Almost every traveler through the deveoping world spends a disprortionate amount of money on some special convienence or vice. For most it is alchohol and cigarettes. Here in Thailand, for example, a good meal should cost you somewhere between fifty cents and a dollar. Accomodation runs about a dollar or two a night. (I am paying $1.25 beachfront right now). Yet a single night out with five or six drinks and a pack of cigarettes could easily put you back $10. My costly expense? Coffee and the newspaper. It’s ridiculous - I could easily pay a quarter for a mug of instant coffee, but instead I fork out up to two dollars for a cup of fresh brew or a double espresso. And each day I spend the same amount of money on the Bangkok Post as I do on lunch. Just imagine, that would be like spending five dollars a day on the LA Times back home. This is common practice for me. I’ve been doing it ever since I started traveling. And though I could never justify spending such a huge slice of my daily budget on coffee and the news back home, over here I just think back on how much money was wasted on college tuition and text books and how much less I learned on campus than traveling around reading the newspaper each morning.

Another frequent thought while traveling is, ‘why in the hell don’t I keep reading foreign papers when I do go back home. It’s so refreshing to get different viewpoints from papers like the Bangkok Post, Hindustan Times, Katmandu Post and La Jornada. But back in San Diego I always fall into the same habit of glancing over the NY Times, LA Times, and Union Tribune. And that’s about it. Sometimes Google News Service will direct me to a foreign paper, but hardly ever will I take the time to search out international news from local papers.

Anyway … that’s what this post is. For anyone interested in what is going on in different corners of the world, here is my skim through of the last 10 days of the Bangkok Post.

Southern Violence

Recieving the most attention in both the international and domestic media is the violent unrest in Southern Thailand. Many of the deaths, uprisings, arson attacks, and arrests do not even make it to the front page, yet if you read through the entire paper the violence in Southern Thailand easily competes with what is happening in the Gaza Strip and throughout Iraq.

The southern unrest began back on January 4th when Muslim separatists (95% of all Thais are practicing Buddhists) raided a small army base killing four soldiers and stealing more than 400 guns. Violence than escalated on April 28th when federal soldiers killed 106 young Muslim militants who were occupying Krue Se Mosque in the coastal Pattani province. Academics, liberals, and human rights activists have criticized the government’s use of force and especially the Prime Minister’s demand that foreign media stay out of the area to "allow the federal government to thoroughly investigate the situationa and cause of the violence."

Like during any seperatist movement (Palestine, Columbia, Aceh, East Timor a few years ago, and arguably even Chiapas) the day’s news is filled of depressing accounts of violence between the seperatists and the loyalists, the seperatists and the government, and the separatists and paramilitary groups tied in with the government or army.

Two recent events are extremely alarming. Last week when the US Marines were in town for a military version of the olympics called the Cobra Games, a high ranking US commander reportedly offered training, weapons, and even military support if the Thai army was to completely occupy the south to weed out muslim militants. This would be a devestating extension of the United State’s hegemonic war on terror that would put us at even greater odds in our fragile relations with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Phillipines. The second and equally worrisome development in southern Thailand is that the Thai army has begun distributing guns and ammo to Buddhist residents (I’m picturing the Dalai Lama with a rifle smoking on a cigar) who are fearful after a Buddhist villager was recently decapitated by a young Muslim militant.

In a long-awaited admission, the Interior Minister of Thailand yesterday announced that most of the Southern Muslim Militants were veterans - voluntary fighters - of the 1980’s Afghan-Soviet war (which means they were ironically allied with the US) where, as mujahideens, they adopted radicalist ideologies and brought them back to Southern Thailand. This, however, should not overshadow the racial (most are Malays) and economic (the south is the poorest region of Thailand; left behind during modernization and the north’s tourist boom) injustice which all Southern Thais have had to endure.

As I write today, it appears the conflict is only escalating with little hope for peace in the future unless the federal government radically changes its stubborn ‘unwilling to negotiate’ stance towards separatists. A 34 page "very well written [and] persuasive" booklet entitled The Fight for the Liberation of Pattani is being distributed throughout the South and gaining popularity. Prime Minister Shinawatra compared the manifesto to American Cult leader Jim Jones’ book which brought 800 cultists to Guyana to eventually die in mass suicide. This, of course, is a political move to liken the southern independence movement to a lunatic-cultist campaign.

I could write on about this confict for pages and I might in the future (I would like to do a lengthy comparison of the Basque, MILF, Aceh, Southern Thai, and Zapatista separatist/autonomous movements) but for now I’ll move on.

The Liverpool Lottery

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra wants to use public funds to buy a 30% stake in the English footbal club Liverpool. Why? Because he’s a fan. The two English guys in the bungalow next to ours were revolted - not because it’s an illegal use of tax money but as they explained, "Liverpool is a shit club. He could at least pick a team that wins." Anyway, after considerable student and opposition party protest the Prime Minister has finally abandoned his push to create a federal lottery to finance the investment. A Bangkokian professor of political science, criticizing the PM’s time consuming interest in the deal said, "Southern unrest is a pressing issue, but he acts like it’s nothing. He acts like he has nothing to do."

"My Daughter is Not Stupid"

Just from reading the daily paper, this sentiment seems to be true. When Shinawatra is not wandering around giving his blessings to this and that temple or new building project he is giving a press conference to the media begging them to stop making fun of his daughter who tried cheating and bribing her way into a top level university despite low test scores. I have not, however, heard a single word out of the PM regarding the South and he chose not to attend the Asia-Pacific Security Conference in Malaysia, perhaps reluctant to criticize the US’ handling of its war on terror.

SE Asian Security in the New Millenium and Donny Rummy

At the two day conference at Kuala Lumpur’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), academics, leaders of NGO’s, and politicians throughout SE Asia came together to discuss security strategies during "these troubled times," a catch phrase that seems to characterize the new millenium ever more frequently. Many, if not all, at the conference criticized the US for "alienating and radicalizing even more people and breeding a new generation of terrorists in the Arab and Muslim World." That quote came from Malaysia’s Prime Minister who noted his increasing concern over stronger ties between South East Asia’s radical Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah and Al-Qaeda. (on a side note however: I am very interested in - if not sceptical - of the links which are so frequently cited in the media between group x and Al-Qaeda. What is the evidence for these links? Are they talking about daily communication, shared training, financing, and procurement of weapons or are these ‘ties’ nothing more than similar ambitions? Specifically I am thinking about the ’strong ties’ the media and US army used to cite between various communist causes around the world in the 60’s and 70’s that turned out to be mostly fictitious or greatly exaggerated.)

The Malaysian Prime Minister also argued that Muslim leaders must do more to distinguish between genuine Muslim groups and those who corrupt Islamic teachings to justify terrorism. "Many Muslims refuse to acknowledge that there can be bad Muslims, and that Islamic teachings have been corrupted by some groups to serve their militant cause. Like any other religion, Islam forbids the killing of innocent civilians. Yet some terrorist groups have preached that heaven awaits those who kill innocent civilians so long as it is in the defence of their cause. Terrorism is the mortal enemy of Islam, not its consort." He warned his fellow South-East Asian leaders, "we cannot let a small group of people takeover the whole Muslim bortherhood."

Next week my dearest friend Donald Rummy will come to South East Asia where he will try to convince reluctant Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia to allow US Marines and special forces (what does that mean - special forces - by the way?) patrol the Straight of Malacca which runs between those three countries and is a major shipping lane for oil and trade. Singapore has long been warning that Jemaah Islamiyah is preparing for pirate like sea attacks but does not want too much interference from US presence.

Burma Fails Again

Burma’s military junta is not allowing United Nations human rights observer Paulo Sergio Pinheiro to enter the country saying that it is too delicate a time as they negotiate the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has been under political arrest for the past year. Brazilian Pinheiro says that the junta has failed to implement the first step in their road map to democracy which was to hold an "inclusive constitution drafting convention." Pinheiro also criticized Malaysia and Thailand for not doing more to negotiate the release of Suu Kyi.

Anti-Pro-Democracy Massacre Justified

Yesterday China defended it’s 1989 crack down on pro-democracy protestors - including the violent Tienanman Square Massacre saying that "the country is more stable and prosperous as a result." This entire past week both the Bangkok Post and the Nation have been doing a good job chronicling the lives of surviving pro-democracy protestors in the lead up to the 15 year anniversary of Tieneman Square. Today few of those activists remain engaged in the fight for democracy and human rights in China. Most, in fact, have become corporate giants after moving to Hong Kong or Silicon valley in the prosperous 90’s. There are also many protestors whose deaths were never reported and remain listed as missing. Their sons and daughters - usually from foreign countries are still demanding an investigation into the fates of their parents. New Chinese government officials must now watch a propoganda documentary as to why the ‘clash’ was unavoidable.

Death by Firing Squad

A Vietnamese crime boss was executed by firing squad yesterday after his ties to high ranking Communist Party officials were discovered. According to the Post, "Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party prides itself on its anti-corruption stance." Four other members of the mafia gang where also executed.

An Egyption MILF?

An Egyption man was arrested Tuesday in Manila. He is allegedly a bomb instructor giving lessons to the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (whose unfortunate accronym is MILF) in the Maguindanao province. The egyption is said to be linked with both al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah. The MILF spokesman said that the Egyption man was nothing more than a business trader who became bankrupt in the Philippines and ended up marrying a Filipino woman and becoming a fisherman. MILF has been waging a secessionist struggle since 1978.

Burma Asks For Help!

220 dead, 14,000 homeless after last months cyclone along Burma’s west coast. The UN and Red Cross were surprised by Burma’s rare plea for international assistance.

They Shoulda Chosen Ikea

Two Swedish teenagers have been arrested for plotting an armed attack on their high school on the 6th anniversary of Columbine. What I want to know is what in the hell could there be significant in the Columbine attack that could motivate two kids to ‘celebrate’ its anniversary? Nihilism?

I’m Sure Kim Il Still Has His

North Korea has disallowed the use of cell phones after nearly a year of service.

Easy Airport Transit

Thailand’s parliamentary has agreed on constructing an express sky train to link the new airport - scheduled to open in October of this year - with downtown’s Siam Plaza. I am very curious to see what the new Bangkok International Airport will look like and hope that it makes it on the forum’s list of best airports to spend the night in.

I could go on regurgitating forever. But what I mean to point out is that a hell of a lot is happening around the world that you are not hearing about. I remember reading an interview in the San Diego Reader with one of our local news anchors before I left. She was talking about the ‘throw at a dart board’ manner with which local news outfits choose what stories will make it on the airway. Me paraphrasing: "Most of our audience wants to feel informed on current events even though they only have 30 minutes minus commercials a day to catch the headlines. So we stick to a lot of the same stories so that they have an interest, an opinion in how the events unfold." Which means most of us have some opinion about the Iraq War and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But why should we let our local news stations filter not only what we hear, but who we hear it from? That is why I love the internet. Today, more than ever, you can get close enough to the truth of an issue, you can hear about it from a spectrum of perspectives, to make an informed opinion. And even more than the internet, it is why I love blogging so much. Because if you have firsthand knowledge of a situation, conflict, or issue and you don’t like or don’t agree with how the media is discussing it, then rather than complaining, you can become the media. I only wish more causes would take advantage of blogging to get their opinions - unslanted by journalists - out for the world to see.

Word.

Update - June 6, 2004 - Georgetown, Malaysia

Reading a two week old copy of Time laying around Gloria Jean’s Coffee House here in Georgetown, I came across a great piece on the Southern Thai violence. Here is a chronology of springtime events leading up to the April 28th day of bloodshed:

• Jan. 24th - Three Buddhist monks including a 13-year-old novice are stabbed to death within 72 hours as they collect food offerings in Yala
• Feb. 3rd - Unidentified attackers kill a police officer in Yala and burn a Buddhist temple in Narathiwat
• Mar. 27th - A bomb explodes at a bar popular with tourists on the Thailand - Malaysia border, injuring 28 people.
• Apr. 14th - Assailants fire mortars at a police camp in Yala; authorities in Pattani thwart an attempt to derail a train
• Apr. 22nd - A village chief is shot dead in Narathiwat, and more than 50 government buildings, including schools, are torched in Yala
• Apr. 28th - Security forces receive tip-offs that Muslim separatists are planning predawn attacks on government targets across Yala, Pattani and Songkhla. The Army and police launch counterattacks, killing 108 Muslims. Five security personnel also die

One of those 108 slain Muslims was devout Muslim leader Mae Ai Halee. His son Makasan claims his father was innocent of any wrong doing and was merely caught worshipping in the wrong mosque at the wrong time. He tells Time reporter Andrew Perrin, "I am so angry now that I will kill to defend my family and my faith." That sentiment is exactly the kind of unintended radicalization that Malaysian PM Abdullah warned about.

Today’s Malaysian paper, the New Sunday Times quoted regional security experts as worried that Islamic extremists throughout Southeast Asia will come to Southern Thailand seeking a unified movement.

Meanwhile, Donald Rumsfeld speaking over the weekend at Singapore’s International Security Conference - dubbed the
Shangri-La Dialogue - put a hawkish spin on Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations by announcing that in the post-Cold War era, "future dangers will less likely be from battles between great powers and more likely from enemies that work in small cells that are fluid and can strike without warning anywhere at anytime."

A fine point, but Rumsfeld was vague at best when pointing out strategically how politicians and security consultants could go about combatting the exponential radicalization of young Muslims throughout Southeast Asia:

"If the schools that are teaching the young folks are teaching them terrorism and suicide bombing and hatred instead of mathematics, science and language or things that can help them become productive members of society, we’ve got a problem."

Hardly a step by step plan to counter militant extremism. Furthermore, it completely ignores the protests of so many Muslim leaders - that the American "productive member of society" is nothing more than a 9-5 conformist mall rat with a void of spirituality. It’s a shame Rummy didn’t use the chance to actually recommend something useful like incorporating local religious leaders into the federal forum on combatting militancy. Too frequently central governments - with US cash aid - use a heavy handed top-down approach in dealing with minority conflicts that in the end only further polarizes the groups and exaggerates the conflict.

As Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld should be held ultimately responsible for delivering a concrete step by step security plan to quell violent religious extremism while ensuring an environment of tolerance and respect. How he gets away with his spew of verbose non-statements (he speaks only in good versus evil hyperboles) in front of such intelligent audiences around the world is absolutely beyond me.

Word.