This column covers "developing stories" meaning that you can expect additional stories on the same subject in the near future. The material that follows was written using much of the same language as your Bangkok Post writers use in their stories.

August 2, 2005

INTERNATIONAL

Off the streets

Finally, there is some progress in the war on terror

An Italian policeman shows the photo of Somali-born Osman Hussain, a naturalised British citizen and one of the four suspects in the July 21 bombing attempts in London. — AFP
It is quite a detective story and it is not finished by any means. All the main suspects in the failed July 21 London bombings appear to be in police custody, but many questions remain.

Investigators are working around the clock trying to determine if there are more potential bombers on the loose and whether the five detainees had any connection with the July 7 suicide bombers who killed more than 50 people, including themselves. They are also trying to determine why the five young men, all in their 20s and of East African origin, would try to commit such a heinous crime.

British police are giving us virtually no information about what they have learned from the four suspects they have detained. Italian police seem to be much less secretive, with the suspect they have apprehended, however. Sources close to the investigation there say that 27-year-old Osman Hussain has been quite talkative.

According to these sources, Mr Hussain readily admitted his role in the bomb plot. He said the group’s motivation was not religion or global jihad, but the war in Iraq. If true, this could give Prime Minister Tony Blair some difficult moments since one of his stated reasons for going to war was to make his own country safer.

Interestingly, Mr Hussain also apparently said that the intention of the bombers was to scare, not to kill, and that the explosives were not powerful enough to do much damage. Since the police have recovered the unexploded bombs, we should soon know whether or not that was true.

Even without the help of the police, however, we can expect to find a lot more information this week as the news media continue to interview people who knew the suspects. We already know, for example, that in several cases, the police were able to capture suspects from information supplied by family members, friends and acquaintances.

Meanwhile, there was some very good news in the war against terrorism from an earlier era. As you might know, London was the target of a series of bombing attacks in the 1970s and 1980s that were carried out by members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

For many decades, the largely Catholic IRA carried out a violent campaign to force the British to leave Protestant-dominated Northern Ireland and to unite that area with the Republic of Ireland in the south where Catholics are in the majority.

Last week, IRA leaders formally announced the end of their armed campaign and vowed to seek unification by peaceful means. “There is a compelling imperative on all sides to build a just and lasting peace,” the IRA statement read. “There is now an unprecedented opportunity to utilise the considerable energy and goodwill which there is for the peace process.”

While there is still considerable suspicion among some Protestant leaders that the IRA will actually carry out its promises, the declaration did create considerable optimism among the majority of the population. Already, they are signs that the British military is making preparations to withdraw; so not all news is bad news after all.

detective
of the process of examining crimes and catching criminals
not by any means
not at all
detainees
people who are being keep in prison or who are not allowed to leave a place
heinous
morally very bad
apprehended
captured; arrested

readily
in away that shows you do not object to something; quickly and easily
motivation
reason for doing something
global
covering or affecting the whole world
jihad
a holy war fought by Muslims
acquaintances
people who you know but who you are not close to

era
a period of time, usually in history
dominated
controlled or having influence over
vowed
promised
compelling
so strong that you must do something about it

imperative
something is very important and that requires immediate action
unprecedented
never having happened before
optimism
expecting good things to happen
withdraw
to leave an area

LOCAL

Giving labour a voice

One columnist looks at the minimum-wage
from the labourer’s point of view

Police struggle to hold back protesting workers trying to break through barricades erected at the Royal Plaza where, in July, some 1,000 workers rallied to demand the daily minimum wage be raised to 233 baht.— APICHIT JINAKUL

A Bangkok Post columnist I always read is Deputy News Editor Wasant Techawongtham. Normally, he writes on environmental issues, but last week his topic was the plight of Thai labourers. His commentary was a real eye-opener and it makes you wonder how long it will be before labour becomes a political issue here.

As you might recall, the prime minister’s economic stimulus package included a rise in the minimum wage – a pittance, really, of 2-8 baht over the current rate of 175 baht. Even this caused an outcry from some employers who claimed the added expense might drive them out of business. Faced with their resistance, the labourers’ demand of 233 baht per day was rejected out of hand.

To Mr Wasant, however, they have a very good case. Take a look, he says, at what they have to endure for the meagre pay they receive.

“[Take, for example] the ubiquitous ‘security guards’,” Mr Wasant wrote in his commentary. “Many of these men work 12-hour shifts. I have seen a man working two days straight. By the second day, he was out of it but continued to perform his duty admirably, though pitifully…

“A group supervisor at a factory that produces electronic products for a famous brand name told me about life which could almost have been lifted out the 19th century.

“The men and women there work a regular shift of eight hours, plus four hours of overtime. They work four days with two days off, but must alternate shifts between day and night every 12 days… How long can a man’s body stand the frequent adjustment to the drastic changes?

“While the management says the overtime work is voluntary, all workers understand that any excuse to skip overtime is considered non-cooperation and will be reflected in their bonus and pay rise, little though that may be.

“And though they have seven days for annual leave, they can take no more than two days off at a time, except in extraordinary circumstances.”

Given the labourers’ poverty and their limited bargaining power, it may take a while to catch public attention here, but that may not be the case abroad. I wonder if Thai labour conditions might become an issue in one of those free-trade agreements the government is trying to conclude.

plight
a difficult and sad situation

commentary
a criticism or discussion of something

eye-opener
an event or experience that is surprising and shows you something that you did not already know

stimulus
something that helps something or someone to develop better and more quickly

pittance
a very small and inadequate amount of money

outcry
a reaction of strong anger or protest

out of hand
immediately without even thinking about or considering something

endure
to experience and deal with something that is painful or unpleasant

meagre
small in quantity

ubiquitous
seeming to be everywhere

out of it
not aware of what is happening, in this case, because of tiredness

pitifully
causing a feeling of sadness or sympathy

shift
a period of time worked by a group of workers

alternate
to change back from one to another in a regular way

voluntary
done willing, not because you are forced to

extraordinary
not normal or ordinary

•This lesson was prepared by Acharn Terry Fredrickson, BA Stanford, MA (TESL) University of Minnesota, Manager/Editor of the Learning Post at the Bangkok Post and general editor of this programme.

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