Suspected Muslim rebels launched grenades at a police station in southern Thailand on Wednesday in the latest in a series of raids that have left six security troops dead since the start of the new year. There were no casualties in the latest attack, said police Maj. Thani Twibsi. The raiders assaulted with M-79 grenade launchers and machine guns but fled after police fired back.
| What the hell kind of Islamists are these? They obviously were't paying attention to the training they received in Pakistan. They're supposed to toss the grenades at the cops, miss, and hit an outdoor market, preferably crowded with women over 75 and children under four... |
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said three people suspected of involvement in the raid were arrested, but Defense Minister Thammarak Issarangkura na Ayudhaya later told reporters they were only taken in for questioning. Thaksin said insurgents with dual Thai-Malaysian citizenship were responsible for the attacks since Sunday in which 21 schools were razed and six police and soldiers killed. ``They are not international terrorists,’’ Thaksin said. ``They are terrorists who operate in these areas ... commuting between Thailand and Malaysia.’’
| That's two countries, Thaksin. Moving between them makes it international. And that dual citizenship idea stinks. |
Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Satun - which border Malaysia - are the only Muslim-majority provinces in predominantly Buddhist Thailand. The provinces witnessed an Islamic insurgency for decades before it died down in the late 1990s. But in a resurgence, attacks over the past two years in the area have killed more than 56 police and soldiers.
| That's a number that's due to go up dramatically unless Thaksin cracks down seriously... |
On Sunday, suspected insurgents set fire to schools and raided an armory in Narathiwat province, killing four soldiers. Two bombings in Pattani province on Monday killed two policemen. The government has acknowledged that the attacks could be the work of Islamic insurgents, after previously dismissing the violence as banditry.
| Good idea. Now go wash your neck. Get rid of that brown ring. |
Thaksin said Tuesday that separatist ideology has died down but that ``some extremists still remain.’’
| It doesn't take many, does it? |
Thailand has largely escaped the terrorism sweeping parts of Asia. But the arrest of suspected terrorist mastermind Hambali in Thailand in August was evidence raised fears that his Jemaah Islamiyah group was plotting attacks in the country.
| Really, I think the Lions' Club could do a lot of good for the Thai government... |
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