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  • #16
    The protests are not going to end. It has just start building up again, and is planning to go to the provinces. There will be a regional summit in Jone.

    Thaksin "red shirts" gather again in Bangkok

    BANGKOK, April 25 (Reuters) - About 3,000 supporters of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gathered in Bangkok on Saturday for their first rally in the capital since violent street clashes two weeks ago.

    Security was tight with 450 police monitoring the crowd of red-shirted protesters at Sanam Luang, a public square near Bangkok's Grand Palace.

    "The protest is going well so far. No violence," Police Major General Suporn Pansuea told Reuters.

    Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva ended a 12-day state of emergency in the capital on Friday, ...

    A leader of the pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) said the rally would be peaceful and end around midnight.

    "Our request is the same. We want the Prime Minister to quit," Somyos Prueksakasemsuk said.

    The UDD plan more rallies in the provinces before returning to Bangkok for a large demonstration in May, he said. ...

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    • #17
      More problems for the Thai PM. Ten coordinated attacks in S Thailand although no death.

      Suspected militants launch several coordinated attacks in S Thailand

      BANGKOK, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Suspected separatism insurgents launched over ten coordinated strikes in five districts of Thailand's southernmost province of Narathiwat in early Monday morning.

      The attacks, which included arson and bombing, took place in Waeng, Joh-I-Rong, Ra-ngae, Janae, and Ba-joh district.

      However, no death or injury was reported during the coordinated attacks, which occurred approximately from 5.30 a.m. to 6.30 a.m. local time, according to the website by Thai-language newspaper Matichon.

      The country's deep South comprises mainly the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and some parts of Songkla province. Over 3,500 people have been killed in insurgent violence in the deep South since January 2004.
      Last edited by Merlin; 28 Apr 09,, 07:43.

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      • #18
        Are these further attacks, or has Xinhua made a mistake??

        Nine killed in Thailand's restive south: police

        3 hrs ago YALA, Thailand (AFP) — Suspected militants in Thailand's deep south killed nine people and injured two others in five separate attacks on the eve of a key anniversary for the restive region, police said. ....

        Tuesday is the fifth anniversary of the Krue Sae mosque incident, in which Thai security forces killed 32 men taking cover in the main mosque in Pattani province that neighbours Yala. ....

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        • #19
          Thailand's political trouble has calmed down, but it can flare up again. But as it holds the rotating chair of the 10-nation Association Asean until the end of 2009, it still has an obligation to host the postponed Asean summit.

          The venue is now Phuket a southern province away from the troubled Muslim provinces. It should be safer from protests as it is at an island resort linked to the mainland by a roadway.

          Let's see how it goes.

          Thailand to propose to host ASEAN summit on June 13-14

          BANGKOK, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's government Monday said it will propose to other ASEAN leaders and dialogue partner leaders to host the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits during June 13-14 in Thailand's southern province of Phuket.

          The proposed date of the summit in June is not finalized since many leaders have not yet confirmed, ...

          As the Thai government has guaranteed the full safety, however, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep declined to commit whether the safety arrangement would meet the international standard.

          Suthep added that local residents in Phuket would not hold any protest against the summit.

          The 14th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits were initially scheduled to be held on April 10-12 in a hotel in Thai resort town of Pattaya and the Thai government announced the postponement of it on April 11 after anti-government-red-shirted protestors stormed into the venue.
          Last edited by Merlin; 05 May 09,, 02:14.

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          • #20
            The dust of political storm in Thailand cannot be settled until there is a good new constitution and new polls. But how?

            Political strife far from over for Thailand

            11 May [ChannelNewsAsia] BANGKOK: Bangkok has returned to normal after protests marred the Songkran holiday, but the political strife is far from over.

            Analysts say the upheaval during Songkran holiday was not the last of the red-shirted supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, but for now, their cause is weakened.

            However, if Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s administration genuinely wants to reconcile the nation, now riven for years by political conflict, it will have to deal with its establishment backers and the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), neither of whom may be happy to hand back electoral dominance to the rural majority. ....

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            • #21
              The Asia leaders summit postponed to June, has to be postponed again to October. I think so far no leaders has agreed to attend the June summit.

              Thailand postpones Asia leaders summit again

              13 May BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will try to reconvene a summit of Asian leaders in October, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Wednesday, the latest postponement of a meeting disrupted by violent protests last month.

              Thailand planned to host the East Asia Summit on the tourist island of Phuket on June 13-14, two months after protesters forced the cancellation of the meeting near Bangkok.

              But some leaders said the June meeting conflicted with their schedules, Kasit said. He insisted security concerns had not been a factor. ...

              The political unrest has added to the gloom overhanging Thailand's economy as the global downturn slashes demand for Thai exports and dampens tourism, a key employer. ....

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              • #22
                Bomb attacks in southern Thailand.

                Bomb attacks, arson hit southern Thailand city
                27 May [GMANews] YALA, Thailand – A series of bomb and arson attacks believed to have been carried out by Muslim insurgents rocked a provincial capital in southern Thailand early Wednesday, police said.

                The attacks, beginning before dawn, were staged at eight locations across the capital of Yala, said police Col. Ekarit Wiriyapap. Yala is one of three provinces in the country's deep south hit by a separatist insurgency that has killed more than 3,400 people since 2004.

                No casualties were reported but there was extensive property damage, Ekarit told reporters. ....

                "The attacks did not aim to kill anyone but rather to cause chaos and intimidate people in the area because there were no people at the time and location of the attacks," he said.

                A pro-independence movement has long existed in the predominantly Muslim provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. It turned violent in 2004 after a period of relative peace.

                Many Muslims feel they have been treated as second-class citizens in a country dominated by Buddhists, but only a few thousand are thought to have taken up arms.

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by Merlin View Post
                  Bomb attacks in southern Thailand.

                  Bomb attacks, arson hit southern Thailand city
                  Well surprise surfkinprise ,, look, we are muslims (in a primarily buddhist country ) not getting enough attention ,,ugh ugh ,must make bomb ,ugh , same in uk , ugh ugh , moronic bastards , we in the uk are fast becoming a minority but you dont see us making bombs to kill them ,,and people (and govt ) wonder why parties like BNP are becoming popular .Why cant the law abiding muslims , who are having their names tarnished by the scum bags , stand up and weed them out , they must be overwhelming numbers of ordinary down to earth muslims who are as pissed off with them as the rest of the world , STAND UP AND BE COUNTED or hide behind the walls of silence and accept the outcome meekly while protesting , they dont represent us ,, or do they want to accept the outcome of an islamic WORLD .
                  Last edited by tankie; 28 May 09,, 16:46.

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                  • #24
                    This quote below from the link is briefly the history of the separatist movement in Southern Thailand.

                    A pro-independence movement has long existed in the predominantly Muslim provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. It turned violent in 2004 after a period of relative peace.

                    Many Muslims feel they have been treated as second-class citizens in a country dominated by Buddhists, but only a few thousand are thought to have taken up arms.
                    2004 was Thaksin's time as PM. He had been effective crushing by force the criminal gangs in the capital Bangkok. I understand when dealing with these Muslim separatist movements, he used the same military method. But it didn't work well as he didn't realize this is different and has to be handled with both military and civil methods.

                    His armed force made worse mistake about 18 months ago when after rounding up these Muslims, many of them suffocated and died inside closed containers.

                    I don't know if the present PM Abhasit is better or worse handling these separatist movements.

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                    • #25
                      This attack in a mosque in S Thailand is one of the most deadly.

                      Gunmen kill 10 at mosque in southern Thailand
                      6 hrs ago PATTANI, Thailand (AP) — Gunmen opened fire on a mosque in southern Thailand during evening prayers Monday, killing at least 10 people and wounding another 19 in the violence-plagued region, police said.

                      The attack was one of the most deadly single incidents since an Islamic separatist insurgency was launched in Thailand's three southernmost provinces in early 2004. More than 3,400 people have been killed in the violence, most victims of the insurgents.

                      Five or six men shot automatic rifles into the mosque in Narathiwat province's Joh-I-Rong district on Monday, said police Lt. Col. Somjai Singkliang.

                      However, the Web site of the newspaper The Nation cited Army spokesman Col. Parinya Chaidilok as saying there were only two attackers. The newspaper also reported that an 11th person had died en route to hospital.

                      Among those who died at the mosque was the Imam, or prayer leader, said Somjai, who added that most of the 19 people wounded in the attack were in serious condition.

                      Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala provinces, where virtually all the violence has occurred, are the only Muslim-majority provinces in predominantly Buddhist Thailand. Southern Muslims have long complained of discrimination, especially in education and job opportunities.

                      Last week two teachers, one eight months pregnant, were killed in the same province in an attack attributed to the insurgents. The deaths triggered intense anger among the area's Buddhist community. ...

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                      • #26
                        This is an encouraging way to help solve the insurgency problem in S Thailand. It'll not be solved by military forces.

                        'Three Es' to end insurgency
                        Focus on education, employment and economy to bring peace to Thai south

                        9 June PUTRAJAYA - MALAYSIA has agreed to help Thailand revamp the curriculum of its Islamic schools, as part of a bid to end the Muslim insurgency in its neighbour's violence-wracked south.
                        Prime Minister Najib Razak, speaking after his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva's first official visit to Malaysia yesterday, said both countries believed they could resolve the decades-old unrest through the 'Three Es': education, employment, economy.

                        'We remain optimistic that things can get a lot better if we continue to focus on...giving them a better future,' he said at a press conference with Mr Abhisit.

                        The Thai Premier led a team of 38 officials, including his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

                        The two leaders discussed steps to develop the economy in southern Thailand, as well as Malaysia's contribution in providing scholarships and vocational training for Thai-Muslim students.

                        Buddhist-majority Thailand annexed the former ethnic-Malay sultanate in 1902, leading to decades of tension which exploded in renewed violence in 2004.

                        More than 3,400 people have been killed so far in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, where residents are more fluent in a Malay dialect than they are in Thai, and live in one of Thailand's poorest areas.

                        The region remains under martial law and sporadic violence has continued, with suspected militant gunmen killing 10 worshippers and wounding 13 in a mosque late on Monday, although Bangkok's counterinsurgency effort has managed to reduce the attacks. .....

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by Merlin View Post
                          This quote below from the link is briefly the history of the separatist movement in Southern Thailand.



                          2004 was Thaksin's time as PM. He had been effective crushing by force the criminal gangs in the capital Bangkok. I understand when dealing with these Muslim separatist movements, he used the same military method. But it didn't work well as he didn't realize this is different and has to be handled with both military and civil methods.

                          His armed force made worse mistake about 18 months ago when after rounding up these Muslims, many of them suffocated and died inside closed containers.

                          I don't know if the present PM Abhasit is better or worse handling these separatist movements.

                          Merlin,

                          As I recall Thaksin's mishandling of the insurgency was one of the reasons the Army cited for originally removing him. While I'm sure this was only partly true, they seem to have done a better job since. I understand terrorist attacks have been down & local moderates have been brought onside with the government..

                          On a related question, have you heard any more about who was responsible fo the massacre in the mosque? I suppose the two possibilities are radical islamists or some sort of government-aligned death squad. If it is the latter this will be a disaster far bigger than the current death toll.
                          sigpic

                          Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by Merlin View Post
                            This attack in a mosque in S Thailand is one of the most deadly.

                            Gunmen kill 10 at mosque in southern Thailand

                            GOOD FOR THEM .they wont sit and take what them arseholes dish out , they will fight back , i spent some time in Thailand and i respect the Thai people , they give respect and expect it back , but piss up their backs and tell em its raining , they will as has been shown , piss right back .And dead is very easy to arrange there . Sawasde krup .

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                            • #29
                              Originally posted by tankie View Post
                              GOOD FOR THEM .they wont sit and take what them arseholes dish out , they will fight back , i spent some time in Thailand and i respect the Thai people , they give respect and expect it back , but piss up their backs and tell em its raining , they will as has been shown , piss right back .And dead is very easy to arrange there . Sawasde krup .

                              Tankie,

                              The 'kill 'em all & let God sort 'em out' approach feels good, but in these sort of situations it is counterproductive. When the previous government tried it it just made things worse. A more nuanced approach has actually worked (as it did in Iraq & countless other instances.) Shooting up a mosque is a guaranteed way to p1ss people off. That is why I'm hoping it is Islamist crazies trying to make some point. If so, they cut their own throats. if it has a government connection years of good work go in one day.

                              I also love Thailand & its people, but don't buy too heavily into the 'land of smiles' bit. It can suck to be an ethnic minority there as millions if Issan & Khmer could tell you. Nothing justifies the behaviour of the islamist gunmen in the Sth, but they feed off genuine grievances among the Malay population. As the government dealt with the grievances so the terrorism dropped off.
                              sigpic

                              Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                                Tankie,

                                Shooting up a mosque is a guaranteed way to p1ss people off.
                                So is flying planes into buildings and blowing up tube trains and buses mate , the point im making is that people are sick to death of those moronic bastards and are taking no more , govts that do sod all but appease them ,, stiff upper lip my arse , wipe the bastards out

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