Foreginers warned not to criticize thai goverment

[Guest]

Thaksin hits back over killings

Foreginers warned not to criticize his goverment

 

PATTANI: -- In a combative speech to the nation, Thailand's leader on Saturday warned foreigners not to criticize his government's crackdown on suspected Islamic militants this week that left more than 100 people dead after what many say was the use of excessive force.

 

"Please don't intervene. Please leave us alone," Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said in a radio speech.

 

"It is my job and we can cope with this matter.

 

"We are trying to explain this to foreigners. But if they do not understand or ignore our explanation, I don't care because we are not begging them for food," Thaksin said.

 

Thaksin's defiant words came as pressure mounted on his government to investigate the kingdom's worst carnage in recent times when security forces on Wednesday indiscriminately shot at waves of attackers in the Muslim dominated south of this predominantly Buddhist kingdom.

 

Police had earlier said 108 militants were killed, but Thaksin revised the figure to 107 on Saturday. Five security forces were also killed.

 

The Bangkok Post newspaper, quoting an unidentified source, reported Saturday that some of the militants were members of the al Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror group.

 

It did not give any more details and the report could not be independently verified.

 

In Geneva, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights demanded Friday that Thailand investigate the killings, citing treaties that require security forces "to refrain from using force exceeding that strictly required by the exigencies of the situation."

 

International and local human rights groups have also called for investigations while Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand have warned their citizens not to travel to southern Thailand.

 

Malaysia has said it will receive Thai Muslim refugees fleeing the violence.

 

Wednesday's attacks pointed to a growing Islamic separatist movement that has been dormant for years until it became evident earlier this year with the torching of several schools and a raid on an army arsenal in which four soldiers were killed.

 

Since then, almost daily attacks by armed men on motorcycles had left 97 policemen, Buddhist civilians and other government officials dead in almost daily attacks until Wednesday, Thaksin said.

 

"We could not tolerate that any longer," he said.

 

Police said Friday they found Arabic language pamphlets calling for the creation of a Muslim homeland on some of the bodies of the dead militants.

 

"The incident has shown that the militants had clear intention to stock up fire arms for their separatist operations," national police chief Gen. Sunthorn Kraikwan said.

 

"This is a serious matter. It's a threat to national security," he said.

 

Details about those driving the insurgency were unclear.

 

But the government continued to play down the problem, calling foreign diplomats to a briefing to assure them about security in this Southeast Asian country that trades heavily on a reputation for peace and harmony to attract more than 10 million tourists a year.

 

Thaksin defended his security forces, saying they had no choice but to used the massive force to kill the militiamen.

 

"They stormed security outpost with fire arms, bombs and knives and machetes. They meant to rob guns and weapons," Thaksin said.

 

"The security forces could not sit idle and wait for the attackers to kill them," he said.

 

He acknowledged that the violence was the work of separatists, but said the militiamen themselves were unemployed and uneducated youth in the region, brainwashed by the masterminds.

 

Most of Thailand's 63 million people are Buddhists, but Muslims form the majority in several impoverished southern provinces near the border with mainly Muslim Malaysia and blame the central government for years of neglect.

 

A separatist movement flourished in the area for decades, but faded after a government amnesty before reviving this year.

 

A statement posted on the Internet Friday and attributed to the Pattani United Liberation Organization, a separatist group thought to be defunct since the early 1980s, urged all Muslims to rise up, and warned that the slayings by security forces will be paid "with blood and tears."

 

The statement also warned visitors to stay away from some of Thailand's most popular tourist sites in the south. It was not possible to verify the origins or veracity of the statement.

 

Thailand has poured more than 1,000 more troops in the south to join 2,500 soldiers already there to prevent more violence.

 

Police were also interrogating 17 detained militants to gather intelligence on the masterminds of the attacks.

 

--AP 2004-05-01

[pattaya127]

Typical response from thai leaders who fear scrutiny more than anything else (and for good reasons!).

before it was the sex scene that existed only because the int media talked about it, then 97 meltdown happened because of foreigners, Soros wearing the machete then, and now, T. got the perfect answer if the situation worsens: Int. medias encouraged terrorists by commenting on the events and the possible reasons, in an independant manner.

[Guest]

I can't understand why Thailand should be under fire for shooting people some of who may have already murdered monks and students, are all in the act of trying to kill more people, steal military hardware, and use that to kill even more innocent people. It's laughable to hear it suggested the military intelligence should have been used to tip off the attackers. It would be like on the eve of the battle of Midway the US telling Japan "wait a tick, we decoded your attack date and plan so rather than wait in ambush, we've decided to give you a call...".

 

Thailand does tend to act strongly against individual perpetrators and the one telling statistic here is I have not heard of any injuries. If 107 of 107 attackers are dead, it means many were finished off where they lay rather than given medical attention. This type of action is not new with the new govt though. Some years ago a group of Burmese took over a hospital were summarily lined up in a trench and executed for "causing great suffering to innocent thai people". For what it's worth, I would think in both of these cases due process would have resulted in the same outcome.

 

Overall, I find it refreshing to see countries remind the world they are not the 51st state of america. I think the message here is simple: Thailand is a sovereign nation and is calling the shots within its borders. Isn't that the way it should be?

[Coss]

Quite right, I agree.

 

"We are trying to explain this to foreigners. But if they do not understand or ignore our explanation, I don't care because we are not begging them for food," Thaksin said."

 

What he needs is a better translator I think, what amuses me is the apparent simpleness of some of these statements we see.

 

Cheers

 

Coss

[chilli13]

exactly. a better translator or even a bit more diplomatic terms

 

while agreeing mostly with LOS controlling within it's borders there's still basic human rights they have to respect or else they won't keep many friends on the global arena

[BelgianBoy]

ib13 said:

basic human rights

 

Sorry, maybe enlighen me here, does that include the basic human right to be attacked by terrorist gangs ?

 

BB

[Guest]

LOL !

 

While I don't think Ib13 was necessarily referring to the incident in discussion and human rights...but it does kind of conjur up an insane senario...yelling to the enemy: "Time out ! We're gonna have a trial over here while you wait to determine whether or not we can kill as many of you as we can". Might make a good Mel Brookes movie.

 

The soldiers/police were under attack by assassins committed to die for their "cause". Trials aren't held on battle fields. The assholes set out to kill innocent people as fanatics seem to do a lot. I could care less if bodies were laid out in an unusual fashion. Could care less that the would-be killers are dead now. LOS is better off without them...the world is better off without them...and fewer innocent people are likely to die as a result.

 

BTW (ER?), the "51st state of America" comment was without foundation. The article said the "UN" commission on human rights...not the "US". I haven't heard of any reaction by the "U.S." government, although I am certain that it will be politically correct if/when it is uttered.

[Guest]

Overall, I find it refreshing to see countries remind the world they are not the 51st state of america. I think the message here is simple: Thailand is a sovereign nation and is calling the shots within its borders. Isn't that the way it should be?

 

Guess I must have missed those numerous American government or quasi-governmental bodies that have been making demands of investigations in Thailand over the dead separatists in the south.

 

I'm all for criticism when it's deserved, but *sheesh* -- is *everything* an excuse for blatant America-bashing these days?

[pattaya127]

I can't understand why Thailand should be under fire

----------------------------

I see no problem in Thailand or its govnmt reacting the way they want to attacks (though it's thais/thais, not US/japanese, a bit disingenous here), and the press doing its job of information and questionning, the international community as well. To each his own.

 

Thaksin has shown he has rarely understood this basic right of information. yes, if Thailand wishes to be an equal partner with the west as it pretends to, its leaders need to understand freedom (of press, here).

 

Not sure what a 51st state has to do with that.

 

 

 

Chongnoi:

and fewer innocent people are likely to die as a result.

--------------------------------

yes? What's your intelligence about it? Would you bet an arm on it?

[Guest]

pattaya127 said:

Chongnoi:

and fewer innocent people are likely to die as a result.

--------------------------------

yes? What's your intelligence about it? Would you bet an arm on it?

 

Bet an arm on it? Yes, but not mine. It's certain that these idiots won't be doing any more killing of innocents. Sure, there are more of them around. How many is anybody's guess. But the idea that the erraciation of those a few days ago will only serve to "radicalize" others who, in the future, would otherwise have stayed at home, IMO, is poorly conceived. I would think that had the assassins succeeded, it would have encouraged others to participate in greater numbers. Just look at the enlistmen figures after 9/11. Jumped extraordinarily high. Look at the re-enlistment figures now that things aren't looking so good in some ways (real bullets being fired). Same same with fanatical groups. Will be harder to recruit and retain. Nothing will appease some groups other than total success, whatever their goal. Give em each a million bucks and they'd still find a reason to kill in the name of "whatever". Just like some demonstraters in the U.S. They go from one "cause" to another. Crusaders in search of a "cause".