Thailand and Saudi Arabia build apartheid walls
STOP THE WALLS | 18.02.2004 23:21
First it was Israel, then Saudi Arabia. Now Thailand plans to build a concrete fence along part of its border with Malaysia.
Fencing out troublemakers
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has told the military to build the barrier to keep terrorists and smugglers out of Thailand's strife-torn south.
He has instructed the military to carry out a survey in the Sungai Kolok district of southern Narathiwat province, said Lieutenant-General Pisanu Urailert, chief of civilian affairs of the Supreme Command.
He was quoted by AP as saying: 'The project is to build a concrete fence in some troublesome spots. Until the survey is completed we will not know the length of the fence and when it will begin.'
Thailand is following the lead of Israel which is building a wall to separate Jewish and Palestinian areas in an effort to curb terrorist attacks.
Saudi Arabia planned to erect a barrier along its porous border with Yemen to stop the smuggling of explosives and weapons. The border has been used by terrorists for at least a decade.
Two massive suicide attacks inside Saudi Arabia last year killed more than 50 people.
The three Muslim-dominated southern provinces of Thailand that border Malaysia have been hit this year by an upsurge in violence blamed on Islamic separatists and insurgents.
Officials say criminals and smugglers are also involved.
Thailand has long suspected that insurgents travel back and forth across the poorly manned and porous jungle border to carry out attacks in Thailand and to find safe haven in Malaysia.
At least 35 people, mostly security forces, have been killed in a wave of hit-and-run attacks in southern Thailand since Jan 4.
Mr Thaksin has also ordered the building of a 95km road along the border to facilitate the quick deployment of troops to prevent terrorists and smugglers from going in and out of the country.
Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country but its southern parts are dominated by Muslims who are closer to Malays in their culture and language.
In the latest attacks in the south, two Telephone Organisation of Thailand employees were shot dead by motorcycle gunmen on Saturday in Narathiwat province.
In neighbouring Yala province, a deputy village headman was shot dead on Saturday night and a border patrol policeman was gunned down in Pattani province. He survived and is being treated in hospital.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has told the military to build the barrier to keep terrorists and smugglers out of Thailand's strife-torn south.
He has instructed the military to carry out a survey in the Sungai Kolok district of southern Narathiwat province, said Lieutenant-General Pisanu Urailert, chief of civilian affairs of the Supreme Command.
He was quoted by AP as saying: 'The project is to build a concrete fence in some troublesome spots. Until the survey is completed we will not know the length of the fence and when it will begin.'
Thailand is following the lead of Israel which is building a wall to separate Jewish and Palestinian areas in an effort to curb terrorist attacks.
Saudi Arabia planned to erect a barrier along its porous border with Yemen to stop the smuggling of explosives and weapons. The border has been used by terrorists for at least a decade.
Two massive suicide attacks inside Saudi Arabia last year killed more than 50 people.
The three Muslim-dominated southern provinces of Thailand that border Malaysia have been hit this year by an upsurge in violence blamed on Islamic separatists and insurgents.
Officials say criminals and smugglers are also involved.
Thailand has long suspected that insurgents travel back and forth across the poorly manned and porous jungle border to carry out attacks in Thailand and to find safe haven in Malaysia.
At least 35 people, mostly security forces, have been killed in a wave of hit-and-run attacks in southern Thailand since Jan 4.
Mr Thaksin has also ordered the building of a 95km road along the border to facilitate the quick deployment of troops to prevent terrorists and smugglers from going in and out of the country.
Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country but its southern parts are dominated by Muslims who are closer to Malays in their culture and language.
In the latest attacks in the south, two Telephone Organisation of Thailand employees were shot dead by motorcycle gunmen on Saturday in Narathiwat province.
In neighbouring Yala province, a deputy village headman was shot dead on Saturday night and a border patrol policeman was gunned down in Pattani province. He survived and is being treated in hospital.
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