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July 1, 2006

Thailand: More Problems In Muslim South

On Jan 4, 2004 in southern Thailand an insurgency began, which seeks to have Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani provinces secede from Thailand, and has now claimed 1, 300 lives. The insurgents believe in the re-establishment of the former sultanate of Pattani, which used to be independent, and comprised the territory of the three provinces, as well as two districts of adjacent Songhkla district. Following an invasion, the sultanate of Pattani was officially annexed into Thailand a century ago.

According to researcher Kritaya Archavanitkul, who has completed a study entitled Violence and Death Caused by State Policies: a Case Study of the Three Southernmost Provinces, and reported in The Nation, the violence in the south may have been avoided. The reason for the disaffection of those in the south, who are ethnic Malays, who mostly speak Yari, a Malay dialect, has been a century of neglect and pro-Thai bias on the part of Thailand's authorities.

Kritaya states: "The Thai state has never trusted Muslim-Malays in the deep South and has considered them outsiders. Injustice, discrimination and rights violations, notably of the right to one's religion, are common in the region and have caused violence."

She says the problems have stemmed back for a century, since the rule of King Rama V or "Rama the Great" who ruled from 1868 to 1910. (Trivia point - Rama V was the son of Rama IV or King Mongkut, famous as the king in "The King and I" etcetera, etcetera). Ms Archavanitkul states that the treatment of Muslims in the south has led to the current violence.

Her research, revealed at a seminar at Mahidol University, had found that in the past two years incidents of violence had jumped dramatically. In 2004 there were 952 cases, and 2,078 in 2005. This year, there have been 878 violent incidents in the south.

Civilians, often Muslims themselves, were those most frequently targeted. 808 civilians were killed in 2004 and 2005, compared to 101 police and 44 military personnel. The most common forms of killing is shooting, followed by arson and explosions. Kritiya said that poor administration in 2002 by the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre and the hardline policies of former Prime Minister (now acting caretaker until elections are held again)Thaksin Shinawatra had exacerbated the violence.

While her figures may be sound, her reasoning for the violent insurgency fails to include studies of pan-Islamist groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah and Darul Islam, which wish to turn areas of Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia into a southeast Asian Islamic superstate.

On June 19 we wrote that Thakson Shinawatra had decided to empower army chief Sonthi Boonyarataglin to quell the current unrest in the south. As reported by the Nation and Etna.MCOT, Thaksin has renewed his chat-show on the radio, which he had not attended to for four months. On this show, he praised General Sonthi as the right man for the job, as he was a Muslim, and able to understand the needs of the native population.

But the violence continues. The Nation and the Bangkok Post report that earlier today, a suspected police informer was shot dead in Waeng district, Narathiwat province.

22 year old Saogree Ansoh was helping his mother to unload fruit and vegetables at the morning market in Genting village, when gunmen opened fire on him, hitting him twice in the chest. Saogree had formerly been a supporter of one of the numerous separatist insurgent groups, but had subsequently changed sides, and had acted as an informer for the Thai authorities.

In Rangae district, Narathiwat province, 200 security personnel conducted 14 pre-dawn raids in two villages. They arrested a 40 year old man, Ahamud Parsi Gaseng in the swoop. This man is thought to be a deputy under Masae Useng, a major figure in the insurgent group Barisan Revolusi Nasional.

In the same province on Friday night (June 30), a 22 year old man was shot and critically injured by gunfire outside a tea shop. Suchira Giya, who is a retailer of agricultural produce, was about to return home from work when a pick-up truck, bearing four gunmen, appeared.

In Yala province, in Raman district, a 15 kilogram bomb was discovered, placed beside an electricity pylon beside a road. The bomb was defused. This bomb was said to have been the handiwork of a group calling itself Runda Kumpulan Kecil. Its commander is Rorhing Ahsong, also called Ustaz Rorhing. The Runda Kumpulan Kecil is thought to have been behind the bomb and gun ambush which took place in the same district on June 27. In this incident, one soldier and four security personnel were killed.

In Pattani, 500 Buddhist and Muslim civilians met today to vow to conduct good deeds during the two upcoming religious festivals - Buddhist Lent, and Ramadan, which will take place from July to September. Leading Muslim and Buddhist figures, and Pattani's governor also attended the meeting.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 1, 2006 7:46 PM

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