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| Southeast Asia |
| Malaysia, Thailand open bridge on restive border |
| 2007-12-21 |
| Thailand and Malaysia opened a bridge over their restive border on Friday, a new artery for commerce between relatively prosperous Malaysia and poor Muslim communities on the other side. Muslims have been waging an insurgency against security forces on the Thai side of the border since January 2004, a conflict that has killed more than 2,600 people. Thailand and Malaysia say local economic development holds the key to peace. "We are certain that the growth and prosperity in the border areas, and especially for the people in southern provinces of Thailand, will benefit not only Thailand but also Malaysia," Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said. The Muslims of Narathiwat and surrounding Thai provinces are ethnic Malays, a minority in Thailand but the majority in Malaysia. They speak the same language and share the same religion as their kin living in peace over the border. On the Thai side, there are almost daily gun and bomb attacks. Insurgents have usually aimed their attacks, including beheadings, on people associated with the Thai state, such as security forces, judges and even teachers. Since July, security forces have launched almost daily raids on suspected insurgent hideouts in villages and towns and have detained dozens of people without charge. "Malaysia stands ready to give its full support and cooperation to the government of Thailand in its endeavour to find comprehensive solutions to the problems there and establish permanent peace in the area," Abdullah said. But bilateral relations have been strained at times over the insurgency. Bangkok has in the past accused its neighbour of harbouring insurgents, who have waged a sporadic separatist rebellion ever since Thailand annexed the region a century ago, when the Muslim south was a sultanate. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #3 How many illegal immigrants will Malaysia not notice in the years to come? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-12-21 23:14 |
| #2 ...a new artery for commerce between relatively prosperous Malaysia and poor Muslim communities on the other side. That's right...errrr..."commerce"! That's the ticket! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-12-21 14:02 |
| #1 What's the line for the expected bridge boom? |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2007-12-21 13:59 |