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Originally Posted by void
I've had some interesting and very spirited discussions with my Thai wife on this. I tend to be more toward supporting a militant response, and she is more toward the left, and the push for solving the root of the problem.
One thing we both agreed upon, is that it is possibly impossible to deal with a situation like this, and expect immediate results. Instead results have to come over a long period of time.
A former Thai Prime Minister, who is well respected, was appointed head of a commission to go the south, and come up with recommendations that can be implemented to solve the problems that have lead to this. This is a slow approach, and many could be killed while this process is "playing out".
But is there a faster approach? Can what Thaksin is implementing, in terms of reduced freedoms, solve the problems?
There is a view held by many educated Thai's, that Thaksin could be adopting the wrong approach. By cracking down on freedom's in the south, by install curfew in Southern areas, he could create more dislike for the Bangkok based Thai government. The argument (against Thaksin's approach) is that his freedom reducing and militant supporting approaches could lead to southern people support to the evil fanatical terrorists.
Instead, there is a view held by many Thai's that a better approach is for the Government to try to win the confidence of the southern people. For example, the Thai government had promised funds/support to victims of these attrocities, and had promised funds/support to improve other aspects in the south. The view is that corruption, possibly amongst southern officials, has stopped the funds from getting to the people. The view is also that the Thai Government in Bangkok has turned a blind eye toward this corruption. ... This in turn has supported a turning away of the southern people from the Bangkok based Thai goverment.
I tend to agree with you that one "can't allow people to be riding around on motorcycles throwing firebombs into 7/11s, restaurants, and railway/transit stations", but after some lengthy and spirited discussions with my wife, I don't see how these new measures are going to directly stop that activity. These new measures, instead, could cause more unrest, and could very well amplify the current bad situation.
Sadly there are no simple answers.
In the end I did partly agree with my Thai wife. Like her, I too am curious to see progression in the recommendations of the former Thai Prime Minister. And I think significant re-education, combined together with a longer term of ongoing "enlightened" education in the south is needed. And I also think internal ongoing support is needed from the southern Thai people themselves, to help root out and destroy these fanatics. Without the support of the southern people, I am afraid that no amount of Bangkok Thai government reductions of Thai freedoms, and other Bangkok Thai Government militant measures, are going to "immediately" solve the problems in the south.
But unlike her, I also wonder if there is not a way to take a more pro-active, militant type response, in dealing with terrorists, ... even if it is not an immediate answer.
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