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Agent Stops Selling U.S.-Made Soft Drinks
By Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA, Oct 3 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Anti-U.S. sentiment is growing among Muslims in Satun, Thailand, with some shops banning the sale of U.S.-made products there, sources said.
The worst hit is Coca Cola, which has in the past, also been the center of several controversies in Muslim countries worldwide.
Raya-e Satjapisut, a soft drinks agent, announced he was stopping sales of all soft drinks manufactured by U.S. firms on Wednesday.
There were no indications that consumers would follow his ban on the sale of Coke and other soft drinks from the U.S.
A Thai company locally manufactures Coke under license. It is one of its best-selling products, after Pepsi, sources said.
Leaflets have been circulated in southern Thailand urging Muslims to boycott U.S. products in support of Afghanistan, and in protest against a possible U.S. attack on the country controlled by the Taliban.
Other leaflets distributed in Patani call for Thai Muslims to join in a struggle against the U.S. Members of a local Islamic committee denied being behind the distribution of the leaflets.
In Yala, the Muslim Youths Association of Thailand yesterday held a press conference to deny the Association was moving to help any terrorists.
Roseedee Lert-arapongkul, association chairman, said southern Muslim youths had launched a public donations campaign to aid Muslim civilians in Afghanistan who were facing starvation.
"The U.S. has many enemies. After the attacks on its [the U.S.'s] soil, Muslim people have been made scapegoats," he said, and called on the media not to present one-sided stories concerning the attack.
A source said the Special Branch Bureau had dispatched police to the south to gather information about any terrorist movements.
Meanwhile, the Democrat Party has warned the government to exercise caution in dealing with Muslim movements in the country.
Democrat spokesman Sathit Wongnongtoey said the government should be more open-minded and hear views from all sides.
He said the Democrat party supported the Chula Ratchamontri, the spiritual leader of Thai Muslims, who called for Thailand to remain neutral in the current furor generated by the September 11 attacks in the U.S.
The Central Islamic Committee of Thailand has urged the government to refrain from committing military bases for any U.S.-launched reprisal attacks on Afghanistan.
The committee on Tuesday called a meeting to discuss the terrorist attacks on the U.S. and Thailand's stand on the issue.
Pakorn Preeyakorn, adviser to the committee, said Muslims across the country disagreed with the terrorist attacks as it was against Islamic principles which prohibit any harmful action against innocent people, women, children, the elderly, the sick and priests of other religions.
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