Thailand and terrorism

Thailand and terrorism

If the possibility of a terrorist attack on targets in Bangkok or other parts of Thailand outside the Muslim-majority southern provinces used to be a taboo subject, then perhaps now is the time for society to shed its false sense of security and fatalistic complacency.

The long-held notion that Thailand - a predominantly Buddhist, peace-loving country - has been remarkably tolerant towards other religious faiths, including Islam, and is therefore more or less immune to large-scale terrorist strikes, was shattered after almost 80 of the more than 1,300 Muslim protesters detained by security forces after a riot died in captivity under dubious circumstances.

According to the government, most of the detained protesters died of suffocation or heat stroke or were crushed to death after being crammed, hands tied behind their backs, into military vehicles in order to be transported back to a military camp in Pattani for interrogation.

The gruesome deaths, described callously by the Thaksin administration as an "unfortunate accident", have attracted widespread condemnation by many governments, international human rights groups and Islamic organisations, as well as the wrath of Muslims everywhere.

Suddenly, Thailand is repeatedly mentioned as a possible target for international terrorist groups bent on avenging what was described as the brutal and inhumane treatment of Muslims in the deep South.

There are two different ways for Thailand to learn to cope and even live with what is shaping up to be a long battle against Islamic militancy: do nothing and hope that Thai society will somehow be spared such an atrocity, or start getting ready now.

It's time for both the government and the public to get organised and improve the nation's capabilities to deal with terrorism.

-- The Nation, Bangkok