Many dead in fierce Thai fighting

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Scores killed in Thai gun battles

Thai television has been showing scenes from the attacks
More than 95 people are said to have been killed in a spate of gun battles in southern Thailand.
Suspected Islamic militants armed with guns and machetes carried out a series of co-ordinated attacks on police bases in the region, security forces said.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has blamed local gun-smuggling gangs for the attacks.

But officials on the ground have pinned the blame on Islamic separatists trained by militant groups.

The BBC correspondent in Bangkok, Kylie Morris, says the fighting is a serious escalation of the violence that began in early January with a raid on a military arsenal.

In the intervening months, more than 100 people have been killed in almost daily small-scale attacks.

Although security officials were tipped off to expect the dawn attacks, few would have envisaged their scale, our correspondent says.

Police in Yala say the attackers were mainly young men, dressed in black, wielding machetes. Some were armed with semi-automatic weapons.

Local television showed pictures of police and troops taking up positions in rural areas, and wounded border troops being carried on stretchers.

One battle was reported to have erupted near a mosque in Pattani’s Kruesei district.

Four security personnel are said to be among those killed, compared with over 90 insurgent deaths.

Prime Minister Thaksin said the toll among security forces was low because the attackers had been armed only with machetes and a few guns.

But he said the fact many were riding brand-new motorcycles suggested they were receiving financial support from influential figures in the area.

“Local politicians are involved,” he said, adding that the attacks were due to “organised crime mixed with politics”.

He described the militants as “youths from the southern provinces” whose actions were “not linked with international terrorists”.

When violence resurfaced in the south in January, with a raid on a military arsenal in the province of Narathiwat, the prime minister delivered a similar verdict.

But many observers say the troubles have been exacerbated by the government’s own policy of cracking down on the militants.

Islamic community leaders in the south say the tactics employed by security forces have been heavy-handed and may have served to encourage those who already felt disenfranchised.

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Many dead in fierce Thai fighting

Clashes between security forces and rebels in Thailand’s south have left at least 95 dead in one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the troubled region.

The attackers were mostly teenagers, and they targeted police and army checkpoints," said regional police commander Prung Boonpadung.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said only two security personnel were killed and that the toll was low because police and army were well prepared and the attackers were only armed with machetes and a few guns.

The attacks were the latest in a series of bombings, raids and murders in Thailand’s southern provinces, which over the past four months have claimed the lives of some 65 members of the security forces, government officials and Buddhist monks.

Prime Minister Thaksin did not contradict Panlop’s assertion that separatists were to blame, but downplayed the sectarian nature of the trouble, saying that the militia responsible was made up of both Thai Muslims and Buddhists.

Islamic leaders said they feared Wednesday’s unprecedented violence, and the high death toll among the young rebels, would spark a major deterioration in the south

The incident will definitely affect Muslim people’s feelings. They will have bad feelings towards authorities and the turmoil will continue. It will not be resolved," he said.

Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation but about five per cent of the population is Muslim livint mostly in the five southern provinces bordering Malaysia.

A separatist movement raged in the region until the 1980s until the government campaign largely ended the movement, but troubles have flared again in recent years, sparking fears that rebels had been mobilised by armed groups from abroad.

Many dead teenagers killed in fierce fighting in southern Thailand

What a waste of young lives they must have had a severe axe to grind for them to take on the Armed forces of Thailand why else would they want a seperate state!

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It can also be perceived as whereever there is a muslim minority, they have an axe to grind. Why can't they just be model citizens in Thailand and Xinjiang and India and Russia and Africa and Phillipines and on and on... Something to think about.

My sense is that when a supposedly superior religion is not in power it always creates problems. Two things to do in that case, either ship out to where you can be in a majority or assimilate into the general fabric of society. Because the majority considers culture superior to religion.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Matsui: *
It can also be perceived as whereever there is a muslim minority, they have an axe to grind. Why can't they just be model citizens in Thailand and Xinjiang and India and Russia and Africa and Phillipines and on and on... Something to think about.

My sense is that when a supposedly superior religion is not in power it always creates problems. Two things to do in that case, either ship out to where you can be in a majority or assimilate into the general fabric of society. Because the majority considers culture superior to religion.
[/QUOTE]

My sense is that when a people are unwillingly forced into a country they are likely to try and oppose it - it's called the quest for self-determination. Some choose to try and negotiate self-determination, others choose armed conflict.

I don't know about the situation in Thailand, but in the case of the Caucuses in Russia, the Russians used force, including against civilians, to make the Muslim Caucuses part of Russia. They should not in the least bit be surprised when the Muslims of the region eventually, after time, also attempt to use force, also often against civilians, to reverse the situation.

Same deal in Xinjiang - it was conquered and made into China by force of arms, therefore it is only natural that if the people want to return to their prior status they would use force of arms.

It is utterly unreasonable to use force to create a situation, then declare there to be a status quo and for the people not to try and reverse that enforced situation.

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Nimu Magajae, deputy chairman of Yala Islamic Council, said he was told the attackers were drug addicts.

"This is the first time in my life that I have seen so many Muslim youths killed in one day. But if they were drug addicts we do not regard them as religious followers," he told The Associated Press.

Were they really Islamic terrorists? or Muslim civilians? Thai government is saying that Muslims want a separate Islamic country carved out of Buddhist Thailand. Is that true?

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If they want a separate homeland that they need a good ass kciking. If they want better conditions in Thailand, then the gov't needs to get it's act together and provide the same opportunities it provides to others.

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I wonder why most of the conflicts in the world have something to do with violent muslims.

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1) increased influence of extremist groups during 80's and 90's after the soviet war when mujahideen had nothing else to do and the entire mechanism to create these mujahideen went out of control of everyone who helped set it up to get a free army against soviets.

2) oppression/rights unresolved disputes and issues in other areas. kashmir, palestine, chechnya for example, or dealing with other extremist groups, as in the case of serbians who I believe are orthodox christians, or in the case of India where RSS types have.

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The Civilizations continue to Clash....

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nyah, the idiots from teh diff civilizations continue to clash is a more apt description. rest either dont know anything or dont really care.

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i hate to spoil the muslim bashing party going on here, but these were local criminals even the local “kafir” government accepted that they were not terrorists…aww sorry, i saw that you guys were having a blast at bashing “jihadists”, but i guess you can go to iraq thread for that, not here..
‘Bandits’ blamed for Thai attacks

Police said they were tipped off the attackers were coming
Thailand’s prime minister says 107 attackers killed by the security forces in the Muslim south were common criminals, not Islamic militants.
Speaking after the bloodiest day in recent Thai history, Thaksin Shinawatra blamed local gangs for the violence.

Many were killed as they attacked security posts, while at least 30 died after taking refuge in a mosque.

But concern is growing that the government’s response was heavy-handed and could spark more violence.

‘Bandits’

The attackers were “youths from the southern provinces” whose actions were “not linked with international terrorists,” the prime minister told reporters.

“We will uproot them, depriving them of a chance to allude to issues of separatism and religion. In the end they were all bandits.”

THAI VIOLENCE

Yala: At least 5 police posts attacked
Songkhla: 1 security base targeted
Pattani: Shoot-out between police and gunmen trapped in mosque

In pictures: Day of carnage
Wednesday’s fighting is the latest and worst incident in a series of almost daily attacks in the region since January that had left 100 dead.

Muslims in Thailand’s poor southern provinces, where separatist tensions have simmered for decades, have long felt discriminated against by the government in Bangkok.

Many observers say the current troubles in the south have been exacerbated by the government’s policy of cracking down on militants, using heavy-handed tactics that may have served to encourage those who already felt disenfranchised.

And some analysts have voiced concerns that Wednesday’s attackers could have links to militant groups outside Thailand.

One of the men killed was found to be wearing a shirt with JI emblazoned on the back - a possible reference to Jemaah Islamiah, the group blamed for the Bali bombings.

Lying in wait

The violence began before dawn as groups of young men, many in their teens and armed with machetes and a few guns, launched apparently co-ordinated assaults on security posts throughout the Muslim-dominated southern provinces - Yala, Pattani and Songkhla.

The turmoil will continue

Abdul Rosue Aree
Islamic Council, Narathiwat province
But the security forces, who had been tipped off, were lying in wait and responded with devastating fire power, losing only five of their own men.

At least 30 of the attackers fled to the Krue Se mosque in Pattani. After a stand-off of several hours, the security forces stormed the building, killing those sheltering inside.

The army chief, General Chaiyasidh Shinawatra, said many of the attackers appeared to be under the influence of drugs and a government spokesman, Jakrapob Penakir, insisted they were common criminals rather than trained terrorists.

“Judging from what we have seen tangibly, it seems like they haven’t prepared that well for the operation this morning,” he said.

Human rights activists have asked why if the authorities were warned, they could not arrest the attackers before the assaults began

Abdul Rosue Aree of the Islamic Council in nearby Narathiwat province said he feared the deaths could escalate the problems.

“The incident will definitely affect Muslim people’s feelings. They will have bad feelings towards authorities and the turmoil will continue,” he told the French news agency, AFP.

Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, with its 4% Muslim population concentrated in the troubled southern provinces - Pattani, Yala, Songkhla and Narathiwat.

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Thailand's PM is just trying to play nice with Muslims. There is no way that 107 ordinary Muslim criminals can just come out of nowhere to attack the govnt. Their is more to this story then just some crminal activity.

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Looks like the Thai know how to deal with jihadis.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_30-4-2004_pg7_51

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^

:rolleyes:

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This incident of killings will only lead to more violence you cant just force a people to follow ideas that goes agianst there nature and they reject!

those that died will be replaced 10 fold because the Thai army just made the family members of the dead into enemies.

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This mob attacked police with the intent of a violent takeover, killing 'only' 5 policeman. They are stopped in a violent manner because they attacked in groups with machetes. And now these people are going to take revenge? That's just plain wacky. What did they expect, the police to put down their guns and find machetes to fight back with? Shoot them with paper bullets?

These poor, suppressed people who have to follow ideas that go against their nature need to address their concerns in other ways than organizing teenagers to attack police with machetes. You reap what you sow.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ak47: *
This incident of killings will only lead to more violence you cant just force a people to follow ideas that goes agianst there nature and they reject!

those that died will be replaced 10 fold because the Thai army just made the family members of the dead into enemies.
[/QUOTE]
Jihadis should not mess with the Thai army. Unlike the Americans they don't care about being politically correct and negotiating with a bunch of thugs. America can tolerate a lot of crap from jihadists, other countries don't play so nice.

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Druggies and Islamists! What a combination of stupidity.

Thai Muslim Soccer Team Turned Militant Overnight

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

BAAN SUSOE, Thailand (Reuters) - The shooting of an entire team of 19 soccer players from the same Muslim village in southern Thailand after they attacked a security checkpoint has left relatives stunned, mystified and outraged.

Revelations about the soccer team give a disturbing insight into the minds if not the motives of those involved in Wednesday’s violence, in which troops shot dead 108 machete and gun-toting militants after coming under attack.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Imdad Ali: *
Druggies and Islamists! What a combination of stupidity.

[/QUOTE]

I would apply same quote to right wing amerikkkans and access to the internet!

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Malaysian PM offers refuge to Thai Muslims

KUALA LUMPUR, April 30: Malaysia is willing to offer temporary refuge to Thais fleeing troubled provinces in southern Thailand, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Friday. “It will not be refugee camps but some arrangements must be made,” the official Bernama news agency quoted him as saying.

“They will want a place of refuge until peace returns to their area and, with the uncertainty at present, naturally they will want to come over here,” Abdullah said. This week’s violence just across Malaysia’s border, in which more than 100 young Muslims were killed, has outraged many of the country’s majority Muslim Malays.

Particularly shocking was the army’s killing of 34 guerillas sheltering in a mosque in the town of Pattani after they had attacked security posts. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak is to lead a Malaysian delegation to Bangkok next week to obtain a clear picture of the violence in the mainly Muslim region.

Najib said his trip did not mean Kuala Lumpur was interfering in Thailand’s internal affairs. “We respect Thailand’s sovereignty and our stance is that what happened in southern Thailand is the country’s own internal matter,” said Najib, who is also defence minister.

“We have no desire to interfere, but in the spirit of neighbourliness and in the spirit of ASEAN we need to talk and exchange ideas so that we can give our views to the Thai government and strengthen co-operation among ourselves,” he said. -Reuters
http://www.dawn.com/2004/05/01/int9.htm