May 11, 2007: The increase
in attacks on police in the south appears to be in response to the increased
police activity against suspected terrorists. Apparently, several dozen of
those arrested recently were well connected terrorists. Some of those arrested
also appear to have talked, because the raids and arrests continue. The
government has also helped with the formation of militias among the Buddhist
militias, and this has made the Moslems nervous. To add to the tension,
hundreds of Moslem civilians have blocked a main road for over a week, in an
effort to get terrorist suspects released from prison.
May 10, 2007: Six armed men attacked a police post, killing
two policemen and burning their bodies.
May 9, 2007: In the south,
seven soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb. Elsewhere, a Moslem civilian was
shot dead.
May 7, 2007: The government
is financing the establishment of Islamic Studies departments in several
universities. This means fewer Moslem Thais will go to places like Saudi
Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt or Indonesia to study, and possibly pick up a taste for
radical Islam along the way. May 5, 2007: In the capital, a small bomb went off
near the royal palace, wounding a passer by. In the south, Islamic terrorist
killed two policemen and seven civilians in several attacks.
May 4, 2007: Despite the
Islamic terrorism in the south, the beach resorts in the region remain the most
popular destination for foreigners visiting the region. The resorts are build
away from population centers, and the locals who work at the resorts have not
been cooperating with the terrorists. Moreover, many Buddhist northerners have
gone south to work at the resorts.
