Word: muslims
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...military is stretched thin and taking a pounding. There are about 20,000 troops deployed in a conflict area half the size of Israel, and they-like their beleaguered American counterparts in Iraq-are outmaneuvered by a ruthless and elusive enemy that shelters amid a Muslim population largely hostile to Thai security forces. Two roadside bombings in May alone killed a total of 22 soldiers; their well-drilled killers executed some of the wounded survivors by shooting them in the head or strangling them. Last month, junta leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin publicly admitted that the fighting in the south...
...militants, razing classrooms and slaughtering teachers is a justified strategy. Besides their anger-and that of many ordinary Thai Muslims-at what they perceive to be the marginalization of the south (the region is among Thailand's poorest), the insurgents have long despised government schools, whether Buddhist or Muslim. The rebels see them as representative of a Thai state they believe suppresses the culture, language and religion of Malay Muslims, who make up the majority of people in the southern provinces of this otherwise overwhelmingly Buddhist nation. Resistance to Bangkok's assimilation policies-banning Muslim headscarves, closing schools not conforming...
...Many southerners had hoped that the violence might subside with last September's coup-General Sonthi is a Muslim, and he and Interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont have pledged a conciliatory policy involving negotiation, more autonomy and greater economic aid. But since the junta seized power, the average kill rate has more than doubled to about four deaths a day, and the generals, like Thaksin, have been forced to send in more security forces. While no armed group has claimed responsibility for the conflict, nor stated any aims or demands, the militants' strategy seems clear enough: render the region...
...next morning, his optimism is shattered. Overnight, leaflets are found outside the school. "Warning!" one reads. "Muslim brothers and sisters of Pattani: The Malay people of Pattani are currently at war with the Siamese infidel occupiers. Therefore, we must unite." Without claiming responsibility for the arson attack, the leaflet explains that schools are targeted because they are "symbols of the Siamese infidel occupier." It continues: "This is a warning to our brothers and sisters: do not assist the occupier, or cooperate in terms of labor or goods in kind. To help them with labor, money or goods in kind...
Move over, Tankini. Since the full-coverage swimsuit dubbed the Burqini (as in burqa plus bikini) hit the international market in January, devout Muslim women have been snapping them up. The polyester suits were designed to accord with Islamic laws that require women to dress modestly and to eliminate the risk of drowning when the yards of fabric used in traditional burqas get soaked. Now, however, non-Muslim beachgoers are getting into the full-covered swim. Whether women are worried about health, weight or the tolls of age, the Burqini offers a comfortable alternative to a skimpy two-piece...