Little progress on Thai militants

[frigidmagi]

BBC

Thailand's military-backed government has made little progress in tackling Islamic insurgents in the country's restive south, officials have admitted.

The generals who overthrew elected leader Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 made tackling the separatism a priority.

They took a more conciliatory approach - but last year about 800 people were killed, more than in any previous year.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says the government appears to be shaken by recent bold attacks by the militants.

A group of Thai soldiers were attacked last week in an ambush that left eight dead - one of whom was beheaded.


They know every move of ours but we do not know their moves well enough
Bunrot Somthat
Defence minister

Initially Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont dismissed it as a routine attack.

But officials now acknowledge the government's failure to win the co-operation of the mainly Malay population in the deep south, who are believed to give at least tacit support to the insurgents.

"We made great progress on military operations last year, but our efforts with the people remained static," government spokesman Chaiya Yimwilai said.

Bold and brutal

In an interview with the Krungthep Thurakit newspaper, Defence Minister Bunrot Somthat admitted that the insurgents were winning the intelligence battle.

Map

"In the past, we were always ahead of them when they lived in forests. Now, they live in towns and they have modern communications equipment," he said.

"In short, we have information about them only up to a level. But they have our information up to details of our plans, operations and deployments of personnel.

"So they know every move of ours but we do not know their moves well enough."

About 2,800 people have died in the four years since the conflict flared up, and insurgent attacks have since become bolder and a lot more brutal, targeting teachers and Buddhist monks.

General Surayud has devoted much of his 15 months in office to trying to resolve the conflict in the south, but has little to show for it.

Little is known about the insurgent groups. They never make public statements about their aims - although they are believed to want an independent Islamic state in the south.

The few people who have had contact with the militants say they have been influenced by jihadist ideology, and are not interested in negotiating an end to the violence, our correspondent says.