Crisis in Thailand’s deep south – mutual trust and dialogue needed

[snoop1130]

In this photo taken on October 24, 2019, a Royal Thai Army soldier patrols the Tak Bai riverside market in Thailand’s restive southern province of Narathiwat across the Malaysian border.(Photo by Madaree TOHLALA / AFP)

 

Thailand and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the well-known Malay Muslim separatist group, will begin their long-awaited third round of peace talks on January 11th in Kuala Lumpur. This time it is hoped that there will be sufficient mutual trust to move beyond the confidence-building stage, towards some concrete action plans.

 

To stop the ongoing violence and abuse, both sides need to put forward plans on which they can agree. Judging from the situation on the ground, the dialogue process, even though it has been sluggish, has already saved hundreds of lives and prevented many more casualties.

 

For the past two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dialogue among key players, in particular the Thai team and the BRN Malay-Muslim insurgents, has stalled. Without direct communication, as before, violence has become an alternative means to send indirect messages to opposing parties. If this trend continues, the prospect for a durable peace will again become elusive.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/crisis-in-thailands-deep-south-mutual-trust-and-dialogue-needed/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-01-10

 

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[KhunLA]

Been saying the same thing the whole 20+ yrs I've been here.

 

Nothing will change until the trouble makers stop killing anyone they please; Buddhist, Muslims, citizens, police & military.   And why should it.  

Edited January 10, 2022 by KhunLA

[MarcelV]

41 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Been saying the same thing the whole 20+ yrs I've been here.

 

Nothing will change until the trouble makers stop killing anyone they please; Buddhist, Muslims, citizens, police & military.   And why should it.  

The "trouble makers" must have a good reason to stop killing. If the Thai govt doesn't know how to make any compromise and serious talks, the situation will never end.

[KhunLA]

4 minutes ago, MarcelV said:

The "trouble makers" must have a good reason to stop killing. If the Thai govt doesn't know how to make any compromise and serious talks, the situation will never end.

The trouble makers want 1 thing, the provinces back in their control, and not be part of Thailand.   Only problem with that, the residents want to be part of Thailand.

[MarcelV]

Just now, KhunLA said:

The trouble makers want 1 thing, the provinces back in their control, and not be part of Thailand.   Only problem with that, the residents want to be part of Thailand.

Did you ask them yourself?

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Been saying the same thing the whole 20+ yrs I've been here.

 

Nothing will change until the trouble makers stop killing anyone they please; Buddhist, Muslims, citizens, police & military.   And why should it.  

Should've been enacted and revised under King Chulalongkorn during the Anglo-Siamese agreements. 

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

This time it is hoped that there will be sufficient mutual trust to move beyond the confidence-building stage, towards some concrete action plans.

[rwill]

Give them the southern provinces they are fighting in now and then they will just move up to the next few provinces and start the whole thing over again.

[MarcelV]

31 minutes ago, rwill said:

Give them the southern provinces they are fighting in now and then they will just move up to the next few provinces and start the whole thing over again.

You ain't got no clue about the conflict, man.

[thaibook]

1 hour ago, MarcelV said:

You ain't got no clue about the conflict, man.

Giving in to ideological fanatics only strengthens their ability to terrorise the population and spread their geographical reach. 

 

As always with terrorists they target the religious and the teachers and try to prevent children, especially girls, going to school.  All schools have military guards outside.  Spent a week, before Covid, driving around the south.  Talked to a number of soldiers in their makeshift camps in temples etc including a Border Police colonel who was retiring having spent his whole career fighting the insurgents.  The grunts are all volunteers, seem to be well trained, polite and friendly.   

[zzaa09]

4 hours ago, MarcelV said:

You ain't got no clue about the conflict, man.

Kinda reflective of most everything here, and subject matters thereof. 

[Rimmer]

An inflammatory post has been removed

[sharksy]

Its mostly about Oil now.  Loads of oil and gas off the coast.  Of course Thailand won't give that up.

 

The province used to be part of Malaysia, but was handed to Thailand after the 2nd World war.

[sungod]

On 1/11/2022 at 10:01 AM, thaibook said:

Giving in to ideological fanatics only strengthens their ability to terrorise the population and spread their geographical reach. 

 

As always with terrorists they target the religious and the teachers and try to prevent children, especially girls, going to school.  All schools have military guards outside.  Spent a week, before Covid, driving around the south.  Talked to a number of soldiers in their makeshift camps in temples etc including a Border Police colonel who was retiring having spent his whole career fighting the insurgents.  The grunts are all volunteers, seem to be well trained, polite and friendly.   

Nobody is stopped from going to school.

[sungod]

On 1/11/2022 at 8:14 AM, rwill said:

Give them the southern provinces they are fighting in now and then they will just move up to the next few provinces and start the whole thing over again.

You really have no idea what you are talking about, one of the most ill informed comments I have ever read on this forum.

[Andycoops]

Give the extremists an inch and they will want a mile, as the saying goes.

Thailand has paid lip service to the whole insurgency for decades as have the Malaysians.

Both countries governments have alot to answer for.

Sadly of course it's the ordinary citizens who pay the price.

I guarantee you, if it was going on in Bangkok it would have been sorted by now.

[MarcelV]

1 hour ago, Andycoops said:

Give the extremists an inch and they will want a mile, as the saying goes.

Thailand has paid lip service to the whole insurgency for decades as have the Malaysians.

Both countries governments have alot to answer for.

Sadly of course it's the ordinary citizens who pay the price.

I guarantee you, if it was going on in Bangkok it would have been sorted by now.

Don't give them anything and the insurgency will continue indefinitely.

[thaibook]

On 1/16/2022 at 6:09 AM, sharksy said:

Its mostly about Oil now.  Loads of oil and gas off the coast.  Of course Thailand won't give that up.

 

The province used to be part of Malaysia, but was handed to Thailand after the 2nd World war.

Malaysia only came into existence in 1957.  The Federation of Malaya was formed in 1948 bringing together in a federation all the Malay KIngdoms on the peninsula.   Pattani has been part of Thailand since the 18th century.

 

The former Sultanate of Pattani, which included the southern Thai provinces of Pattani (Patani), Yala (Jala), Narathiwat (Menara)—also known as the three Southern Border Provinces (SBP)^[61]—as well as neighbouring parts of Songkhla Province (Singgora), and the northeastern part of Malaysia (Kelantan), was conquered by the Kingdom of Siam in 1785 and, except for Kelantan, has been governed by Thailand ever since. 

[thaibook]

17 hours ago, MarcelV said:

Don't give them anything and the insurgency will continue indefinitely.

That's right, always give in to bullies.

[MarcelV]

56 minutes ago, thaibook said:

That's right, always give in to bullies.

Who are the bullies?

Personally, I totally support the insurgency and the Malay people's struggle for more self-determination.

[thaibook]

9 hours ago, MarcelV said:

Who are the bullies?

Personally, I totally support the insurgency and the Malay people's struggle for more self-determination.

Many have aims but few use violence to seek to impose them.  Presumably it is because of your views and the means you support using that you are employed by Fatoni.

[TropicalGuy]

On 1/11/2022 at 8:14 AM, rwill said:

Give them the southern provinces they are fighting in now and then they will just move up to the next few provinces and start the whole thing over again.

No. Fighting is in ancestral Malay Kingdom of Pattani handed to Thailand by UK 120 years ago after Thai invasions started there 70 years before that ……which controlling British did not crush.

[MarcelV]

12 hours ago, thaibook said:

Many have aims but few use violence to seek to impose them.  Presumably it is because of your views and the means you support using that you are employed by Fatoni.

I'm not employed by Fatoni, but living in the region I see the daily struggle of the people. Not saying that independence is the solution, but some form of autonomy within the kingdom seems to be a step in the right direction towards peace.

The insurgents are not interested in conquering the rest of Thailand, but only aim for the three southern border provinces, plus the four easternmost districts of Songkhla.