While international media report that the security forces of President Basher Al Assad have, since Sunday, escalated their attacks against pro-democracy civilians, resulting in some 200 deaths, Syria’s ambassador to Thailand prefers Syrian state-owned reportage: claiming international reports are simply “not true.”

A host of international news agencies, Al-Jazeera, BBC, The Guardian, and Al-Arabiya among them, each continue to provide ongoing and in-depth coverage on the escalating conflict, as reports of a rising number of civilian casualties and chaos continue to emerge.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government-owned SANA outlet continues to issue reports on what it calls “the spreading (of) false rumours with the aim of distorting the image of the Syrian Arab Army and soiling its reputation to sow sedition among the Army and its citizens.”

In their most recent release, Amnesty International (AI) has received the names of more than 1,500 people believed to have been killed since pro-reform protests began in mid-March. “Many of them are reported to be protesters and local residents shot by live ammunition from the security forces and the army,” say AI officials. “Thousands of others have been arrested in the wake of protests, with many being held incommunicado and many reported to have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated in custody, in some cases resulting in death. Based on its research, Amnesty International has concluded that crimes committed amount to crimes against humanity as they appear to be part of a widespread, as well as systematic, attack against the civilian population.”

Prachatai conducted this brief interview with the Syrian Consul General to Thailand, earlier this afternoon.

Q: “Ambassador, do you wish to comment on the recent events in Hama, Syria?”

A: “There is a problem in my country.”

 
Q: “Do you wish to comment on these events, in any greater detail?”

A: “No. We have to wait and see, okay?”

 
Q: “Are you following these events?”

 A: “Yes, I am following them all the time. But I do not watch international news: like Al-Jazeera or Al-Arabiya. What they say about Syria is not true.”

 
Q: “What exactly about these reports, do you feel is not being reported accurately?”

 A: “We have to wait and see.”

 
Q: “Do you feel these events mark a crisis, if not the end, of the Al-Assad regime?”

 A: “We have to wait and see. Thank you.” *end call*

 
Earlier today, United States Secretary of State Hilary Clinton met with U.S.-based Syrian activists, noting that “our view remains that strong action by the Security Council on the targeting of innocent civilians in Syria is long overdue.”

The Security Council will meet later this afternoon (Bangkok time) to further discuss possible sanctions against the Al-Assad regime in light of the recent attacks.