Friday, March 23, 2007

"Insurgency" you won't see on the BBC 10 o'clock news

Eighty seven bombings in one month- 37 in one day. Roadside mines, RPG attacks, machine gunning and multiple beheadings.

I know, I know - you're fed up with hearing about Iraq and the continuing "quagmire", but hang on - I'm not talking about Iraq.

I'm talking about southern Thailand.

Violence in Thailand's southern provinces has reached a level that shocked many when Muslim separatists attacked a van and killed nine passengers. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, experts say it appears the militants hope to drive non-Muslims out of the region, despite government efforts to bring peace.

Front-page headlines called it the "Massacre in Yala". Photos showed bodies on the roadside, one of them a boy wearing his school sports shoes and clean white socks.

Muslim militants forced the vehicle off the road and shot nine passengers; the Muslim driver was spared after he pleaded for his life.

It's that word again. Or rather isn't that word again. The murdering scum are described - non-judgementally - as militants rather than what they are, terrorists. I remember the days when "militant" meant Arthur Scargill in a dodgy baseball cap, not some Muslim fanatic with an AK-47 and a penchant for slitting the throats of children.

Sunai Pasuk, with the U.S. group Human Rights Watch, says the attack shows the insurgents are stepping up their campaign of terror.

So that would be terror - as in terrorism? As perpetrated by terrorists? But sssh, don't be judgemental. Mustn't do anything to offend them, must we. Pusak explains that .....

"The message from the insurgents is that there will be no reconciliation, there'll be no compromise, or negotiation," Sunai said.

That, unfortunately, is a message that we in the west just don't - or won't - understand. They must want something so all we have to do is sit down and talk with them. Everyone is open to reconciliation, everything is up for negotiation, everyone can reach a compromise. We just need to understand them and their perfectly legitimate grievances. So what are they after, exactly?

The insurgents have never issued demands or identified their group. But over three years, there has been a steady slaughter - attacks on schools, government workers, farm laborers, Buddhist monks, and even Muslims accused of collaborating with the government. More than 21-hundred people have died.

Holy shit! That's a lot of dead people in a few years - and yet nobody can identify the group! Hey, fellas - WAKE UP! Here's a clue. Six letters, starts with m, ends with m and has usli in the middle.

They don't know what they want, either. Well, actually they do. They know that what they want is to drive non-muslims out of those regions, establish them as autonomous muslim states with sharia law and then, after a requisite period of time and relative calm, begin the expansion into new areas of Thailand as more muslims migrate further north.

It's funny how this "insurgency" gets so little coverage on the BBC news. I think that's because it doesn't fit with the received BBC Muslim narrative that all muslim violence, whether it be in Baghdad or London, Madrid or Kabul, Jenin or Tel Aviv, is driven by a genuine grievance - the "plight" of the Palestinians, the foreign policies of the USA or Britain, the fascist racism of the Israelis or being offended by having their leaders face displayed in a comic.

But those can't explain what happens in southern Thailand where children are butchered for the simple reason that they are not the right religion. It happens EVERYWHERE where there are muslims. It's been going on for years in Nigeria, it's happening now in Thailand and it has started in Europe. It's only a matter of time before the first autonomous Islamic region of Europe is established - preceded by violence and "insurgency". My guess is that it will be Marseilles - but, to be honest, there are plenty of other places up for grabs. Parts of Scandinavia, Holland and Belgium are already starting to give in to demands. Anyone who speaks out is forced into hiding or is butchered in the street. Then come the riots - attacks on the police and firefighters. Next will be the attacks on low level establishment figures - the schoolteachers, local magistrates, council workers. Then comes the kiddie killing.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whilst I might not have used language quite as emotive as yours, Stan, I couldn't agree more with your assessment.

When will the illiberal liberals wake up to is threat to our futures?

Stan said...

I guess it was a trifle emotive, but if we can't be emotional about the potential collapse of western liberal civilisation what can we be emotional about?

There is such a culture of denial in this country - and,indeed, across Europe - about what is happening. The political elites honestly believe they can rationalise the muslim violence down to what they perceive as a genuine grievances over "Palestine" or US foreign policy. They really believe that they will achieve peace by giving in to what seem like modest demands - only to find that those are followed by more demands and then more demands - each time preceded by a cycle of violence and terrorism. We are being defeated incrementally - salami slice, by salami slice. Every time we make a concession it is not received with gratitude but with more and more vigorous demands.

At some point we have to say stop. No more. And that time has to be soon. We have to start meeting their demands with similar demands. Want a new mosque in Leicester? Sure - just as soon as we see a new church in Jeddah. Want the right to wear a veil? OK, just as soon as women in Saudi are walking around in mini skirts. Want halal meat? Tough.

We need to start playing the game their way.