Showing posts with label Attacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Attacks. Show all posts

Friday 16 December 2016

Myanmar (Burma) - Rohingya militants `well-organized


Myanmar (Burma) - Rohingya militants `well-organized

The emergence of a "well-organized and well-funded" Muslim militancy behind attacks on security forces in western Myanmar could further de-stabilize the conflict-ridden region, an international think tank warned on Wednesday.

Harakah al-Yaqin, or Faith Movement, formed by members of the persecuted Rohingya minority, has been blamed for deadly attacks on security forces in northern Rakhine state, including an October 9 assault when hundreds of fighters, armed mostly with swords and sticks, overran three border police bases.
The violence prompted a sweeping crackdown on the Rohingya population, thousands of whom have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks amid accusations of mass killings and rapes. The government denies the allegations.
In its report, the International Crisis Group conducted interviews with members of Harakah al-Yaqin that suggest it is overseen by a committee of Rohingya emigres in Saudi Arabia.
The research also found evidence of ground operations organized by 20 men, experienced in guerilla warfare, who trained hundreds of locals to use weapons and crude explosives.
Crisis Group's Asia programme director Tim Johnston told dpa at least some of the funding is believed to come from private donors in the Middle East.
"There are real risks that if the government mishandles the situation, for instance with the further use of excessive force, it will push more of the Muslim population in that area to support al-Yaqin, entrenching the armed group and a cycle of violence," he wrote in an editorial published by Time magazine.
"It may also create conditions for radicalization that could be exploited by transnational jihadists to pursue their own agendas in Burma."
Rights groups and Rohingya activists cast doubt on some of the findings and said the majority of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims confined to internal displacement camps and villages across Rakhine state did not support the insurgency.
"Villagers are consistently telling us they want rights and want to return home," said Matthew Smith, founder of NGO Fortify Rights. "No one is telling us they want militancy or armed resistance."
Richard Potter, a researcher with the Burma Human Rights Network, said recent contact suggested the militants had run out of ammunition and scattered in recent weeks.
"If there's money that's being gathered for them I can't see where it's going," he said.

Tuesday 11 October 2016

Possible Bangkok bomb plots prompt police to step up security

Possible #Bangkok bomb plots prompt police to step up security
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Police said today that they have increased security at major landmarks in Bangkok, as well as at airports and in surrounding provinces, following reports of bomb plots just weeks after deadly attacks rocked the country's south.
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An armed group was plotting car bomb attacks in a province near Bangkok, Thailand's national security head said.
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"The Deputy Prime Minister instructed security agencies closely track and monitor anything unusual including things used to prepare bombs and cars," Thawip Netniyom, chief of Thailand's National Security Council, told reporters.
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"Why target Bangkok? They probably want to make an impact," he said, without giving details on which groups could be behind the plot.
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The Thai media specifically reported that the group might be plotting a car bomb between Oct. 25-30 in Bangkok, according to Pol. Gen. Sriwara Ransibrahmanakul, Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Police.
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Pol. Gen. Sriwara said that he has instructed the local police to inspect any suspicious vehicles and tighten security at tourist attractions, embassies, and symbolic venues, reported Nation TV.
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Always a popular tourist destination Thailand suffered a series of bomb attacks in the country's south over the past few weeks, including a wave of bombs in tourist towns between Aug. 11-12 that killed four Thai people and injured dozens more, including foreigners.
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Police have linked the attacks to Muslim separatists operating in Thailand's far south.
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Security chief Thawip said he was not sure whether the planned car bombs and the August attacks were related.
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Thailand's tourism industry, which accounts for 10 percent of gross domestic product, has weathered more than a decade of unrest including two military coups and the recent bombings.
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Britain's Foreign Office, as well as several others, advised travelers to exercise caution following the August bombings.
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"You should exercise caution, particularly in public places. Further incidents are possible in these and other areas of Thailand," the Foreign Office said.
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In August 2015, a bomb ripped through Erawan Shrine, a religious landmark in central Bangkok killing 20 people, most of them tourists. But the attack failed to dent tourist arrivals to any discernible degree.
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wo ethnic Uighur Muslims from China are on trial in Thailand after being accused of carrying out the attack.
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Analysts and diplomats suspected the attack was linked to Uighur sympathizers angered by Thailand's deportation of more than 100 Uighurs to China the previous month.
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Bangkok is currently playing host to a regional meeting attended by some world and business leaders.
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Police said they were on high alert.
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"I have ordered all police under my supervision in the area around Bangkok to monitor news, investigate and gather intelligence on groups who could come in and cause trouble," said Police Lieutenant General Charnthep Sesawet, acting chief of Provincial Police Region 1, which oversees areas around the capital.
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Story: Reuters/ Nation TV / Coconuts.co

 

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