Srikcir

Seems the military's extension of a State of Emergency in the southern Muslim provinces that suspends human rights, gives amnesty to any military actions and an army Lt. General advocating punishment of families related to identified insurgents already provides such international attention.

One of the key persons mandated to quell the violence in the southern border provinces, soon-to-retire Lt General Piyawat Nakwanit, commander of the Fourth Army Area believes he could make militants surrender by arresting their families. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/today_editorial/30355157 Permitted under the emergency and martial laws, his [Piyawat] “additional measure” amounted to collective punishment of the local residents Thailand’s emergency law permits the detention of suspects for up to 30 days without formal charges or legal representation. It also grants blanket amnesty to officials working in the region, while the burden of proof falls on the victim who must show that the official acted with malice. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30356081 Soldiers just "following orders" won't escape crimes against humanity.

It's notable that Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai is willing to internationalize the discussion of Myanmar’s strife-torn Rakhine state while the Prayut government refuses the same degree of discussion concerning the decade old Muslim insurgency in Thailand. That's duplicity and lack of leadership needed in the ASEAN. Look over there and not over here.

General Prayut should have thought about military legacy five years ago when he decided to disrupt the peace initiative that was started by the Yingluck government in 2013 with discussions on semi-autonomy.

By removing Buddhists?

Proving that even with the Ridiculousness there can be a reasonable solution. Let the Malay Muslims in the southern provinces RECLAIM their sovereignty, their Islamic culture and traditions.

Might that require a referendum in both to even consider renegotiation? The Brexit timetable may be too short for that process.

Many foreign airlines use US TSA rules for their own security screening, perhaps even necessary where flights connect with or pass through the US. TSA requires you to provide your full name, date of birth, and gender for the purpose of watch list screening, under the authority of 49 U.S.C. section 114, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and 49 C.F.R. parts 1540 and 1560. Under the Under Secure Flight program, passengers will be required to provide their name, gender, and date of birth when making a reservation to fly. The gender provided when making the reservation should match the gender indicated on the passenger’s government-issued identification.

Immigration hardliners outraged over Trump’s proposed shutdown deal Democrats aren’t the only ones who think the deal should be dead on arrival. https://www.vox.com/2019/1/20/18190721/immigration-hardliners-outraged-trump-shutdown-deal I believe there's enough Republican Senators will block Trump's offer if it came from the House. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to be unwilling to take the lead with Trump's offer to get a majority Republican vote for it, rather letting Trump convince Republican Senators to support it whereby Mitch avoids another last minute reversal (aka backstab) by Trump to unilaterally change the deal. So what's the point in the Democrats considering the basic tenants of Trump's offer?

It would seem intuitive that an older age means more vulnerability to traffic accidents. But maybe older drivers are more cautious? https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/2.23.Thailand-1.pdf

Getting back on topic with specific regard to the Muslim majority in southern Thailand, they have never been migrants into the Kingdom of Thailand. They did not voluntarily seek nor willingly permit to become Kingdom of Thailand citizens and have their religion, laws, culture and traditions assimilated by a Buddhist regime.

Patani Freedom Fighters as jone khaek [Muslim bandits] - Gen. Akanit Muansawat Sept. 8, 2014 “In the eyes of Siamese officials, we are all still bandits and criminals,” - BRN information officer Ustaz Abdulkarim Khalid (Oct. 25, 2018) http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30357122 You're repeating failed military doctrine. That's been the Thai military's talking points since the Prayut military coup in May 2014: Pracharat Ruam Jai projects foster unity in the South YALA, 2 May 2016, (NNT) - The Army Region 4 Commander is confident that the government's Pracharat Ruam Jai projects would unite the people of the South and address their ongoing issues. Army Region 4 Commander Lt. Gen. Wiwat Patompak said the objectives of these projects include reducing violence, pacifying dissidents, promoting unity, fostering mutual understanding, tackling the hardships of local residents, and improving the quality of life. https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/914290-pracharat-ruam-jai-projects-foster-unity-in-the-south/ PM: Resolution of southern unrest requires time the southern unrest cannot be tackled through political means but rather the use of development and education - PM Prayut, Aug. 30, 2016 https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/940236-pm-prayut-resolution-of-southern-unrest-requires-time/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-11099575 The reality is: As long as the Thai state rides roughshod over the Patani Malay narrative of cultural and historical difference, a new crop of separatist insurgents will always resurface to take up where the previous generation left off. Apr 14, 2017 http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/opinion/guest_columnist/30312244 The insurgency is about politics and preservation of Islamic culture and traditions, not economic needs. Government’s refusal to recognise legitimate separate ethnic identity of southern Malays is main obstacle to peace. (Dec. 25, 2018) http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30361095 The violence is widely seen as an expression of local grievance over differences in identity, ethnicity, culture and religion carried over since the annexation of the Malay-Muslim region into Siam over a century ago. (Jan. 14. 2019) http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30362175 Bangkok can pay endless lip service with words like “autonomy” and “decentralisation”, but no progress will be made until it acknowledges that its policy of assimilation has been a failure. (Dec. 27, 2018) http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30361206 The sooner political pressure by the Thai People increases against traditional failed military strategies to resolve the southern conflict, the sooner peace can be achieved in the southern provinces.

Cohen will be testifying before Congress on Feb. 7th. Trump needs a diversion.

"THE GOVERNMENT’S peace negotiation team said it would take all proposals into consideration, including an idea for a special administrative status for the deep South." http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30362175 I'd say the increased insurgent attacks show insurgents have little interest in the military's "special administrative status" that doesn't give them a degree of autonomy.

Reporting of violence in the southern Muslim provinces often seems very underdeveloped and lack any investigative analysis. That may be in part currently as PM Prayut requires reporting in the southern provinces as it relates to the Muslim insurgency in a manner that does not besmirch the Kingdom of Thailand. Just to speculate on the purpose of the attack, it appears directed towards the abbot of the temple and chief monk of Sungai Padi district as a specific target. From that perspective the abbot may have been conducting an intentional forced intervention of Buddhist-related activities and/or suppression of Muslim activities into what might be Muslim communities. There has been a history of such cultural imposition upon Muslims in the south and (it seems to me) accelerated since Prayut's military coup in 2014 and the military's interference in Thailand government's peace negotiations with the insurgencies in 2013.