Will Thailand Become Another Islamic Caliphate? (Updated) (Corrected)

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And we wondered what the coup was all about.

Hint: There has been a Muslim uprising taking place in Thailand since at least 2004.

From Bloomberg News:

The Thai army has been trying to control insurgents in three mainly Muslim southern provinces fighting to establish an independent Islamic state. More than 1,200 civilians and government officials have been killed in attacks in the region since January 2004. About 90 percent of Thailand’s population is Buddhist. Sondhi is a Muslim.

The coup leaders broadcast that they have suspended the constitution and dissolved the Cabinet, Senate and the constitutional court. In most ministries, permanent secretaries will take over temporarily, they said.

Temporarily. I wonder how long “temporary” really is. We have to remember that according to Qu’ran, taqiyya - concealment of one’s true beliefs so long as one keeps Islam in one’s heart - is allowed whenever dealing with the infidel.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, who is known to be close to Thailand’s king and who is a Muslim in this Buddhist-dominated nation, will be acting prime minister, an army spokesman, Col. Akara Chitroj, told the Associated Press.

And why was Thaksin ousted? From the same article:

In recent months, political controversy has dogged [former Prime Minister] Thaksin, a billionaire businessman and former police officer who has led Thailand for more than five years.

Throughout his time in office, the gregarious prime minister enjoyed strong support from rural and middle-class voters, who rallied behind such economic programs as low-interest loans and inexpensive health care.

But opposition to his rule had grown among educated urban voters amid allegations that Thaksin had abused his position to enrich himself and his family.

Critics cited the prime minister’s sale of his family’s $1.9 billion stake in a holding company, which came days after parliament passed a bill making such a transaction tax-exempt.

The leader, who styled himself as Thailand’s CEO, also was criticized for his efforts to control the media and for the military’s brutal suppression of an Islamic insurgency in southern Thailand that has killed more than 1,700 people since 2004.

Which is to say, Thaksin was a secular individual interested in his life here on Earth. With the Muslim uprising in the southern provinces he had been directing the military to defend the nation against an Islamic takover the development of a separate Islamic state composed of the Southern provinces - a direct threat to the security of Thailand.

Sondhi has essentially ended all resistance to Islam with one fell swoop.

And by the way, the figure of approximately 1,700 casualties is closer to the truth despite incorrect reporting in the eariler source, above. However, as usual, the MSM has avoided addressing the question of why there were casualties, beyond the generic description of “bloodshed.” So who was responsible for the majority of the “bloodshed?” One need only look back to an article on Robert Spencer’s Jihad Watch, published on May 17, 2004, for an answer: Islamist Schools are Blamed for Bloody Uprising in Thailand.

OK, that explains the violence, but whose idea was this coup, anyway?

According to this Guardian (UK) article: (originally an AP article link on Yahoo; that link is dead)

Gen Sondhi insisted the King - a politically neutral figure who has been on the throne for 60 years and is hugely revered by the Thai people - had not backed the coup.

“I am the one who decided to stage the coup. No one supported me,” the general said. He also tried to reassure foreign governments that the new regime would provide stability, saying: “Foreign policy and international agreements will not be changed.”

So the coup was not directed by the King of Thailand. And if the King is not yet converted to Islam, expect him to be. If he’s not converted … well, you know. More from the same article:

The army commander who seized Thailand’s government in a swift, bloodless coup promised Wednesday to act as prime minister for only two weeks, until a new leader “who is neutral and upholds democracy” is found and a temporary constitution is enacted.

Army chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin told a news conference that a general election would be held in October 2007, and he hinted that ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra could face prosecution for wrongdoing.

You buying the bit about the “two weeks?” I’m not. Democracy and Islam are utterly incompatible. Any so-called “democracy” established under an Islamic ruler (in this case Prime Minister-by-the-gun-and-General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin) will have a shar’ia-based constitution, which is to say it won’t be a democracy for long.

Another nation falls beneath the sword of Islam.

Update: LGF beat me to the punch, but I think my details are better.

In case you were wondering how a Muslim ended up in charge of an army whose job was to protect the main population from an Islamist uprising, the LGF blurb links to this AP story that provides crucial detail:

Sondhi, 59, was selected last year to head the army partly because it was felt he could better deal with the Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand, where 1,700 people have been killed since 2004. Recently, Sondhi urged negotiations with the separatists in contrast to Thaksin’s hard-fisted approach. Many analysts have said that with Thaksin in power, peace in the south was unlikely.

Where I come from, we know better than to put a fox in charge of the henhouse.

Update: In this AP story, “Thai Leader Says No Elections For a Year,” we find out how long “temporary” really is: one year. At least. And I bet much longer.

Thailand’s new military ruler, winning crucial royal backing for his bloodless coup, announced Wednesday that he would not call elections for another year. The U.S. and other Western nations expressed disapproval and urged a swift restoration of democracy.

Western nations in general aren’t happy about this - and they shouldn’t be.

Outside Thailand, the coup drew criticism from several foreign governments and human rights groups, who expressed dismay at the overthrow of a popularly elected government.

The Bush administration denounced the coup and hinted that U.S. aid, military cooperation and improved trade relations might be in jeopardy.

“There is no justification for it,” State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said. “It is a step backward for democracy.”

…

One of the stronger reactions came from the European Union, which demanded “that the military forces stand back and give way to the democratically elected political government.”

Human Rights Watch said the military “should immediately restore fundamental human rights and protect those exercising their rights to free expression, association and assembly.”

But .. it’s the Religion of Peace^TM, right? So why should we worry about human rights? Again, well, you know.

Gen. Boonyaratkalin still says he’ll step down in two weeks, just long enough for the junta - named the “Council of Administrative Reform” - to pick a civilian to replace him and draft a new constitution.

A new constitution? According to the new Islamic PM-by-the-sword, this was just about replacing Thaksin, restoring order, and gaining public goodwill for the King. Now they need a new constitution?

I’m telling you: Sondhi and his cronies intend on implementing some variant of shar’ia law. You wait and see. I wouldn’t give the King more than 2 years before he’s exiled, converted, or beheaded.

The foxes are in the henhouse, now.

– Cincinnatus

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