Islamic Terrorists Detonate 28 Bombs in Thailand

Why exactly are the Islamists busy blowing stuff up in Thailand? Is it because of the Arab-Israeli conflict? Nope. They want to establish an Islamic state in the southern part of Thailand. This has caused serious problems for the Thai government. A coup was staged last year by the military because they thought that the government at that time was being too harsh and strident with the terrorists. The leaders of the coup thought that a hearts and minds approach might improve matters.

Alas, that was not to be.

At least 28 bombs exploded Sunday in apparently coordinated attacks in parts of southern Thailand plagued by a Muslim insurgency, killing three people and wounding more than 50, the military said.

The bombings targeted hotels, karaoke bars, power grids and commercial sites in the country's southernmost provinces, the only parts of predominantly Buddhist Thailand with Muslim majorities. Two public schools were torched.

Police said three Thais of Chinese descent were also gunned down in Pattani province in what was believed to be the act of insurgents. The killings occurred as the country's Chinese community was celebrating the Lunar New Year Sunday.

Violence in the south has been escalating in recent months despite a major policy shift by the military-imposed government, which is trying to replace an earlier, iron-fisted approach in dealing with the rebels with a ''hearts and minds'' campaign.

More than 2,000 people have died in the provinces bordering Malaysia since the insurgency erupted in 2004, fueled by accusations of decades of misrule by the central government. The insurgents have not announced their goals, but they are believed to be fighting for a separate state imbued with radical Islamic ideology.

The terrorists are just as busy as ever. They continue to clash with the Thai military all over Southern Thailand and there's no sign of a letup.

Malaysia has a large Muslim population, and the fight is spilling across the border. The jihadis are emboldened by the hearts and minds approach because they believe that they can outlast anyone who stands in their way. Instead of using maximum force to eliminate the insurgents in Thailand, the hearts and minds approach is allowing the jihadis to infest Southern Thailand and spread their hatred and violent ideologies. Many more will suffer in Thailand unless and until the Thai government puts an end to the insurgency.

Islam's bloody borders are being fought in Southeast Asia and is part of the larger conflict between Islam and indigenous religious and ethnic groups that do not adhere to the radical Islamic theologies.