"Vulnerability of Muslims"

By MK Barua, On e-mail
11 November 2004, 18:00 PM
What strange thing Mr. Shahjahan has found in my letter (DS 01.11.04) about the DS editorial is also strange to me. I have deplored and condemned the deaths of 78 Thai people in no uncertain manner. My concern was the tone of the DS editorial. The death of 78 Thai people have been reported by almost all major newspapers of the world including Indian ones. But Mr. Shahjahan should know that there is a difference between news and editorial.

The trouble in southern Thailand's Muslim majority area bordering Malaysia is nothing new. The Muslim separatist movement in the area is a source of worry to the Thai govt. Time and again they had tried to control the movement with mild and minimum force. But of late the separatists have started killing, terrorising the minority Buddhists and Christians in the area. They have also started attacking police posts . This led to the heavy crackdown by local police with the help of the army. But under no circumstances the deaths of Muslim demonstrators could be justified .

I wonder, being a sensible person how Mr. Shahjahan is advocating "communalisation" of the issue. If we start looking at such issues as Muslim cause, Buddhist cause, Christian cause, Hindu cause, then we will be dividing this mother earth with serious repercussions.