Harsh responses to Muslim separatists risk increased terror, say
\nanalysts<\/p>\n
Lawrence Bartlett
\nAgence France-Presse\/Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Harsh government responses to separatist violence in Thailand and
\nthe Philippines risk drawing international terrorists more deeply
\ninto the region, analysts say.<\/p>\n
Conflicts in Muslim areas of Buddhist Thailand and the mainly
\nChristian Philippines have been fueled by local issues but are
\ngetting increasing attention from militants outside the region,
\nthey say.<\/p>\n
Arab websites supporting Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network
\nhave begun "highlighting the Thai issue," said Rohan Gunaratna, a
\nterrorism expert with Singapore's Institute of Defense and
\nStrategic Studies.<\/p>\n
"Prologation of this conflict will mean greater involvement of
\nother regional groups and global groups like al-Qaeda."<\/p>\n
The southern Philippines, where separatist conflicts have
\nraged for decades, already has a "permanent al-Qaeda presence",
\nGunaratna told AFP.<\/p>\n
Increasing foreign involvement, particularly in Thailand, is
\n"certainly a risk," said Robert Broadfoot of the Hong Kong-based
\nPolitical and Economic Consultancy.<\/p>\n
"The grievances in southern Thailand are local but as we saw
\nin Indonesia and the Philippines, al-Qaeda and international
\ngroups have been able to take advantage of those local
\nsituations.<\/p>\n
"Their scope has broadened beyond strictly domestic issues to
\nwhere they are commenting on United States policy in Iraq and
\ninternational issues."<\/p>\n
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Philippines
\nPresident Gloria Arroyo both pledged tough action against
\nseparatists in the wake of bomb attacks last week which killed a
\ntotal of 16 people and wounded nearly 200.<\/p>\n
Ten were killed in three blasts in the Philippines and six in
\nthe deadliest single bombing in Thailand's Muslim-dominated deep
\nsouth, where separatist violence has claimed about 600 lives in
\nthe past 13 months.<\/p>\n
Arroyo vowed to crush the rebel group Abu Sayyaf, which
\nclaimed the Valentine's Day bombings and is said by the United
\nStates to have al-Qaeda links, but added: "The government shall
\nfocus its operations against terrorist cells and there should be
\nno fear of a witch hunt."<\/p>\n
Thaksin, however, has unveiled a plan to cut state funds to
\nvillages deemed supportive of southern separatists.<\/p>\n
With Muslims already complaining of political and economic
\nmarginalization, critics say the new plan will simply make things
\nworse.<\/p>\n
Increased Muslim suffering could make southern Thailand a
\nfertile area for exploitation by al-Qaeda militants, Gunaratna
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"We saw on Jan. 5 an Arab website for the first time carrying
\nimages of the Tak Bai incident" in which 87 Muslim demonstrators
\ndied, most of them through suffocation after being piled onto the
\nbacks of army trucks.<\/p>\n
"And we are seeing Arab pro-al-Qaeda websites are highlighting
\nthe Thai issue, so certainly it is in the long term strategic and
\nnational interest of Thailand to resolve this problem as soon as
\npossible."<\/p>\n
Thaksin has charged that militants seek refuge across the
\nborder in mainly Muslim Malaysia and even train in the jungles in
\nthe north of that country, accusations which have led to sharp
\nexchanges with Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
Instead of antagonizing Malaysia, Gunaratna said Thailand
\nshould seek a special relationship with its Muslim neighbor,
\nestablishing common data bases on militants, setting up joint
\ntraining and operations and sharing resources and experience.<\/p>\n
"We are seeing that the operational leaders and the spiritual
\nleaders are shuttling through the porous border between Malaysia
\nand Thailand but we do not see any Malaysian government support
\nfor these groups," Gunaratna said.<\/p>\n
Broadfoot pointed out that "the Malaysian government has at
\nleast as much interest as Thaksin does in not having this get out
\nof hand".<\/p>",
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