Thailand in a state of confusion

COMMENTARY

Published: 21 Jan 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

The best descriptions for the public's confusion over how the government is tackling violence in the far South and the latest problem in that region _ the Rohingya _ could perhaps be: two voices are worse than one; there is one voice that should not be ignored; so far, not so good.

Let's start with the violence. Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung and National Security Council (NSC) chief Paradorn Pattanatabutr obviously have different theories on who was behind the torching of 76 security cameras in seven districts of Yala province on Jan 14.

Mr Chalerm suspects business conflicts were behind the burning of the CCTVs in 43 locations across the southern province. He was not convinced that insurgents did the damage to the equipment.

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brilliant
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Discussion 10 : 22 Jan 2013 at 00.2810
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"Mr Chalerm suspects business conflicts were behind the burning of the CCTVs in 43 locations across the southern province."

Did he come up with that one while drunk in Malaysia?
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CSlewis
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Discussion 9 : 21 Jan 2013 at 23.379
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I think the author is missing the point. The best description is the confusion strategy is working. If within a single party, that has a majority, two members claim an opposite POV; the party has double its chance of getting it right.
Of course none of this does anything about solving the problems in the south; but that isn't the point either.
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DonAleman
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Discussion 8 : 21 Jan 2013 at 22.058
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Inspector Clouseau said "It was impossible for not even one of the
80 + cameras not to have caught a single image of the perpetrators unless..
................ unless it was done by someone who could safely shut down the
recording process - a policeman" ! Hmnn ?
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john49
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Discussion 7 : 21 Jan 2013 at 19.317
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Regarding the Rohingya, there was a report and video on BBC today stating that Thai officials were selling them to people smugglers for $1,000 each. They were then beaten until they paid the smugglers their 'investment'

A foreign ministry official said the allegations were being investigated by the government.
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markm
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Discussion 6 : 21 Jan 2013 at 18.536
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I see absolutely no reason we should be receiving reports of vandalism and violence in the southernmost provinces of Thailand.

I sometimes wonder if in the southernmost provinces of Thailand people hear reports of vandalism and violence in Bangkok and wonder, as a result, whether Bangkok is a dangerous place.
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boontong
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Discussion 5 : 21 Jan 2013 at 14.505
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This article is playing with words of people seeking to come to an agreed solutions. There is no confusion but the writer is trying to confuse readers.
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oldexp
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Discussion 4 : 21 Jan 2013 at 14.344
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once Chalerm is almost right.
The cameras were not destroyed by insurgents but by terrorists.
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dao
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Discussion 3 : 21 Jan 2013 at 10.383
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Dont expect cameras to do the jobs of police .They are just a tool .They need a competent interested policemen to turn them on and actually do his job which is patrol the neighborhood, follow up calls ,and generally try to prevent crime instead of profiting from people who pay to break it .
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rod266
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Discussion 2 : 21 Jan 2013 at 10.292
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Did not one of all these cameras take a photo of who ever destroyed them?
Were they even switched on ?
Where was there video feed going to?
Was it recorded?
Oh dear maybe they were bought from the same company that supplied the bomb detectors ?
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mogy71
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Discussion 1 : 21 Jan 2013 at 07.521
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But there seems to be nothing new in this article. All that changes are the points used. It seems every time an issue comes up there is always two bitterly opposing sides. It seems for the foreseeable future there cannot be any issues where both sides will band together for the good of the country. Pity.
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Thailand in a state of confusion | Bangkok Post: opinion