SUNGAI KOLOK, Thailand, 8 October 2005 â Along with the ubiquitous cans of soda and packets of pot noodles, the mom-and-pop stores of violence-plagued southern Thailand are selling tickets to a new life. For 5 baht ($0.12), the stubs of paper buy a 30-second boat ride across a narrow river to Malaysia â the land of opportunity for young Muslims wanting to escape 21 months of unrest in Thailandâs three southernmost provinces. As the death toll climbs above 900 and the local economy collapses, young Muslims see little point in staying behind to get caught up in an increasingly dirty guerrilla conflict between separatist militants and more than 30,000 soldiers and police. âPeople here worry about three things. Where will the authorities arrest me? When should I leave? How will I die?â said Abdulrahman Abdulsahad, president of the Islamic Council of Narathiwat province, 1,200 km (750 miles) south of Bangkok.| Two points: First, that death toll is mostly Thai Buddhists. Second, the victims are teachers, policemen, rubber plantation workers and shopkeepers. Basically the entire southern Thailand middle class. The imams shut down Friday rubber production on "religious" grounds and recently came after Thusday production as well, with leaflets threatening death to anyone caught working. One estimate I posted here a few months ago said rubber production was down six percent; my guess is that the economic damage is worse than that and the damage to the social fabric of Thailand is horrific. To the Islamists, that's a feature, not a bug. |
| This article isn't very clear on just how many "university students" are moving away to |