AMU Homeland Security Intelligence Opinion Terrorism

Thai Militants Attack Army Base

By William Tucker

Thailand’s troubled south experienced one of the largest militant attacks in several years yesterday leaving 16 militants dead in the assault. Locals in the area tipped off the Thai military a few days prior to the attempted assault allowing for a successful defense of the targeted base. Unfortunately, the Malay insurgency doesn’t get much international coverage and only larger skirmishes are report. But the century old insurgency has gone through spikes and lulls with the most recent activity starting again in 2004 and leaving over 5000 people dead. The violence typically occurs in the three southern most provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala where marshal law had been instituted in 2007. Since that time, the government in Bangkok has established curfews in some areas that have had a positive effect. These measures taken by the Thai government may be useful in the short term; however a long term political solution must be found.

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