More Evidence that Southern Insurgents Responsible for Bangkok Bombings

Bangkok Pundit has posted some news clippings -- including translations from Thai language sources -- and commentary relating to investigation into the Bangkok bombings at New Years.

The bombing of Bangkok can be seen to have supported the overall strategy of the Southern insurgents. According to Bangkok Pundit, by attacking the Thai capital, the terrorists hoped that: 1) the people of Bangkok would severely pressure the government to solve the problem in the South; and 2) government would further soften its stance. The insugrent's latter aim appears well-founded. Bangkok Pundit points out that escalating violence led the new goverment to relax the hard-line policy of Thaksin towards the insurgents, though the government is unlikely to admit that this turn in policy came in response to increased violence.

In an earlier post, Bangkok Pundit suggested that the governemnt of Thai PM Surayud is "in freefall." Pundit views Surayud as "the lesser of two or three evils" and sees him as a restraining force, so long as he is able to survive. Pundit is particularly concerned that continued attacks on Buddhists in the Southern Provinces could lead to vigillante violence should pro-Buddhists groups from the North mobilize, seeking vengence against Muslim communities of the South believed to harbor terrorists.