A Hezbollah Threat in Thailand?

http://stratfor.com/weekly/hezbollah-threat-thailand?utm_source=fre...

On Jan. 12, Thai authorities arrested a man they say was a member of the Lebanon-based Shiite militant group Hezbollah who was plotting an attack in Bangkok. In uncovering the plot, Thai police cite cooperation with the United States and Israel going back to December 2011. Bangkok is indeed a target-rich environment with a history of terrorist attacks, but today Hezbollah and other militant and criminal groups rely on the city as more of a business hub than anything else. If Hezbollah or some other transnational militant group were to carry out an attack in the city, it would have to be for a compelling reason that outweighed the costs.

The suspect was identified as Atris Hussein, who was born in Lebanon but acquired Swedish citizenship and a passport after marrying a Swedish woman in 1996. Hussein was arrested on immigration charges as he was trying to board a plane at Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok's main international airport. Police said another suspect is still at large and possibly already out of the country. Hussein's arrest on Jan. 12 was followed by a statement the next day from the U.S. Embassy warning U.S. citizens in Bangkok of the potential foreign terrorist threat in the country and encouraging them to avoid tourist areas. Other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Israel, issued similar warnings. Thai police have responded by increasing security in tourist areas like Bangkok's Khao San Road and the island of Phuket.

Then, on Jan. 16, some 200 Thai police officers searched a three-story commercial building in a town along the coast 32 kilometers (about 20 miles) southwest of Bangkok. Information on the location and contents of the building was said to have been provided by Hussein after two days in custody. On the second floor of the building, officers found 4,380 kilograms (about 10,000 pounds) of urea-based fertilizer and 38 liters (about 10 gallons) of liquid ammonium nitrate -- enough materials to construct several truck bombs comparable to the one detonated at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad in 2008. Urea fertilizer can be used to manufacture the improvised explosive mixture urea nitrate, which was the main charge used in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The compound is also frequently used in improvised explosive devices in Iraq and to some extent in Afghanistan. On the ground floor of the same building, police found reams of printing paper and 400 electric table fans in cardboard boxes.

...

The historical record shows ample precedent for attacks by foreign extremists in Bangkok. In 1972, members of Black September took over the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok and held diplomats hostage there for 18 hours. In 1988, Hezbollah gunmen hijacked Kuwait Airways Flight 422, which was departing Bangkok for Kuwait City, in an effort to coerce the Kuwaiti government to release the "al-Dawa 17," a group of Shiite militants being held in Kuwait. And in 1994, a truck laden with explosives was en route to attack either the U.S. or Israeli Embassy (the investigation did not yield conclusive results) when a traffic accident disrupted the plot. Bangkok has long been on the map for terrorist operational planners.

That "historical record" is pretty shocking - I knew none of that. It really is only a matter of time before one of these big attacks succeeds. And it can only get worse with the events in north Africa.  

3 bombs went off in Bangkok a few hours ago.  The BBC was mentioning Iranians being involved.  And also mentioning how the Thai government had dismissed Israel's warnings last month.  The BBC said on TV "terrorism is unusual in Thailand" and then vaguely alluded to "the insurrection" in the south -- failing to mention that in the last decade over 4,000 people have been slaughtered by muslims there (more than died in WTC).  How I hate the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17026007

When one understands that the BBC is an organ of the state, and the state is manage inter-alia by LibLabCon, then there is no surprise that their reporting is so biased.  One expects left-wing bias in The Guardian, one expects right-wing bias in The Daily Express.  The BBC is supposed to be neutral.  It's because of this supposed neutrality that the bias is so offensive (but also so clearly indicative of what the schemers in LibLabCon want us to think).

In a world where we have the possibility of 200 TV channels, the BBC has to serve its masters in order to justify its state bribe.

What with all this talk of Bhuddhist's approach to martial issues, one book you may like to check out is "The Shaolin Grandmasters Text - history,philosophy and gung-fu of Shaolin Chan" by Order of Shaolin Chan, available from Amazon etc

Tibetan White Crane vs Street Fighter ; http://www.dailykungfu.com/2010/05/tibetan-crane-vs-street-fighter....

Antony, thanks for the mention of the book on the philosophy of shaolin  kung-fu.  I must admit to a prejudice of assuming a disjunction between fighting and thinking.  But someone kindly set that right a while back by providing me with a link to an essay by Bruce Lee.  I will see if I can get hold of the book you referred to.

It seems that, like christianity, buddhism will rely on the armies of the secular states to do their fighting by proxy.  They have no will to withstand the depredations of islamic expansion and totalitarianism.

I think I'll read my books on philosophy en route to the place where I will learn street fighting.  Considering that weapons are found hidden all around my neighbourhood, and that the muslim gangs will proudly descend like savages (armed with knives and machetes) on lone white men, I don't think that ordinary martial arts will cut the mustard.

The book I mentioned is a pretty good overview of Buddhist ( and Taoist considering the Shaolin monks tended to fuse the two) fighting & meditation, though the book does make the error of repeating the negative myths surrounding the elder Pak Mei and his system, still, a good book never the less. Bruce Lee's "Tao of Jeet Kune Do" is also good.

Joe said: 'It seems that, like christianity, buddhism will rely on the armies of the secular states to do their fighting by proxy.'

not so as least as far as Christianity is concerned.  (I make no comment re Buddhism).  see the battles of Tours, Lepanto, Gates of Vienna, the re-conquista, to name a few, not to mention the countless millions who have sacrificed and died in wars to defend what they believed to be right (as informed by their Christian conscience).

Ah, but Kinana, those battles were hundreds of years ago, before there was a secular state with armies to protect christians, or buddhists.  I know in the recent BBC documentary on The Crusades, the dhimwitted prof. presenting it said it was "incomprehnsible" that Pope Urban had got the church to do an about-face, and to become military!  (That it was a question of the survival of christianity from islamic violence seemed to escape the dhimwit).  

With a few notable exceptions, I don't see that modern christians would be prepared to do anything other than turn the other cheek to islam.  And none of those exceptions are anything in the church hierarchy.

the proportion of Christians who are 100% pacifists vs the non-pacifists is unknown.    churches (including hierarchies of all denominations) inform the consciences of their members.  that teaching is a mixed bag also. some are 100% pacifists but most (i would say) are not.  to imply that the rank and file of the secular armies throughout recent history is not composed of Christians who have followed their consciences as informed by they churches is, imo, inaccurate.

I wasn't implying that christians have never fought in armies in the past hundred years.  How could a country with an almost entirely christian population raise an army, if none of the christians would fight?

But it would be interesting to see whether or not christians are over-represented or under-represented in the armed forces nowadays.  We know that muslims are hugely under-represented in the British armed forces.  Speaking to Thai buddhist friends, I'm informed that no monk can serve in the army - the western churches at least allow vicars/padres in the armed forces.  

It is clear that muslims from all different corners of the earth will criss-cross the planet to go and fight for their "brothers" in some particular area, but I don't believe there's any evidence of christians from Britain going to fight for their christian "brothers" in Nigeria, nor of Russian christians going to fight to help oppressed christians in Iran.

Worse than this, we barely even see the hierarchy of the christian churches mentioning what is happening to their "brothers" elsewhere.

now you are raising a different subject from: 'I don't see that modern christians would be prepared to do anything other than turn the other cheek to islam.'

the role of the State vis a vis the various Christian groupings is a complex one over the last 500 years.  and you are right that it is different from the Islamic doctrine of the umma, at least as far as the call to take up arms.  Though Christians were involved in the Spanish civil war (on both sides!).   the theology, histories and structures are different.

as for various hierarchies and their statements (or not) and actions (or not) that too is mixed but i agree, not adequate.  maybe we should move out of the buddhist room to discuss this!

i did not know about the prohibition of buddhist monks in military services.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2012/05/thailand-muslim-lobs-grenade-at-s...

Burmese Buddhists in anti muslim riots over rape of girl ; http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/burmese-army-moves-in-...

This happened on 30th september, but seems to be getting zero publicity in the MSM.  There are plenty of photos here: https://www.facebook.com/BuddhistDefenseLeague

Some of the photos are very good.  Even Bangladeshi buddhists in Thailand are staging demonstrations outside a UN meeting there.

But of course, it is the Sri Lankan buddhists who get closest to stating the situation.

Ong Bak (the beginning) Culture Khon dance 1 - could'nt resist putting it up ! ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVjoTYIG_Xc - a part of Thai culture and femininity worth fighting the muslims for !

Wow, thanks!

Burmese Buddhists protest against OIC ; http://www.narinjara.com/main/index.php/oic-unwanted-buddhist-monks...

Why would OIC want to open an office in Burma ? - looks like they are trting to link up with the illegal Bangladeshi muslim immigrants and use them as a trojan horse.

Thailand: Muslims murder eleven people after government opens peace talks

Fresh clashes between Burmese Buddhists and illegal Bangladeshi muslim immigrants ; http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/myanmar-says-fresh...

2013.02.10 (Yala, Thailand) - Islamic militants overturn a truck with a bomb, then shoot five survivors to death.

It's snowing at the Equator.  The Thai army managed to kill some muslim terrorists.  They seem to have realised that bullets are a more effective weapon than origami.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/13/thailand-insurgents-killed-attack

It's just as well they managed to stop this.  The 8 years of mayhem there was preceded by a successful raid by muslims on an armoury.

Deadly clashes between Burmese Buddhists and muslims ; http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/22/deadly-clashes-burma-bu...

People from Indonesian Muslim hardline groups protest near the embassy of Myanmar in Jakarta. Photo: Reuters
http://www.smh.com.au/world/bashir-threatens-jihad-on-myanmar-buddh...

Psst.... Gonna let you in on a secret known only to us muslamics.  You know those buddhists in Myanmar?  Well, I got it on good authority from a Mullah that secretly all buddhists are really jews.

http://seanrobsville.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/jews-invented-buddhism....

Islam is just an another form of mental illness.

July 23, 2013: The first ever holiday (Moslem holy month of Ramadan) truce in the Moslem south seems to be holding. But it’s often hard to tell because so much of the violence in the south turns out to be personal disputes or gangster related conflicts, not Islamic terrorism. Currently there are 5-15 terrorist related deaths in the south each week. Many that are, at first, believed Islamic terrorism related are later reclassified when investigators find criminal or personal circumstances. The criminal gangs are heavily involved with the Islamic terrorists and the killers often combine regular business with Islamic terrorism when they kill someone. This is particularly true now that the Islamic terrorists are killing more Moslems (for cooperating with the police, which is often done because of common criminal matters). The south has always been more lawless and violent than the rest of the country. It is feared that the terrorists will end the truce because of a mistaken belief that the police and military will shut down completely and also allow criminal activities to continue without interference. This is not going to happen but because of the criminal gangs influence among the Islamic terrorists, this is expected.

Moslem refugees from Burma are telling reporters that they got into Thailand because navy patrol boat commanders were taking bribes from smugglers to allow the refugee filled fishing boats to pass. Police and army units guarding the coast could also be paid off. The Thai Navy and other security services denies this is going on. But a recent opinion poll showed that 60 percent of Thais are tolerant of corruption and that sort of bad behavior has been known to occur in the military. Meanwhile, the government refuses (despite growing international pressure) to accept Rohingya (Burmese Moslems) refugees from Burma. At the start of 2013, the government ordered Rohingya to be blocked from entering the country. Despite that, over a thousand Rohingya manage to get into Thailand each month this year. During the last few years Thailand was more receptive of these Burmese Moslem refugees. Then there was another outbreak of violence between Rohingya and Burmese in mid-2012 that caused many more Rohingya to flee. Some 13,000 Rohingya fled Burma last year, up from 7,000 in 2011. Thailand is a favorite destination for refugees because of the booming economy. The Thais know this and deport any economic refugees they catch. While the business community likes the illegals for their willingness to work harder for less pay, most Thais oppose illegals for the same reason. The Rohingya have long been a special problem in both Burma and Thailand. The Burmese do not recognize the Rohingya as Burmese. In part this was because the Rohingya lived on the Burmese/Bangladesh border and were considered invaders from Bangladesh, and partly because the Burmese are largely Buddhist and have had problems with Moslems (who tend to be a lot more intolerant and aggressive when it comes to religion). Moreover, while most Burmese have an East Asian appearance, the Rohingya look like Indians. Criminal gangs in the area are selling places on boats that attempt to sneak into Thai waters, where the Rohingya could claim asylum. But the first few months of 2013 Thailand arrested over 4,000 Rohingya refugees and confined them in guarded camps until the refugees agree to go back to Burma.

http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/thai/articles/20130723.aspx

Jihad in Thailand: Muslims blow up eight-ton liquified petroleum gas tank

Saw this programme lastnight on Thailand's Yabba/methamphetamine epidemic - quite a worrieng documentary as it seems to be destroying Thailand's youth ; http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b038rw24/Thailands_Drug_Craze_... - something they said in passing was that Yabba is produced by seperatist guerrillas over the border in Burma as a form of funding - but they did not say who the guerrillas were - i wonder if they were the muslim seperatist Kerens etc ?

I came across this Karmapa Controversy by chance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumtek_Monastery

So, Buddhists get eradicated and thrown out of countries from India to Afghanistan, later Tibet even, and take refuge in Sikkim.  There, far from facing the reality of their failure and extinction, and making use of the new home they have so kindly been given, they are engaged in bitter disute over succession:

Neither candidate resides at Rumtek since monks supporting Trinley Thaye Dorje were thrown out of Rumtek by Ogyen Trinley Dorje's followers.^[1] Since 1992, the monastery has been the site of pitched battles between monks supporting one candidate or the other.^[2] Armed Indian soldiers still patrol the monastery to prevent further sectarian violence.

Could you find a more useless and hopeless case?  Brother Mark is with friends.

Jihadists (sorry, I mean "worshipers", in correct BBC speak)  attack and kill Policemen, then militarily regroup (sorry, I mean "assemble for prayer")
in their local fort (sorry, I mean "mosque").

When government forces try bring the situation under control, some of the Muslim killers (sorry, I mean "innocent youths") got shot by the army.

Now expect to see a barage of Muslim and Ansar pleading for the innocence of those "young worshippers", and their oppression by the Kafir (sorry, I mean "repressive state forces").

I normally grab a copy of  videos like this before the Fascists get then removed.  But in this case, they will probably leave it because its helpful propaganda for them.  Thank heavens for small mercies!

Australian police won't prosecute muslim Bishop who asked Allah to kill every single Hindu and Buddhist on the planet.
http://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/adelaidebased-shiek...

Buddhists vs Muslims in Sri Lanka ; http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Buddhists-vs-Mu...

http://www.trust.org/item/20140930154628-s3bcd/

Hardline Buddhists in Myanmar, Sri Lanka strike anti-Islamist pact.

Damned if you don't defend yourself, to forced conversion to Islam. And damned if you do defend yourself, by the Islam apologists that believe that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. Mohammed disagrees, he said make war and spread terror until everything belongs to Islam.

Buddhist anti-muslim sentiment ; http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/raymond-ibrahim/west-misses-point-...

Libtards grumbling about the expulsion of illegal muslim immigrants ; http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/aung-san-suu-kyis-silen...

Murder is being carried out on a vast scale by the followers of Mohammed, it is not surprising that non-Muslim countries do not want to accept Muslim refugees.
These people are Muslims and were causing problems in Burma and Thailand. The best possible place for Muslim refugees to be taken care of is in Muslim countries. Muslim refugees should not come to Europe, where they destabilize society, but should be sent to and taken care of in Muslim countries. There are more than 50 Muslim nations.

Burmese ex -muslim ; https://richarddawkins.net/2016/01/a-burmese-atheist-who-takes-insp...

Well done Aung San ! http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/655607/Burmese-Nobel-Peace-Priz...

Buddhist monk hacked to death ; http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/14/bangladesh-elderly-bud...

And people like the NYT wonder why Buddhists, when they can, are reacting to defend themselves

Message to Muslims: Get Out

http://4freedoms.com/group/buddhists/forum/topics/3766518:Topic:157680

Over 50 wounded in double bombing outside supermarket in Thailand https://www.rt.com/news/387714-thailand-explosion-supermarket-pattani

Anti Muslim riots in Sri Lanka ; https://www.yahoo.com/news/rise-violent-buddhist-rhetoric-asia-defi...