Regular bombings, killings and skirmishes between There are also growing claims of links to al-Qaida and the regional terrorist outfit, Jemmah Islamiya (JI), which advocates for a Southeast Asian Islamic state. Diplomatic sources said their concerns were driven by a series of interviews believed to have been granted by the self-described leader of al-Qaida in Southeast Asia, known as "Abu Ubaidah," in the middle of last year. In the interviews, Abu claimed that the armed struggle had changed significantly since 2004, when the rebellion was based more on locally driven nationalist aspirations than on the logic of international jihad. "What is happening in Pattani is not an internal conflict. Some [fighters] come from the neighboring country, some come from far away, many thousands of miles," he said. Abu maintained that the mass killings at the Kerisik Mosque in April 2004, when more than 100 people died, and further atrocities committed by the Thai military at Tak Bai in October of the same year helped in the
But
There's plenty of evidence, just none that can convince Mr Loverard, it seems. Hell, even the next paragraph in this article shows what a sham the position taken by "Concord Consulting" is.
If the conflict remains locally contained, the patchwork of southern separatist movements has become increasingly well-organized, with police identifying five principal divisions. The first consists of Islamic leaders and teachers, responsible for recruiting sympathizers and educating
The Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK), a guerilla army that police say includes between 3,000 and 5,000 troops, makes up the fourth division. A fifth column, called the Permudor, is made up of young sympathizers who obstruct police wherever possible and protect RKK soldiers. This motley group of teenagers is expected to replenish the RKK ranks over the coming years. Abdul also said that, while the actual number of RKK attacks decreased over 2008, a shift in tactics -- particularly in the unexpected use of car bombings -- made an enormous impact.
Southern Thailand, also known as Pattani Raya, was an independent sultanate until Bangkok annexed it in 1902. Separatist violence has flared up periodically ever since, but the conflict erupted on an unprecedented scale in January 2004, when an arms robbery from an army camp resulted in a heavy-handed crackdown by the military. Since then, about 3,500 people have died in bloody tit-for-tat reprisals. Fifteen insurgents have been sentenced to death, while 9,207 suspects are awaiting trial over their alleged involvement with the insurgency. Emergency rule was imposed in 2005, and according to research by the non-governmental organization Deep South Watch, Bangkok has spent $3.2 billion trying to solve the problem over the last five years, and another $8.8 billion could be required over the next five to 10 years.
To counter rebel movements, the Thai army has embarked on an ambitious plan aimed at recruiting soldiers from the southern provinces that will eventually be used to quell dissent there. "It's a tremendous project the army is putting its faith in, but it will take another four to five years to implement," said Thai historian and author, Chris Baker. "And there has to be a political resolution and this has been a blind spot amid the military takeover and politics of recent years."
Thailand has been dogged by political instability in recent years, resulting in mass street protests and three prime ministers in the last four months, largely overshadowing the tragic events in the south. But Thailand's newly-elected prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, recently raised the prospect of ending emergency rule, and promised to investigate Amnesty International's claims of torture and human rights abuses by the military. "The government must solve the problem while considering human rights, so the insurgents will not be able to exploit that issue," he said.
Abhisit has vowed to find a solution to the violence by establishing a permanent administration office, a special economic development zone, and by enhancing cooperation with Islamic countries. Given the political convulsions that have beset Bangkok in recent years, many observers have doubts about whether the current government is strong enough to deliver substantial change and bring about peace in the south. But Baker was less pessimistic. "I'm not saying [a political solution] will happen. But what is happening in the south has at least registered with this government."
Considering the statistics given earlier in the article, I'm pretty sure that the terrorism in the south "registered" with the government long ago.