The Generals Are Scared
by James Dunnigan
December 11, 2010

The Thailand royalist government is still a military dictatorship, which people are reminded of every day by the many army checkpoints around the capital, and other parts of the country. The military has also created an electronic eavesdropping program to keep tabs on officers and troops. The generals and their royalist allies are getting nervous, as well they should be. The populist red shirts are still around, despite the arrest of many red shirt leaders. The populists still have the support of most Thai voters, and this is not good for the royalists.

Police broke up another false passport operation (long a popular criminal activity in Thailand). This one was headquartered in Thailand, and supplied Islamic terrorists worldwide. Six Pakistanis and a Nigerian were arrested in Spain, while two Pakistanis and a Thai were arrested in Thailand. This operation was not as big as the one taken down two years ago. When that forgery gang was busted, 21,000 fake passports (largely for France, Suriname, Norway, Belgium, Italy and Myanmar), in various states of completion, were seized. A dozen arrests were made, most of them men from Burma. Some members of the gang were also involved in drug smuggling and gun running (to Sri Lankan rebels). This earlier group also supplied Islamic terrorists, but usually through middlemen.

The Generals Are Scared by James DunniganDecember 11, 2010

The Generals Are Scared
by James Dunnigan
December 11, 2010