Farang Farang

I read this over at The Lost Boy. Matt, aka The Lost Boy, reports:

Out of nowhere, a spokesman claiming to represent 11 separatist group from the Deep South has declared an end to the violence.

What. The. F***.

Any groups who do not comply with this newfound peace will be dealt with accordingly, said the spokesman.

“We want to see peace and stability in the region. All forms of attacks have come to an end,” he said.

Hmm… That’s strange, because I just read about an attack on a Pattani police station. This makes me wonder about the validity of the statement. I am glad to be in good company with Matt, who is equally doubtful:

Surely a group of militants who have beheaded, burned and butchered innocents for years would not simply call it day and not have a strong reason for doing so. This makes them look weak.

We will see what happens. I would love to see the day when Thailand can put this mess behind itself and have the people all get along. I know it makes me sound like some darned hippy or somethting, but peace in the country would certainly be a boon in many respects. You can’t argue with that.

This video shows an important side of the tensions in Southern Thailand but does not do justice in really talking about Thailand’s role in causing the distrust between Thais and Islamic ethnic Malay people. Thaksin Shinawatra, the previous prime minister, did a lot to fan the flames and fomented violence in the south but this is almost glossed over in the video. After all, it is a VOA production, and the US government is on an anti-Islam kick, so I am not too surprised by this.