Thailand: Running The Reds Into The Ground

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October 8, 2010: The government is using the police and intelligence agencies to continually attack the red shirt populist groups. The red shirts represent the majority (about 60 percent) of the population, who resent the way the urban, wealthier and better educated minority has overthrown the populist dominated government two years ago, and resisted the populist efforts to regain power. The government has been launching more investigations of alleged red shirt plots, and arresting more political opponents and charging them with planning terror attacks.

October 7, 2010: In the capital, police found an RPG launcher, four RPG rockets and 750 rounds of AK-47 ammo on a rented room (apparently abandoned by whoever was there.) The government claims this was part of a red shirt terrorism operation, but it could be the sort of thing criminal gangs use for extortion schemes.

October 6, 2010: In the south, there were five attacks by Islamic terrorists, leaving six people dead. .

October 5, 2010: On the outskirts of the capital, a bomb went off in an apartment building, killing four people. It was believed that red shirt terrorists were building a bomb that went off. Police are searching for two more suspects. The red shirts deny any involvement.

October 4, 2010: In the south, an army patrol encountered ten armed Islamic terrorists, killing two of them. Three soldiers were killed.

October 2, 2010: In the south, a bicycle bomb went off, wounding three policemen and a civilian.

October 1, 2010:  There were ten bomb or grenade attacks in and around the capital last month. Most caused no casualties, and red shirts blame these attacks on the police, who have been known to stage attacks in order to blame the violence on political opponents of the government. The red shirts also note that corruption, which the current minority government used as an excuse to overthrow an elected government, still flourishes. In part, this is because the minority coalition is a shaky one, and the traditional network of bribes and corruption is helping to hold it together.

September 28, 2010: In the south, Islamic terrorists wearing police uniforms attacked a warehouse and killed five people. This is believed to be a revenge attack, because of two terrorists killed on the 10th.

September 27, 2010: In the northeast, police found 5,000 rounds of M-16 ammo abandoned in the bushes near a road. It is believed the ammo was stolen from a nearby military base. Such thefts are common, as criminals are always willing to buy.

September 23, 2010: In the south, two Buddhists were gunned down by Islamic terrorists.