Crouching Tiger, Hidden Truth

The situation in Thailand is quite relevant in the discussion of the global war on terror and the current conflict in Gaza.

Thailand has been wracked by Islamic terrorism for the past five years, killing more than 3,000 people and thousands more injured. What has begun to get the situation under control?

It isn't appeasement.

It's the military engaging in constant operations to kill and root out the terrorists operating in Southern Thailand while the political leaders can't quite figure out who is to run the country.

Thailand's new premier has vowed to tackle a separatist insurgency raging in the south, but the Muslim region on Sunday marks five years of bloodshed with little end in sight to the daily violence.

Thai political turmoil has left the army with free rein in the south, prompting widespread human rights violations, activists say, while militants are turning to increasingly sophisticated technology to terrorise communities.

The number of deaths has dropped as the military conducts its massive campaign, but rebels have scaled up their onslaughts using car and roadside bombs, while beheadings and the mutilation of corpses continues.

"Although the number of incidents decreased in 2008, the attacks are greater in terms of destruction," said Mohammad Yub Pathan, a researcher with independent monitoring group Intellectual Deep South Watch.

"Also, the militants have acted much more systematically and with clear control and organisation."

In early November, a car bomb and a motorcycle bomb ripped through a market and a tea shop in Narathiwat province, injuring 70 people, in the biggest single assault on civilians since the rebellion began.

Appeasement by the Thai government led the Islamists to believe that they could succeed in creating an Islamic state out of South Thailand. The military has put a serious dent in that plan, which is part and parcel of the global jihad.

It just isn't reported as such.

The situation in Gaza is a reminder of what happens when you engage in appeasement coupled with limited response. Restraint is mistaken for weakness, and the terrorists engage in multiple attacks knowing that the Israeli restraint will limit the repercussions of their attacks.