An example of calm amid grief and pressure
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Thais, in contemplating solutions to the insurgency in the deep South, can learn valuable lessons from the reaction in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bomb attacks.
It’s hard not to be impressed by the people of Boston, whose calm and humble reaction to the devastating bomb attacks this week has won the respect of the international community.
Humility and calm were displayed from the moment the two blasts went off at the Boston Marathon, one of the world’s most important sporting events.
If anything, it raises the question of how a community or a society can be, or should be judged. Resilience in the face of devastation says something about a community indeed.
Pressure for answers, especially about who was behind the attacks, will grow as time goes on. That’s understandable. But what should be applauded is the fact that hardly anyone has rushed to judgement on the identity of the bomber or bombers.
Commentators in the social media will have their say, but extreme remarks made via the computer keyboard should not be the benchmark for the strength of a society.
Nor should the treatment of an injured young Saudi man by some in the media who decided he was a suspect when in fact he was a victim. Like scores of others in the Boston attack, his body was torn by shrapnel from the explosions near the marathon’s finish line.
Credit should be given to President Barack Obama, who, just hours after the blasts, set the tone, warning the public not to rush to any premature assumptions. And by not rushing to quick judgement, Bostonians are saying due process will have to take its course.
The scene in downtown Boston in the aftermath of the blasts reminded us of what takes place on the streets of Syria and Iraq almost on a weekly basis. But a knee-jerk reaction is no substitute for a calm mind.
Thai society, especially the security agencies and policy-makers who have been hit by the devastating insurgency in the three southernmost provinces, could learn a thing or two from the investigations underway in Boston – from preserving the crime scene to collecting evidence and eyewitness accounts, as well as videotape footage.
Too often our top security officials claim to know that a certain violent attack is going to take place. The idea is to show the public that they’re on the ball. But they can never answer why, if they had prior information, they were unable to prevent the attack.
Perhaps they are too concerned about looking weak in the eyes of the public, and fail to cover all their oversights.
If anyone can benefit from the example of the Bostonians, it is the people of Thailand. The country has suffered ten years of bloody insurgency that has claimed more than 5,300 lives. Soft-target casualties and collateral damage have mounted even as governments consistently maintain that they are moving in the right direction.
And although the insurgent attacks are largely confined to three provinces, one should not assume that the violence can’t spread to other parts of the country, including Bangkok.
In a situation shaped by devastating terrorist attacks, what matters are the right answers. Where America and the American authorities go from here will say a great deal about the US as a country.
“If you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil – that’s it: selflessly, compassionately, unafraid,” President Obama said.
