Posted on 11/04/2006 10:34:43 AM PST by Rurudyne
Despite the sudden change in government after last month's coup, there has been little obvious difference in Thailand's troubled south.Yes ... signs of change ...
The litany of bombings and shootings has continued, with more than 12 people reported dead in the past week.
But local Thais have mostly welcomed the coup, seeing it as a glimmer of hope on an otherwise bleak horizon.
"People are mostly happy about what happened - they are optimistic that things will now get better," said Srisompob Jitpiromsri, a political scientist in the southern province of Pattani.
Even foreign analysts, many of whom have misgivings about last month's military takeover, concede that it could bring benefits to the south.
"The coup is a disaster for Thai democracy, but it was actually marginally positive for the southern provinces," said Francesca Lawe-Davies from the International Crisis Group.
Already there are signs of a change in policy from that of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The new leaders also seem more ready to consider the ideas of a recent independent report on the south, written by the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC).What?!? Implementation of publicly funded terrorist schools for Muslim kids?
The report contains a series of radical proposals, including the creation of a new regional body to mediate the conflict, the adoption of the Malay dialect Yawi as an official second language and the implementation of Sharia law.
The new government has already decided to reinstall a peace-building body which was dissolved under the Thaksin regime, and could well take up other NRC recommendations in the future.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Next stop: Europe!
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