Remember the Insurgency?

* photo copyright*
Soldier guarding a rural school in Yala province August 2008.

With the dissolution of the government, the anti-democratic People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) releasing the airport, and the fugitive Pojaman returning to Thailand it is easy to forget the southern insurgency.

This is, of course, a disaster for the country. With a body count over 3500 people it is simply shocking that a country struggling with one of Asia's most violent conflicts can simply forget.

More interesting though is that the nine killed today were killed on the King's Birthday and that The Nation and the Bangkok Post reported these serious incidents of violence as minor news.

It is understandable that since Bangkok has been held hostage by PAD's fascist and militant actions that the focus has shifted, but it is simply shameful that newspapers will avoid reporting the news for fear of reporting something bad on the King's birthday.

It is tempting to comment on why self-censorship is important to narrow-minded nationalists and staunch monarchists because it is a challenge to the Chakri Dynasty but, honestly, I am as scared as everyone else in Thailand about archaic and draconian lese majesty laws.

So lets just say, this post is a reminder that Thailand still must come to grips with its southern insurgency.