Political will key to South

EDITORIAL

Published: 23 Nov 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

When a bomb planted on the railway tracks in Narathiwat exploded on Sunday, killing three and injuring more than 30 passengers, questioning eyes turned to the government and the security forces.

Since the southern violence started nine years ago, more than 200 billion baht of taxpayers' money has been spent on strengthening the security forces and improving relations with the local Malay Muslims. Yet the violence remains out of control.

While the daily killings of individuals continue unabated, attacks on public places have become more frequent and more destructive. The railway bombing is just the latest in a spate of major attacks that have occurred practically every month over the past year. These are happening when there is a 150,000-strong security force that includes soldiers, police officers, militia and paramilitary forces fighting the insurgency.

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spiceman
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Discussion 5 : 24 Nov 2012 at 03.035
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Thai Govt & Thai Military simply are too incompetent to deal with terrorism in the Deep South. Just look at the so-called airships acquired by the Army years ago, and to do what? To get shot at through thick jungle canopy below? And they have no problem spending a fortune acquiring a handful of super expensive, super useless fighter jets from Sweden, instead of counterterrorism tools like drones and etc. Today's war on terror is won or lost by brian, not brute force. And the former is simply in short supply within Thai Govt & Thai Military. Meanwhile, innocent people continue to pay for their incompetency with their lives daily.
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bluebottle
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Discussion 4 : 23 Nov 2012 at 16.424
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The government are portraying a NIMBY approach if we are honest,as long as the problem is kept in the south then they will just give it lip service. Negotiate for goodness sake .NIMBY-no in my back yard.
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domdunnn
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Discussion 3 : 23 Nov 2012 at 14.213
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samurai D1

The New Village scheme is a non-starter, the present situation is quite different to Malaya, these days the insurgents would simply move to the city.

Negotiation is the only way but it requires unity among the government side, otherwise their position is hopelessly weak.
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samurai
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Discussion 2 : 23 Nov 2012 at 11.332
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The government has two paths to take, a brutal Malayan-Emergency-style New Village scheme to starve out the insurgents or autonomy for the Deep South. Seems that half hearted measures and pure talk isn't going to stop the shootings and bombings. The RKK had already achieved many of their secondary end-points, business closures, sowing distrust amongst Buddhists and Muslims, an increasingly homogenous South with Buddhists leaving their homes - which strengthens their cause. They're just short of their primary endpoint - Independence for the 3 provinces.
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domdunnn
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Discussion 1 : 23 Nov 2012 at 10.511
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The headline should read "Political unity key to South". The main obstacle to progress is that the government, army and bureaucracy are fighting a turf war instead of presenting the insurgents with a united front.

The insurgents know the authorities are divided and that negotiating with them is a waste of time and they exploit their lack of unity instead.
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Political will key to South | Bangkok Post: opinion