theSun | MONDAY APRIL 20 2009
news without borders
Emergency to stay
for now, says PM
BANGKOK: Thai-
land’s capital, Bang-
kok, could remain
under emergency
rule for another
week after an at-
tempted political
assassination raised
fears of further un-
rest, Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva
(pix) said yesterday.
In his weekly
televised address, Abhisit also
gave more details of a move
to amend the controversial
2007 constitution in a bid to
resolve Thailand’s long-run-
ning political crisis.
“I hope when I meet you
again next Sunday. We will
feel normalcy and peace
in society again,” he said of
the emergency rule imposed
during a week of protests in
which two people were killed
and a major Asian summit
cancelled.
The state of emergency
covers the sprawling city of
10 million people and sur-
rounding areas, but has had
little impact on daily life.
There is no curfew and
troops are visible in only
9
a few areas away
Citizen
Nades on
broken
promises
pg 12
Militants going online
to spread their ideas
from tourist sites.
Abhisit vowed to
find those responsi-
ble for Friday’s gun
attack on Sondhi
Limthongkul, a core
leader of the “yellow
shirt” protest move- SINGAPORE: Southeast Asian militants recruit and train supporters,” said the “have done little to stop the rise of online
ment against former have grown more sophisticated in us- study, made available to journalists at radicalisation” compared with Europe,
Prime Minister ing the Internet to spread radical ideas, the weekend. the Middle East and North America, the
Thaksin Shinawatra recruit and train supporters, according “Using this international platform, paper said.
who was ousted in a to a new study urging governments to they’re attempting to shape people’s It suggested that “understanding and
2006 coup. take action. ideas about whose ideology is right and countering online radicalisation must
Sondhi was in stable The Internet’s role as a training and who should win. be one of the main pillars of the fight
condition recovering from recruitment tool is likely to increase “Importantly, they are not attack- against regional terrorism.”
head wounds after gunmen in significance and could threaten the ing only the West but are drawing on The study also warned that militant
raked his car with automatic region if it is not countered effectively, their narrative to attack the governance groups are putting greater emphasis on
rifle fire on Friday, escalat- the study said. arrangements of regional states.” preaching their message to young peo-
ing tensions after a week of “To put it bluntly: security agencies Southeast Asia is home to extrem- ple and use not just websites but social
street violence involving rival may detect the bomb manuals, but ist groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah, networking sites as well.
“red shirt” protesters loyal to miss the process of radicalisation that blamed for a string of deadly bomb at- Online extremism was first detected
Thaksin. produces the bombers,” says the joint tacks in the region including the 2002 in Southeast Asia in early 2000, in par-
“This can lead to wider report from Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam attacks on Bali, and the Abu Sayyaf in ticular on websites using Bahasa Indo-
conflict. Please be confident School of International Studies and the the southern Philippines. nesia and other variations of the Malay
that the government will solve Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The Abu Sayyaf has gained promi- language, the study said.
this case with speed and in a It indicates that terrorist groups in nence by kidnapping foreigners, most Radicals initially tried to mimic the
transparent manner,” Abhisit the region are becoming increasingly recently a group of Red Cross workers, contents and features of their Middle
said, urging Sondhi’s support- sophisticated in their use of the Internet, one of whom is still being held. East counterparts, but are now becom-
ers to stay off the streets. posting hacking and bomb-making The number of radical websites ing more sophisticated, the study said.
“Please do not raise this videos, and even developing their own detected and monitored by the report’s “Many of the Bahasa Indonesia and
issue into a wider violent online media units. authors numbered 117 in 2008, up Malay language websites have been
conflict which will put “Terrorist groups in Southeast Asia sharply from only 15 in 2007. used as online platforms to justify ter-
democracy at risk,” he said. are increasingly using the Internet as a Governments and national law en- rorist acts and propagate conspiracy
– Reuters means to radicalise people as well as to forcement agencies in Southeast Asia theories,” it said. – AFP