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| Southeast Asia |
| Thais believe British soccer 'may quell rebellion' by RoP |
| 2005-08-17 |
| The Thai government has turned to British Premiership football to quell a separatist insurgency after the failure of more conventional approaches. More than 800 people have been killed since the rebellion erupted 18 months ago in the Muslim-majority south, which was once an independent sultanate. The government has tried strict controls and promises of aid. Last month it passed emergency powers authorising detention without charge for 30 days, search and arrest without warrants, and telephone tapping. It even air-dropped millions of origami birds as a gesture of peace but the killing went on. So the government announced that up to 1,000 television sets, complete with cable subscriptions, were to be handed out. In football-mad Thailand the Premiership is the most popular item on subscription channels. The sets will go to places such as village tea shops And they'll just love the head-chopping spectacles! "So we are giving them what they love, hoping it can help solve the problem." No, but a little bombing and occasional shooting down of Islamists might help solve your problem. A spokesman for the Premier League said: "If they can use Premier League football to bring warring factions together it can only be a good thing." Have these guys ever seen what happens at South American or European soccor matches, especially ones between intense rivals? |
| Posted by:The Angry Fliegerabwehrkanonen |
| #8 Maybe if the just give what they want they'll just be nice. That and that Thais stop praciticing Bhuddism, and well, knock all the Bhuddist Temples down. Er, and don't forget about the women, cover 'em up. Oh, yeah, and Isreal outta Palestine. |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2005-08-17 17:29 |
| #7 I say just start killing terrorists. The Thai government is trying all the stuff that can't work against a philosophy that says kill the other.( just like ours.) You can't fight Fascists with education, you have to imprison them in a way that they can't spread their vile doctrine or, kill them. There is no other way. Fascism is a threat to all people everywhere. Even our government fails to get this bit of reality. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-08-17 17:25 |
| #6 Have they tried hunting down and killing the guilty parties? Actually, they have. They're just not very good at it. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2005-08-17 15:53 |
| #5 BAR: Appeasement, by any other name. Appeasement may be cheaper for a country highly dependent on tourist dollars. Thailand is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. If terrorist strikes start spreading, that will change. They're hoping to contain it. Note that under the placid surface, things are happening - I have read of Muslim complaints about mysterious disappearances. Thais are polite to a fault, but if you've ever watched a bout of Thai boxing, you'll know that they're not necessarily a squeamish people. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-08-17 14:41 |
| #4 The government has tried strict controls and promises of aid. Appeasement, by any other name. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-08-17 14:18 |
| #3 I'm guessing the soccer is their equivalent to all-night basketball? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-08-17 14:18 |
| #2 First things first, RC. They've tried the origami cranes, next is soccer. Then comes the All-Faiths Ice Cream Social, the community outreach rec center, and then the hunting down and killing of guilty parties. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-08-17 13:58 |
| #1 Have they tried hunting down and killing the guilty parties? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-08-17 13:16 |