Thailand: Beating the Truth Out Of The Innocent

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July 24, 2007: The army campaign in the south, to identify and arrest Islamic terrorists, has finally paid off. Nearly 400 suspects have been arrested recently, and a few dozen positively identified as terrorists. But this has angered many other southerners, and increased sympathy for the terrorists in some areas. The number of terrorist attacks is down, and many terrorists have headed for the hills. This makes it more difficult to carry out attacks, and makes it easier for the army to identify the guilty. Meanwhile, the terrorists are trying to hit tourist areas, and destroy infrastructure (railroads and electricity). The military is determined to stop the violence, and is now employing the traditional method, which has always worked in the past, of applying more violence. This is great for the media, but not-so-great for Moslems who live near terror suspects, or relatives of the suspects. The army casts a wide net, and beats suspects until they confess, or convince the cops of their innocence.

There was more violence in the capital over the weekend, as anti-coup demonstrators clashed with police, leaving nearly 300 injured. The pressure from people against the current military government has made the generals eager to shut down the terrorism in the south, to show that the army is useful, if a bit rough around the edges.