[R-G] Thai leader in threat to join exodus from Iraq

[shniad at sfu.ca]

Daily Telegraph     21/04/2004

Thai leader in threat to join exodus

By Toby Harnden in Karbala

A threat by Thailand's prime minister to withdraw his country's troops from
Iraq if they are attacked again by anti-coalition forces was criticised
yesterday as offering a victory to terrorists.

"I would prefer the Thai soldiers to stay here to challenge these terrorists
because, if they do have to leave, this will be a triumph for the killers,"
said Lt Ammar Atia, commander of the Iraqi police post outside Camp Lima
base in the southern city of Karbala.

Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai premier, said the 451 Thai medical and
engineering troops at Camp Lima could soon be ordered home. "If we get hurt
or killed, I will not keep them there. We do not go there to fight. If we
get killed, why should we stay?"

Coalition officials fear that such sentiments could encourage further
attacks on Thai troops. Two were killed in December when a car loaded with
explosives was crashed into their base. Thailand's warning came a day after
Spain announced it would pull out its 1,432 troops from Iraq, and Honduras
said its 368 soldiers would be leaving as soon as possible.

At Camp Lima yesterday, Thai soldiers were inside the heavily fortified
base, surrounded by concrete barriers topped with coils of barbed wire. An
officer at the gate declined to comment on whether troops would prefer to
remain.

"Sorry, regulations do not allow me to speak," he said. "I'm not permitted
to say anything about our mission or what we think."

Lt Atia said the Thai troops had distinguished themselves in Karbala. "These
soldiers are very well educated. Many of them are Muslims. They have been
rebuilding our roads and giving food to the people. They are very popular."

Colin Powell, the American secretary of state, said it was possible more
members of President George W Bush's 32-country "coalition of the willing"
would evacuate its troops but broke off from a marathon round of telephone
calls to gauge the level of commitment to insist he remained optimistic.

"I am getting solid support for our efforts, commitments to remain and
finish the job that they came to do."

But Mr Powell's task was made more difficult by the continuing chaos in much
of Iraq despite the uneasy truces still holding in the flashpoint centres of
Fallujah and Najaf. At least 22 were killed and about 100 injured in a
mortar attack by insurgents on a prison near Baghdad.

The dangerous security situation was further underlined by confirmation from
the American company Halliburton that three bodies found in shallow grave
near Baghdad were employees of one of its subsidiaries.

Lt Atia said he had sympathy for the predicament of coalition countries.
"Every leader is responsible for the wellbeing of his men. They have the
right to withdraw their soldiers because they came as liberation troops but
now there is chaos here. It is very sad."


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