Has Thailands treatment of displaced Muslims

made it a target for extremists?

Police investigate the scene the morning after the explosion in Bangkok,Thailand, Tuesday. Pic: AP.

By Daniel Maxwell- Aug 20, 2015

The bombing in the centre of Bangkok which killed 20 and injured 125 people on
Monday evening shook the country and took Thai authorities completely unawares.
The following day, and despite a heightened state of alert, a second bomb exploded at
a busy pier by the Chao Phraya River, again catching security forces off guard. The
police have since released pictures of a suspect but as yet there have been only
theories and speculation about who exactly is behind these attacks.
Initially, authorities were quick to rule out links with the long running southern
insurgency and equally as quick to imply that factions opposed to the military
government were high on the list of suspects. However, given Thailands recent
treatment of Rohingya and Uighur refugees, it might be worth considering if Thailand is
now considered fair game to Muslim extremists and whether these attacks could have
been the work of regional jihadists.

(READ MORE: Bangkok bomb attacks: What we know and what we dont know so far)
Thailands role in the trafficking of the Muslim minority Rohingya is well documented.
Before a recent crackdown by Thailands military government an estimated 10 percent
of Burmas Rohingya population had fled the country by boat in the hope of starting a
new life in Malaysia or Indonesia. Many of these were taken to camps along the ThaiMalaysian boarder before being ransomed or sold into slavery. During the
crackdown mass graves at slave camps were discovered and as investigations
continued local community officials were arrested for their involvement in human
trafficking.

Rohingya migrants sit on a police van in southern Thailand. Pic: AP.

Further investigations by NGOs and the international media revealed that many of the
maleRohyingas were being sold into slavery on Thai owned fishing boats. The
crackdown by Thai authorities left thousands of Rohingya floating helplessly as their
crews abandoned them at sea. Thai authorities were criticized for their unwillingness
to help these individuals after giving them survival rations and then sending them back
to sea.
More recently, Thailand has been criticized for its treatment of Chinese Uighur
Muslims. In July, Thai authorities separated family members and forcefully sent more
than 100 Uighurs back to China, while a further 170 were sent on to Turkey. The
former move angered Muslim communities and was heavily criticized by human rights
organisations and the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. The repatriation of the Uighurs
was made at the request of Chinese authorities who claimed the refugees were
Muslim extremists.
Pictures of the Uighurs returning to China in handcuffs with black cloth hoods covering
their faces reinforced concerns that these individuals could face serious abuses once

back on Chinese soil. In retaliation to Thailands role in this, the Thai consulate in
Ankara, Turkey, was attacked by pro-Uighur protestors.

Riot police stand by as a group of Uighur protesters demonstrate outside the Thai embassy in Ankara, Turkey, last
month. Pic: AP.

Thailands treatment of both the Rohingya and Uighur Muslims has made global
headlines and been criticized internationally. During a period in which Muslim
extremism is on the rise and jihadists are looking to broaden their reach, there remains
a strong possibility that a local cell responding to ISISs recent call to arms carried out
the Bangkok bombing in response to Thailands recent treatment of displaced Muslim
minorities.
Muslim extremists in Southeast Asia have received limited attention in the international
media but there is intelligence to suggest the region is home to growing numbers of
jihadists.Hezbollah terror suspects have been caught in Thailand on two previous
occasions, once in 2012 and once in 2014, on both occasions authorities believe the
suspects had been planning an attack there. However, a more worrying threat is from
extremists groups linked to ISIS. Their presence is a concern for governments across
Southeast Asia. In March this year Malaysian authorities successfully arrested
members of a terror cell which they believed was linked to ISIS.
Singapore has been taking the threat of an attack on the city state with increasing
seriousness. Speaking earlier this year Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
warned that Southeast Asia is a key recruitment center for ISIS, and explained
theatSingapore was concerned about a ISIS inspired attack because, The threat is no
longer over there, it is over here.
(READ MORE: After deadly Bangkok bomb blast, questions arise about culprits,
motives)
Of particular concern to Southeast Asian nations is Katibah Nusantara, a military unit

of ISIS which consists of over 500 Southeast Asians. According to a recent report by
Jasminder Singh , Malaysian and Indonesian members of Katibah Nusantara have
been working to connect local extremist networks and launch attacks in Southeast
Asia.
The theory that the recent attacks are linked to the global terror movement were
reinforced by Dr Zachary Abuza, an independent expert on Southeast Asian security
issues. He explained the bombing was a moderately sophisticated operation. There
was obviously a lot of thought behind the choice of target. In answer to the question
of who may be behind the attacks, Dr Abuza suggested, There may be a whole
different category that we have not considered. Though ISIS has grown in Malaysia
and Indonesia out of the ashes of Jemaah Islamiah, we just dont know (to what
extent).
It remains to be seen if Thai authorities will successfully capture the suspect they are
hunting and whether the organization behind these bombs will be identified. However
one thing is certain, with the expanding reach of global terrorism Thailand can no
longer presume it sits safely on the sidelines. Over the coming years Thailand will
need to more vigilantly tackle the threat of attacks by regional jihadists and start
engaging in higher levels of intelligence cooperation with its ASEAN neighbours.
About the author:
Daniel Maxwell is a writer and educator who has been living and working in Southeast Asia
since the late 1990s. An English literature graduate from the University of London, Daniel
previously worked with the publishing company EMAP before relocating to Asia. Found
elsewhere: Maxwells Notes
Posted by Thavam