Thailand's Taliban: The Muslim Insurgency in the South

"Taliban, staying here in Thailand, Fawlty!!! Bunch of Camel jockeys, Bloody bad eggs, all of 'em!!!"

I'm afraid in the current political climate that most people would probably agree with the Major on this point!!!!!

It may seem incredible to believe that a country famed for it's gentle Buddhist religion is suffering the scourge of Islamic extremism. And it will certainly cause your spinchter to pucker up tighter than a Scotman's wallet, knowing that only hours from Thailand's tourist hotspots, lurk large numbers of FundaMENTAList ragheads.

The Southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, home to many of Thailand's muslims, have been experiencing an increasingly violent insurgency over the last 5 years.

The population in the South who are mainly Malay-Muslims, had for years lived in relative peace with their Buddhist neighbours. But now there is an increasing jihadist undertone and the attacks have become more sophisticated, including car-bombings and ambush attacks which would suggest their have been outside influences and Thailand's muslim have been brainwashed by international extremists.

Fortunately, the attacks have remained fairly localised and have not yet spread to the tourist areas!!!

But this doesn't mean we should take our eye of the ball, it is always wise to be vigilant!!! You just have to visit Tony's disco in Pattaya to see the large numbers of, urm, Arabian gentleman, to know that there are a significant amount of muslims already in Thailand!!

There is a good chance that Mr. Bin Laden won't be paying a visit to Thailand and lets hope that doesn't change any time soon!!! Although the poor fella does need to get out a little bit more. I'm sure Bora Bora in winter, is infinitely preferable to Tora Bora!!!!

Don't let this post put you off visiting Thailand, as most of the country is extremely safe. But if you do see anyone with a beard waddling down Sukhumvit Road, wearing a trench coat in the height of summer..............then I have one word for you......................RUN!!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thai Logic

The theme of todays post is "Thai logic"....... But for those of you that have visited the Kingdom this may seem like a contradiction in terms, because the chances are, you have been in situations where there seems to be a lack of "logic" applied. You may think I'm being anti-Thai or trying to create an unfair cultural stereotype but this is not the case at all..... My current girlfriend is Thai as was my ex-girlfriend and I have nothing but good things to say about the majority of Thai people that I have encountered across all walks of life. I believe that the Thai's are the warmest and friendliest people you are ever likely to meet anywhere in the world....however, many lack, what we in the West would call, "common sense". Or as the late grandma Penfold might have said "some of them are as green as cabbage looking". My favourite example is when I checked into a small Bangkok hotel in Soi 4 Sukhumvit and was told the shower in my room wa
Read more

What the fuk?

Image
Before you start writing any letters of complaint or offering to wash my mouth out with soap.....a fuk, is actually a type of vegetable here in Thailand!!!! In Thai script it is written ฟัก and when pronounced, it sounds just like the English swear word. So, as you can imagine, I have had hours of fun with this in Thailand!!!! But, what on earth is a fuk, I hear you cry? It's known as a "winter melon" or "white gourd" in English and is common throughout South East Asia. For those of you, like me, who are botanically challenged, the winter melon is in the same family as honeydew melons. However, unlike the honeydew melon its flesh is not as sweet. It has a very mild flavor and is often used in soups, although I enjoy eating it when it's stir fried with chillis. They are well known for their detoxifying properties and can also be used to make vegetable juice drinks. I have also heard that it is used in China to make tea. Here are some examples of dishes made w
Read more

Book Review: Good Medicine for Thailand Fever

Image
Given that my last book review was so well received by my readers, I thought I would have another crack at this type of post. The book that I have chosen to comment upon is entitled "Good Medicine for Thailand Fever". When I first picked up this book with it's unusual title and garish yellow cover, I must admit that I was intrigued and as soon as I'd read the first few pages, I was hooked. A lot of books which deal wth the topic of Thai-Western relationships, are written by Westerners, for Westerners and tend to be full of hubris and pathos, focusing on how gullible farangs lose their hearts and life savings to devious bar girls. "Good Medicine for Thailand Fever" is a refreshing change from this staid format and far from being a skewed, one-dimensional and one-sided portrait of Thai-Western relationships, the book is bilingual guide, dealing with all aspects of cross-cultural relationships and offering advice and help to both parties. Written by an Amercian
Read more