I think I’m going to have Thai food for dinner this evening. Just so I can keep thinking of this story and grinning while enjoying a pleasant meal.
Thailand's leader shrugged off international criticism of his government's crackdown on suspected Islamic militants, saying in speech to the nation Saturday that he had no choice but to use overwhelming force.
More than 100 suspected militants — mostly young men wielding machetes — were killed Wednesday when they attacked police and army posts in pre-dawn raids in three southern provinces. Three police and two soldiers were also killed.
On Friday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights demanded that Thailand investigate the killings, citing treaties that require security forces to refrain from using excessive force.
International and local human rights groups have also called for investigations.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra responded with defiance.
"Please don't intervene. Please leave us alone," he said in a radio address Saturday.
"It is my job and we can cope with this matter. We are trying to explain this to foreigners. But if they do not understand or ignore our explanation, I don't care because we are not begging them for food," Thaksin said. [Bold mine]
(Thanks to LGF)
That is the BEST.
Posted by: Mrs. du Toit | May 01, 2004 at 02:20 PM
Arrogant Unilateralists! ;)
Posted by: Furious Ming | May 01, 2004 at 04:12 PM
Yay for Thailand!
Let's see - we had massacres in Rwanda by machete-weilding fanatics... and the UN wouldn't bother trying to stop them.
What were they hoping for, a rerun of the scenario so they could show how 'effective' they were a second time?
Like you said - good for them!
J.
Posted by: JLawson | May 01, 2004 at 04:54 PM
Is this the same UN that shrugged its shoulders as Saddam murdered several hundred thousand people? That scratches its butt while Kim Jong Il starves millions he hasn't locked into his gulag to death?
Now I know why they're always picking on Israel - The Israelis are too civilized to tell Kofi to go fuck himself.
Posted by: Jeffersonian | May 01, 2004 at 05:11 PM
Nice.
Gang Gai is my favorite.
Posted by: aaron | May 01, 2004 at 08:38 PM
I'm a Pad Ped kind of girl. Eggplant is yummy!
Posted by: Rosemary the Queen of All Evil | May 01, 2004 at 10:02 PM
He should've just given them all the finger. Where are these same human rights groups on Christians slaughtered in Egypt, Sudan, and elsewhere, on Jews being slaughtered in Israel? Hypocritical bastards.
Posted by: Helen | May 02, 2004 at 01:43 AM
I continue to wish someone would propose a "United Democratic Nations" organization so we could dump the current U.N. entirely.
Posted by: Dean Esmay | May 02, 2004 at 03:47 AM
Three cheers for Thailand! Hip Hip...
Posted by: Monkey | May 02, 2004 at 08:53 AM
Oh yeah, my favorite place for Pad Ped closed though. I don't like cooking egg plant, it's a pain.
Posted by: aaron | May 02, 2004 at 10:27 AM
The Thais certainly know how to deal with traitors in the field!
Posted by: Louis Spielman | May 02, 2004 at 12:31 PM
Dean, there is a proposed/nascent "Union of Democracies". See: http://www.ccd21.org/
Whether it will pan out or not remains to be seen.
Posted by: Jason Bontrager | May 02, 2004 at 04:06 PM
GOOD for the Thais. I am so glad they are telling the UN to butt out.
When the UN butts in, all hell breaks loose.
I will definately keep them in my prayers, and hope the Chinese stay out of it.
Posted by: Cricket | May 02, 2004 at 08:19 PM
Considering their dim view of religious fanatics, especially rebellious ones, I imagine the chinese would be even less merciful to the machete wielding maniacs.
Kong
Posted by: Kong | May 03, 2004 at 03:26 PM