"As G_d is my witness, I thought these paper peace birds would fly."
Posted on 12/06/2004 5:15:19 AM PST by ijcr
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A massive airdrop of paper birds intended to promote peace failed to halt violence in Thailand's restive south, with a spate of new attacks Monday that targeted soldiers and local officials.
The bombings, shootings and arson attacks came hours after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Sunday's airdrop of nearly 100 million Japanese-style origami cranes over the predominantly Muslim region had achieved an "enormous, positive psychological effect" toward peace.
On Monday morning a bomb was detonated at a rest stop for patrolling soldiers. Four troops were wounded, one seriously, in Narathiwat province's Ra-ngae district.
Another bomb exploded nearby hours later, seriously injuring an assistant district chief as he parked his car. The official, Pricha Nuannuay, 38, had gone to the area to instruct security forces to carry out thorough searches for explosive devices, police said.
A third bomb found later in a garbage bin was defused by police.
More than 540 people have died this year in the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala - the only Muslim-majority regions in Buddhist-dominated Thailand - in violence blamed on Islamic separatists.
Bangkok's heavy-handed response has not helped the situation.
The government came under strong criticism after 85 Muslim demonstrators died on Oct. 25, including 78 who suffocated or were crushed when soldiers bound and stacked them on top of each other in military trucks.
Encouraged by the government, Thais across the country - Cabinet ministers, office workers, schoolchildren and even convicts - folded more than 130 million birds to promote peace in the south. Approximately 30 million will be delivered by land.
While meant as a morale-boosting measure for victims of violence, Sunday's origami airdrop resembled a festive treasure hunt with prizes offered for some specially marked birds. People who collected large quantities could trade them in for items ranging from cartons of milk to bicycles.
Especially coveted was one bird folded and signed by Thaksin, which offered a scholarship if found by a child or a job for an adult.
Thaksin said Sunday the paper bird airdrop showed residents of the three southern provinces that they are part of Thai society, and that their countrymen care for them.
Hours after Thaksin spoke, the owner of a tea shop in Pattani was slain by gunmen, grenades were thrown at the homes of two policemen in the same province and arsonists set fire to a state school in Yala and a teacher's house in Narathiwat.
I'm amazed that paper peace birds couldn't stop the violence. I thought paper peace birds would trump anything.
We must escalate... parachute Richard Gere in to generate mental happy waves.
LOL! Maybe Michael Moore should make a movie.
The WKRP "Turkey Drop" would work too.
This guy is so effective at his job the bombs just seek him out!
Spitwads meant the same thing to us in elementary school...
Les: No parachutes yet. Can't be skydivers... I can't tell just yet what they are, but - Oh my God, Johnny, they're paper peace birds!! Johnny, can you get this? Oh, they're plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! One just went through the windshield of a parked car! Oh, the humanity! The paper peace birds are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenberg tragedy has there been anything like this!
Are those the same spitballs Zell Miller was refering to? Maybe this is a glimpse of how we'd be fighting the war if Kerry had won!
Don't forget to equip him with origami gerbils.
Thems "peace gerbils" y'know.
I cant believe the paper birds didn't work. On to plan B. Drop copies of "Up with People".
Well so much for the "Kume Bai Yah my Budha" experiment.
"As G_d is my witness, I thought these paper peace birds would fly."
"Don't forget to equip him with origami gerbils.
Thems "peace gerbils" y'know"
Make them out of toilet paper..dual purpose!
I know this sounds dangerous to all Gere fans, but what about Geribls coated in NAPALM?!?!
LOL................perfect. Damn, but that episode was sooooo funny......:)
great job Lemmiwinksthanks to you we are all free
but your adventures are just begining
for you are no ordinary gerbil, Lemmiwinks
you are the gerbil kingALL HAIL THE GERBIL KING
now the ger the gerbil king has more adventures to go on
fly away to faraway lands into the setting sun
theres still so many enemies and battles yet to fight
for Lemmiwinks, the gerbil king, is to be told another
night
I guess they were folded the wrong side out and became war birds.
OK. Back to the UN!
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