ANURAJ MANIBHANDU
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont still has much work to do to stop the killing in the deep South but he has made some headway with his diplomatic offensive to isolate the militants. He made known this offensive for the first time when he called a meeting of Thai ambassadors to Islamic countries in late January, and instructed them to spread the word about what the government was trying to do in the restive region.
What exactly has Surayud been doing? Allowing the terrorists to burn down schools and behead innocent people? I am sure the Muslim governments are happy to know that Islamamic terrorists in Thailand have the right to destroy government property, kill innocent people, and generally terrorize the population of the South and get away with it. Because that is Surayud's policy.
He followed this up during an interview aired on television over the weekend by saying that isolating militants was his main objective.
Isolating the terrorists by allowing them to run rampant? Lovely strategy.
That may be one reason why he has publicly commended the performance of Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram.
What dies Nitya have to do with the South? Did he get any guarantees that countries in the Middle East won't sponsor the terrorism in the South?
Since late March, Mr Nitya and his deputy, Sawanit Kongsiri, have travelled to six member states of the Organisation of Islamic Countries, which has a certain status with the United Nations, and is regarded by critics as similarly weak but necessary.
OIC is not part of the United Nations. And this woman is the news editor?
Mr Nitya's first stop was in Malaysia, which is not only the neighbour closest to the trouble spot, but a co-founder of Asean. Malaysia, at the time of Mr Nitya's visit, was the OIC chairman, a post that was passed on to Senegal last week.
What is the point?
In April, Mr Nitya went to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates while Mr Sawanit went to Sudan and Egypt.
What is the point? What did they get from those trips?
From April 30-May 2, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC's secretary-general, was in Thailand, where he met government officials, Muslim leaders and scholars and succeeded in securing an amnesty for southern suspects who did not face criminal charges.
Why do you need an amnesty for people who are not criminals? And what was the point of caving to the OIC on this point when Thailand hasn't received anything in return?
Last week, Mr Nitya gave a fair performance at the OIC's 34th foreign ministers' meeting in Pakistan. Not without some hard lobbying, he ensured that the final statement did not corner Thailand, one of three observers to the OIC.
Corner Thailand on what? Why should be Thailand be afraid of the OIC?
Mr Sawanit carries the torch further tomorrow, when he heads for Uzbekistan, which joined the OIC in 1995. The slight cause for concern lies in the plan for him to find time during his two-day stay to invite the Uzbek president to pay an official visit to Thailand.
What for? To check out all the Uzbekistani whores getting arrested from plying their trade every week??
President Islam Karimov, who has been in power since 2000, may or may not be removed by elections later this year. Uzbekistan last week came under an extension of sanctions the European Union imposed after troops opened fire on protesters in Andijan in May 2005.
President Islam Karimov is a ruthless dictator, but obviously Anuraj isn't aware of this.
Though the ugly suppression and treatment of protesters in Tak Bai in October 2004 is a blot on Thailand's patchy record, the country is still in a position to choose its friends.
Check out this horrible writing. She segues from Islam Karimov's massacres into Thailand's massacres, as if they have anything to do with each other.
And this choice must be guided, as the Foreign Ministry well knows, by the friends who can help curb the violence in the South, through cutting their financial lifeline, or unmasking their sources of political or moral support.
Again, another random segue that has nothing to do with the previous paragraph. Regardless, this analysis is idiotic. The foreign ministry shouldn't be kow towing to governments who are financing terrorism in the South. And if these Muslim governments have information, they should be sharing it without Thailand having to kiss any country's ass.
The slaying of four people in Pattani on day one of the OIC secretary-general's visit to Thailand made clearer the mindset of the militants.
That's right. They don't care about the OIC. Why should they?
They seemed to be saying they will not be intimidated by the status of the OIC as the Muslim world's biggest organisation. Nor will they tolerate elders of any description talking above their heads.
Again, why should the terrorists in the South care?
The incident rightly did not deter the foreign minister from going to the OIC meeting in Islamabad or cultivating the next chairman while he was there.
What does Nitya's agenda have to do with what the terrorists do?
But the incident, and developments among other friends of Thailand, should persuade the ministry to give more attention to these.
I keep asking myself: How did this person become editor of the news department. She can't write worth shit. What does this paragraph mean?
Eight days ago, the EU turned over a collection of 650 books, from 20 member countries, to Chiang Mai University on the occasion of His Majesty the King's 80th birthday anniversary.
What does this piece of random information have to do with the rest of the column?
The Foreign Ministry cannot have missed the opportunities to develop on these steps to repair and rebuild bridges damaged more than eight months ago.
What do books and honoring the king have to do with the coup? They have nothing to do with each other. But somehow this editor sees the connection.
The United States and China have been easier on Thailand partly if not largely because they have to watch each other's advances here. The question that arises now is how the US will react to Prime Minister Surayud's upcoming visit to China.
Again, another random piece of horrible writing that has nothing to do with the rest of the article.
Here is The Nation's take on Anuraj's worthless analysis. It is one of the few times I actually agree with one of its editorials.
Last paragraph:
Moreover, the Thai government has grossly overrated the OIC. This is an organisation with little moral authority. Just look at the mess in Darfur and the general problems within the Muslim world. What is the OIC doing about any of this, other then issuing an endless stream of statements? Thailand will eventually wake up to the fact that a favourable statement issued by the OIC earlier this month will not bring peace to the South. Neither will the offer to negotiate with insurgents bring any cease-fire. Unless the government and security forces succeed in protecting civilians and effectively combating insurgents, peace will remain elusive, and the country's national security and territorial integrity will be compromised.
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