Thailand Buys US Arms for War in Muslim South
BANGKOK, July 14, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Thailand has given the green light for a massive US-made arms purchase to fight what it called "guerrilla" war in its Muslim-majority south.
The cabinet has approved a three-year special defense budget of 2.8 billion baht (66.3 million dollars) for the weaponry, which includes seven US-made attack helicopters and more than 24,000 guns, reported Agence France-Presse, citing a classified cabinet document.
"The arms procurement project for the defense ministry is classified as a top priority aimed at boosting security officers' maximum efficiency" in the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, said the document, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
"The situation in the three southern provinces is deteriorating (into) both urban and rural guerrilla warfare, and it is obstructing the government's development plan as well as the establishment of security," it added.
Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation but Muslims make up about five percent of the population and mostly live in the five southern provinces bordering Malaysia.
Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are the only Muslim majority provinces in Thailand, where Muslims have long complained of discrimination in jobs and education and business opportunities.
Critics at home and abroad have accused Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra's cabinet of using heavy-handed tactics against Thai Muslims.
American Weapons
"It is a domestic issue from our point of view," Rice recently said about the problem in the south. (Reuters)
Six procurement projects were approved, including one allowing the defense ministry to acquire seven US attack helicopters and pay 300 million baht (7.1 million dollars) for their repair, upgrade and transport, said the document.
The projects also allow the purchase of 24,439 assault rifles and machineguns to replace obsolete weaponry used by some of the security forces in southern Thailand, it added.
The new development comes days following a visit to the country by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"We believe this is a situation that is contained within the south. It is a domestic issue from our point of view," Rice told reporters after meeting with the Thai prime minister on the resort island of Phuket earlier this week.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) concluded on Thursday, May 19, that the Thai government's failure to address injustices and open a genuine dialogue with Muslim leaders in the south is the real reason behind unrest in the country.
Thailand's national rights watchdog also accused the army of "violent breaches of human rights" against Muslims in the south.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday, July 6, that the harsh, militarized policies of the Thai government in the violence-wracked Muslim-majority south have generated spiraling dynamic of violence and revenge in the area, leaving Thai Muslims living in fear and horror.
The cabinet has approved a three-year special defense budget of 2.8 billion baht (66.3 million dollars) for the weaponry, which includes seven US-made attack helicopters and more than 24,000 guns, reported Agence France-Presse, citing a classified cabinet document.
"The arms procurement project for the defense ministry is classified as a top priority aimed at boosting security officers' maximum efficiency" in the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, said the document, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
"The situation in the three southern provinces is deteriorating (into) both urban and rural guerrilla warfare, and it is obstructing the government's development plan as well as the establishment of security," it added.
Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation but Muslims make up about five percent of the population and mostly live in the five southern provinces bordering Malaysia.
Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are the only Muslim majority provinces in Thailand, where Muslims have long complained of discrimination in jobs and education and business opportunities.
Critics at home and abroad have accused Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra's cabinet of using heavy-handed tactics against Thai Muslims.
American Weapons
"It is a domestic issue from our point of view," Rice recently said about the problem in the south. (Reuters)
Six procurement projects were approved, including one allowing the defense ministry to acquire seven US attack helicopters and pay 300 million baht (7.1 million dollars) for their repair, upgrade and transport, said the document.
The projects also allow the purchase of 24,439 assault rifles and machineguns to replace obsolete weaponry used by some of the security forces in southern Thailand, it added.
The new development comes days following a visit to the country by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"We believe this is a situation that is contained within the south. It is a domestic issue from our point of view," Rice told reporters after meeting with the Thai prime minister on the resort island of Phuket earlier this week.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) concluded on Thursday, May 19, that the Thai government's failure to address injustices and open a genuine dialogue with Muslim leaders in the south is the real reason behind unrest in the country.
Thailand's national rights watchdog also accused the army of "violent breaches of human rights" against Muslims in the south.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday, July 6, that the harsh, militarized policies of the Thai government in the violence-wracked Muslim-majority south have generated spiraling dynamic of violence and revenge in the area, leaving Thai Muslims living in fear and horror.
posted by ltf ha at 5:40 AM
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