Word: thailander
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Thailand markets itself as a Buddhist kingdom, all golden spires and saffron-robed monks. But 80% of the country's southern tip is Muslim, peopled by descendants of a former Malay sultanate that was annexed by what was then known as Siam in 1902. Over the past five years, a steady stream of bombings, shootings, beheadings and other terror attacks in the country's deep south have claimed roughly 3,500 lives, both Muslim and Buddhist. Most of the killings have been blamed on separatist Muslim insurgents, while others are thought to be the work of Buddhist vigilantes...
...bloodshed persists despite a new campaign by the current Democrat-led government to win the hearts and minds of Thailand's Muslim population through community-led initiatives and development aid. In fact, if the rate of violence in the first eight months of 2009 continues through December, this year will be bloodier than 2008. In June, unidentified gunmen sprayed a mosque with bullets, killing 12 people, while late last month a 50-kg car bomb detonated at a packed restaurant, wounding some 50 bystanders. (Read "Anatomy of a Forgotten Conflict...
...Unlike with many other Muslim terror groups, the insurgents in Thailand's deep south don't tend to claim responsibility for their actions, nor have they publicly stated the reasons for their violent handiwork. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that Muslims in largely Buddhist Thailand have faced decades of prejudice, even on an official level. In a particularly tragic incident in 2004, hundreds of Muslim protesters in the village of Tak Bai were rounded up by security forces, stuffed like sardines into trucks and left to roast in the heat during a drive to an army detention center in Pattani...
...contrast to Thaksin's iron-fisted approach, the current government led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has adopted a far more conciliatory attitude toward Thai Muslims. He has unveiled a $1 billion-plus economic stimulus plan for Thailand's deep south in an effort to counter deep-seated Muslim antipathy toward the central government. But despite the rubber-plantation and road projects, these three southernmost provinces have also turned into a giant militarized zone over the past couple years. Some 60,000 Thai military and police forces patrol the region, a troop surge that has frightened many locals who complain...
...This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.] Imports $3.6 billion Exports $6.1 billion Products Fabric, energy, machinery, construction materials Natural gas, wood products, agriculture Trade partners China, Singapore, Thailand China, India, Thailand...