TaiShang
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Thailand has no desire to be a terrorist transit point
By Yu Ning
2015-7-13
A group of 109 illegal Uyghur migrants who wanted to steal their way to Turkey, Syria or Iraq to join jihad were returned by Thai authorities on July 9. Their repatriation, most of whom are from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, caused an uproar among some radical Turks. Enraged by the repatriation, they vandalized the Thai embassy in Istanbul.
Thai authorities should be given credit for sending the illegal migrants back. The stowaways, if they had successfully joined jihadists through Thailand, would have become a serious threat to regional security. It’s consistent with international law and universally recognized international norms to repatriate them.
It is also mandated by its own anti-terrorist law and necessary to maintain domestic stability and peace. Thailand has been threatened by Muslim separatist groups in its southern provinces bordering Malaysia. If it doesn’t take a firm stand against radical Islamism, the country may see itself entangled in more threats.
As a tourist haven that attracts visitors from many countries every year, Thailand cannot allow alleged terrorists to stay in the country or to slip through its borders.
From a broader perspective, Thailand’s repatriation of Uyghur stowaways sets a template for cooperation between China and Southeast Asian nations in the non-traditional security realm. It’s clear that Thailand has no desire to become a transit point of extremists who plan to join militant groups in the Middle East. Concerted efforts by China and Thailand to crack down on extremism will prove a powerful deterrence to the extremists.
Terrorism and extremism has been a serious challenge to countries across the world. All Southeast Asian countries have taken an active role in cooperating with China in non-traditional security as they uphold the principle of secularism and oppose the spread of radical religious ideologies. After the Bali bomb attack in 2002, countries including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia launched a joint crackdown on Islamic terrorist groups like Jemaah Islamiyah. These countries have taken the lead in enhancing international anti-terrorism cooperation.
Bangkok serves as an international transportation hub. It attracts people from all over the world with its lenient visa policies. However, the perk is also being abused by terrorist groups like IS to seduce followers.
Thailand is just one of the myriad routes that the extremists use. Even if the Thailand route is blocked, the jihadists will resort to other options. Therefore, multilateral mechanisms such as the ASEAN should be strengthened and China needs to have a broader vision of non-traditional security cooperation with other countries.
@somsak , @Sonyuke_Songpaisan , @powastick
By Yu Ning
2015-7-13
A group of 109 illegal Uyghur migrants who wanted to steal their way to Turkey, Syria or Iraq to join jihad were returned by Thai authorities on July 9. Their repatriation, most of whom are from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, caused an uproar among some radical Turks. Enraged by the repatriation, they vandalized the Thai embassy in Istanbul.
Thai authorities should be given credit for sending the illegal migrants back. The stowaways, if they had successfully joined jihadists through Thailand, would have become a serious threat to regional security. It’s consistent with international law and universally recognized international norms to repatriate them.
It is also mandated by its own anti-terrorist law and necessary to maintain domestic stability and peace. Thailand has been threatened by Muslim separatist groups in its southern provinces bordering Malaysia. If it doesn’t take a firm stand against radical Islamism, the country may see itself entangled in more threats.
As a tourist haven that attracts visitors from many countries every year, Thailand cannot allow alleged terrorists to stay in the country or to slip through its borders.
From a broader perspective, Thailand’s repatriation of Uyghur stowaways sets a template for cooperation between China and Southeast Asian nations in the non-traditional security realm. It’s clear that Thailand has no desire to become a transit point of extremists who plan to join militant groups in the Middle East. Concerted efforts by China and Thailand to crack down on extremism will prove a powerful deterrence to the extremists.
Terrorism and extremism has been a serious challenge to countries across the world. All Southeast Asian countries have taken an active role in cooperating with China in non-traditional security as they uphold the principle of secularism and oppose the spread of radical religious ideologies. After the Bali bomb attack in 2002, countries including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia launched a joint crackdown on Islamic terrorist groups like Jemaah Islamiyah. These countries have taken the lead in enhancing international anti-terrorism cooperation.
Bangkok serves as an international transportation hub. It attracts people from all over the world with its lenient visa policies. However, the perk is also being abused by terrorist groups like IS to seduce followers.
Thailand is just one of the myriad routes that the extremists use. Even if the Thailand route is blocked, the jihadists will resort to other options. Therefore, multilateral mechanisms such as the ASEAN should be strengthened and China needs to have a broader vision of non-traditional security cooperation with other countries.
@somsak , @Sonyuke_Songpaisan , @powastick
