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| Southeast Asia |
| Thailand Admits Presence of Militant Muslims |
| 2003-05-29 |
| Thailand publicly acknowledged the presence of home-grown Muslim militants Thursday, saying it was monitoring the movements of a handful of Thais with links to international terror groups. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose government has repeatedly rejected suggestions that his tourist-reliant nation is a likely target of a terror attack, made the admission after the arrest of two Muslim Thais in neighbor Cambodia this week. "No, no, no. Well, yes, but don't say it too loud." "We've been following those who have links with international terrorist groups, but there are only a few of them and they have been inactive so far," Thaksin told reporters in the Thai capital Bangkok. Better take action before one of those "inactive terrorists" drives a truck bomb into a sex club. That'll sure put a crimp on your tourist trade. Fellow Southeast Asian nations Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore publicly cracked down on suspected Muslim radicals in the wake on the Sept. 11, 2001 suicide attacks on the United States and the Bali bomb blasts last October. Thaksin and his government have dismissed suggestions that Thailand, which relies heavily on tourist dollars, is a breeding ground for Islamic militancy. He said Thursday that countries with Muslim communities such as Thailand could have a certain number of militants trained overseas and with connections to international networks. About six million of mainly Buddhist Thailand's more than 60 million people are Muslim. Out of that six million, I'm sure you'll find more than a few fundiwackjobs. Check the mosques in the poor neighborhoods. Thaksin, speaking in the Thai capital Bangkok, said security agencies were investigating whether the two Thai suspects in Cambodia had links with Muslim militants at home. Someone get the ClueBat. Cambodia charged an Egyptian and the two Thais with suspected links to Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiah Wednesday. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #3 Bangkok was labeled "sex capital of the World" by Playboy magazine several years ago. Sex junkets are a regular item with sexual enthusiasts from Japan and Australia, taking advantage of the large number of sex emporiums in the country. Perfect targets for Islamist extremists. Right-on comment about a bomb in a sex club...look how the tourist industry in Bali is now irreversibly destroyed. |
| Posted by: TJ 2003-05-29 12:30:00 |
| #2 Thailand has replaced Malaysia as the Vegas of terrorist conventions. The large number of Western tourists who show up in Thailand present an attractive target to Muslim terrorists. The Thais would have to be stupid to ignore the danger at their doorstep. Thailand needs those tourist dollars, but I suspect it's going to be the site of the next Bali-like incident, if the government persists in its lackadaisical attitude. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-05-29 11:59:37 |
| #1 I just hope the 'Thai Mafia' gets worried. I'd bet on them against the Islamist fanatics. If theey get worried, the terrorist cells will quietly disappear. Bones might be found later. |
| Posted by: Kathy K 2003-05-29 18:02:05 |