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2004-05-03 Southeast Asia

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Posted by Dan Darling 2004-05-03 3:36:21 PM|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 More of Time's BS about how suppression breeds anger and new recruits for the enemy. No word on how China's tens of millions of Muslims have been neutered despite restrictions on building new mosques, a requirement that college students renounce Islam, the periodic destruction of existing mosques and collective punishment imposed on male family members of terrorists. That's the real danger of rags like Time, which is nothing like what it was under Henry Luce - it feeds plausible-sounding defeatist disinformation without any regard for the truth.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2004-05-03 6:45:44 PM|| 2004-05-03 6:45:44 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 I think it is worse than ZF's characteriziation. The lesson of recent years is that with a big enough corpse count you will get the western media's attention and sympathy. So we then have a hundred people getting themselves killed in circumstances that seem incredible to a Westerner. I can't help draw the conclusion that this was an organized 'suicide by cop' in order to get the media's attention. I am not big on root causes but if you want one then the western media caused these deaths.

Posted by Phil B 2004-05-03 6:58:45 PM|| 2004-05-03 6:58:45 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 Phil B: I can't help draw the conclusion that this was an organized 'suicide by cop' in order to get the media's attention.

I doubt this. I think they were hoping to overrun Thai defenses using the sheer weight of numbers. What may have happened is Thai security forces may have gotten wind of the operation ahead of time and reinforced the target. The reason they wiped the jihadis out was to send a message that the Thai government would not be politically-correct about taking draconian steps against anyone who was thinking about joining an insurrection. Intimidation works - it has certainly worked for every communist and Islamist movement on the face of the earth.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2004-05-03 7:37:28 PM|| 2004-05-03 7:37:28 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 I live in Bangkok. The Thai authorities DEFINITELY had forewarning about the pre-dawn attack - and the police were waiting in defensive positions. The Pattani extremists attacked in cells of 10 larval-stage hoodlums, each led by an older cell leader. They got hosed down in short order. The survisors fled to the mosque, where I understand that sharpshooters picked them off, until they were all dead. Then the Police did the tear-gas and storming drill, for effect.

I suspect that Thailand is a bit ahead of most of the western world, in realizing that World War III is already being fought. This World War will be the battle of annihilation - the Medieval Islamasists versus the modern world - fought to the last man standing.

Thailand will make short work of the local troublemakers. Thailand is a nice place, as long as you don't run afoul of the Army or Police. If you do, don't expect a lot of PC tolerance. The theory here is "shoot first, beg for forgiveness/ understanding later". Amen.

Posted by Lone Ranger 2004-05-03 7:54:36 PM|| 2004-05-03 7:54:36 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 WW IV, guys, WW IV. WW III was won by the US around 1989, as I recall.

Posted by Tresho 2004-05-03 8:30:29 PM|| 2004-05-03 8:30:29 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Lol, Tresho! Good point!

More Science High defeated Communist Martyrs High pretty soundly that Friday night, if I recall...

Posted by .com 2004-05-03 8:41:04 PM|| 2004-05-03 8:41:04 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 I don't doubt they wanted the guns, but getting killed in the process was probably seen as equally desirable.

Posted by Phil B 2004-05-03 8:52:21 PM|| 2004-05-03 8:52:21 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Zhang Fei and the Lone Ranger are right on the money. Like LR says, the Thai people are generally very mellow but only fools f--- around with the police/military there. I lived in Thailand for several years and it's obvious to me that Time's assessment couldn't be more wrong; their editors are either ignorant, evil, stupid, or some combination of the above. Sigh.

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2004-05-03 8:52:54 PM|| 2004-05-03 8:52:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 I just read in the Straits Times that 'hundreds of attackers' fled after the failure (of the attacks). It looks like it was much bigger than I thought.

Posted by Phil B 2004-05-03 9:12:54 PM|| 2004-05-03 9:12:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Thaksin's response - disappearing jihadis and their supporters and killing them outright, is a breath of fresh air after Israeli pussyfooting around the Palestinians. My view has always been that the Israelis are the cause of their own problems, with their relentless angst and holier-than-thou politically-correct attitudes towards killing the enemy. My feeling is that the Thais will resolve their problems in short order, and tourism to Thailand will resume its torrid pace after the jihadis are put down.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2004-05-03 9:38:51 PM|| 2004-05-03 9:38:51 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 My view has always been that the Israelis are the cause of their own problems And everyone elses. The lesson of the 'intifada' has been that terrorism pays off big time. Although I wouldn't put all the blame on the Israelis. A lot of the blame should go to the Left especially in Europe and the UN. Vast amounts of money are being shoveled into Paleostan, while nothing is done for vastly more deserving causes like the victims of Sudan's genocide.

I'm an optimist and I see the tide turning and Israel is taking the lead. I see the rejection of the Gaza withdrawal as highly significant. We are finally seeing the equation; more terrorism equals less rewards. Now all we need is for the Europeans to figure this out.

Posted by Phil B 2004-05-03 9:49:46 PM|| 2004-05-03 9:49:46 PM|| Front Page Top

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