US trains, equips Thais against terrorism

Here's a somewhat positive sign from the Asia Times, with thanks to Anthony:

BANGKOK - The US Defense Department has trained and equipped police on the tourist playground island of Phuket to prevent "international terrorists" staging a copycat of the October 2002 Bali bombing, a Thai official said.

"The Bali bombing made us aware of the need to prepare ourselves for any situation within our area of control," Phuket's police deputy commissioner, Major-General Phuvadol Krasaein, said after receiving the US equipment. He was referring to the bombing by Indonesian Islamists at Kuta Beach nightclubs that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

"The equipment is part of a training program granted by the US government to upgrade the Thai police's ability to deal with international terrorists," Phuvadol said, according to the government-run Thai News Agency. "Terrorists are a threat to peace in the society. They often target attacks on Western tourist attractions. Although there is no indication of any terrorism in the area, Thai police should be ready for the situation."

He received the donated equipment, worth about US$50,000, in a ceremony at the Phuket provincial police headquarters on Wednesday. David Turner, chief of the US Defense Department's Force Protection Detachment at the US Embassy in Bangkok, presented the equipment to Phuvadol, according to the Phuket Gazette.

Now it would be nice if, say, some of the $2 billion that goes to jihadist-tolerating, Christian-persecuting Egypt every year could be redeployed to finance anti-jihad efforts like this one more generously than a lousy $50,000.