March 31, 2005
peace or politics?
Over the past 14 months, more than 600 people have been killed in the South
"Governor elections in the restive, predominantly Muslim South are needed to help promote peace and human rights."
-Vitit Muntarbhorn, Chulalongkorn University law professor, March 23, 2005
This is how it's meant to be done!
A BUDDHIST MONK and an Islamic religious teacher register their attendance at a conference on reconciliation efforts for the troubled South at Prince of Songkhla University's Pattani campus yesterday. The meeting was attended by about 70 people from the public and private sectors.
courtesy of "The Nation"
Which just goes to show... how much regard does the prime minister have for the people of the south? Current maps of Thailand's political map show a democratic south and a TRT north. Is Thaksin going to show more regard for the human rights of the people of the south now? No - and the motive is as much political as discriminatory. His stated intentions are to forcefully end the 'rebellion' in the south. Is it a rebellion? As far as I can tell, it's not - it's the oppression of a handful of people who want to be allowed freedom to practice their religious beliefs. It's not right to bomb schools and temples. But what led them to do that? Why has the response been to pull out the heavy artillery to kill the mouse? A vast majority of Thais do not approve of the action taken by the Thai government on the Southern provinces. Or rather... should I say, the vast majority of Thai people who would have a clue, or access to news! After all... it's easy for the TRT to convince the majority of the nation that it's a good idea to March in with a lot of soldiers and kill all the 'islamic rebels' that they find - when they own all the media! Who are they really targeting, though? It seems as though young islamic students are getting the brunt of things. Not political, they say? It sounds to me like a blatant right wing attack on left-wing politics.
fon @ Thursday, March 31, 2005 link to post * *