Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct 23 (IANS) Thailand is eager to learn how Sri Lanka crushed the Tamil Tigers in order to see if the same methods can be used to battle Muslim insurgency in its south, a newspaper reported Friday.
The Bangkok Post said Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva discussed with his Sri Lanka counterpart Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka Thursday Colombo’s “success in putting down the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) movement”.

The daily said the Thai government was “considering adopting techniques used by Sri Lanka in dealing with the Tamil Tiger rebels in its efforts to contain the (Muslim) insurgency in the south”.

“Tough crackdowns were also key to Sri Lanka’s success in its fight against the rebels, which should serve as a good lesson for Thailand,” a government spokesman was quoted as saying.

Sri Lanka crushed the LTTE in May this year by launching a prolonged military offensive that led to the annihilation of the group’s leadership including Velupillai Prabhakaran, who founded the Tamil Tigers in 1976.