrorists from somewhere, but these are citizens of your own country!

This will create much hate, mistrust and violence against all ethnic Thai people in that area.

Songkhla still has no Muslim majority, but I wonder, if Southern Thai Muslims in Thepa or Na Thawi nearby (80 percent Muslim) will welcome you in the future warm and smiling as ethnic Thais everywhere else in Thailand.

Even if many Thai Muslims have nothing to do with all these terror actions ....they will hate you, because you are an ethnic Thai. And in future accept or even support terrorist actions, because they consider their region as their land, and the ethnic Thais as outsiders and enemies.

No reason at all for congratulations.....

It is a reason to cry..........

Johann

[meemiathai]

Another example of heavy handed police retribution, which will lead to more violence.

Perhaps you would like to be there and try to put it under control in your way?

Well, WHAT WAY?????

[meemiathai]

More a failure of police and military to act correctly and to arrest these people alive without killing them.

Yes! Tell the police and military to use some of their "muay thai" skills and catch them with bare hands. Never mind a few dozens of dead police officers! It is their fukcing job, isn't that so?

And lock them up for a few days or months! Educate and tell them what they did was not very correct and was probably against the law. Sure they will turn into someone else after they have been released!

[meemiathai]

Do not forget, that these are not foreign terrorists from somewhere, but these are citizens of your own country!

And it is obvious that they love their country very much too!!!

[Georgie-Porgie]

The Thais have kept the Muslims under control over a long period of time by simply crushing any attempts at uprising with superior brute force.

No quarter and no mercy for the merciless.

Might be a lesson for the rest of the world.

[meemiathai]

Do not forget, that these are not foreign terrorists from somewhere, but these are citizens of your own country!

And it is obvious that they love their country very much too!!!

Those are called.....ehh.....???????...Ah, yes! Patriots!

Patriots! Patriots! Patriots! Patriots! .............

[Yohan]

Do not forget, that these are not foreign terrorists from somewhere, but these are citizens of your own country!

And it is obvious that they love their country very much too!!!

I heard already about some demonstrations in Hongkong.....

They are requesting somewhat democratic decisions from what they call a government they do not really like...

Maybe the city overdue for some actions like Beijing Tianmen-Square....

I will send you then my congratulations......

Johann

[possom]

killing when not necesary (how do you spell that ??) is just stupidity . it will only breed resentment and hate ,fuelling the fire . lets hope thaksin has more sense than bush ,look at the mess hes getting the world into ,and still beleives hes making the world a safer place ,what a <deleted>**ing idiot !!!