Aceh Process May Work In Thai South: Prawit

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TURMOIL-HIT REGION

Aceh process may work in South: Prawit

By The Nation

Security boosted in 3 provinces as politicians start campaigning for votes

The process that proved successful in ending the decades-long armed conflict between Aceh and Indonesian authorities could possibly be used in the South, which is suffering a new wave of insurgency, an Asean meeting of defence ministers was told yesterday.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and his Indonesian counterpart Purnomo Yusgiantoro put the issue of insurgent attacks in the South on the agenda at the summit yesterday. Later, Yusgiantoro told the media that Indonesia would help Thailand deal with the Muslim insurgency.

During the meeting, Prawit reportedly explained Thailand's own solutions, which focus on three principles under the guidance of His Majesty. The principles - understanding, accessing, and developing - are aimed at winning over the Muslim population in the three southernmost provinces.

Meanwhile, security has been boosted in the three provinces to guard against possible attacks as politicians go campaigning for votes ahead of the July 3 general election. Yala police were the first to boost their security operations in the districts of Bannang Sata, Raman and Muang districts where candidates have already started campaigning.

Apart from insurgents, police are also monitoring activities and the movement of career gunmen to minimise political killings among rival parties, or post-election revenge killings of canvassers.

In related news, Yala police are on the hunt for two men who lobbed a grenade on Wednesday morning wounding eight people, including two young students. So far, six of the victims have been discharged from hospital, while two remain in critical condition, especially a 15-year-old boy, whose trachea was severed by shrapnel from the grenade. The two men on a motorcycle were aiming to hit a military truck, but the bomb bounced off and exploded near a crowded bus stop.

The authorities have provided cash compensation to the families of the victims.

Meanwhile, civilian authorities and defence volunteers are being mobilised to provide extra security in areas at risk in Yala to guard against more violence after the grenade attack, which is reportedly demoralising the local population because it was carried out on the day schools reopened for a new semester.

The provincial authorities are also calling on the population to be more cooperative by providing details about insurgents who might be embedded in their communities or hiding in the homes of sympathisers. The locals are also being encouraged to exercise tolerance and restraint to reduce violence among Buddhist and Muslim residents.

In Narathiwat, gold-shop owners are being encouraged to upgrade their security measures to guard against possible robberies or insurgent attacks in the wake of an assault in March, which left three people dead. Authorities are preparing for more insurgent attacks in the run-up to the election.

-- The Nation 2011-05-20

[tigermonkey]

I fail to see many similarities between the Aceh - Indonesia conflict and the current situation in southern Thailand. While it is true that the unrest in both areas has a base in the Muslim population of the regions, the similarities end there. Aceh had a history of being a separate nation and many regions of Sharia law. It is generally regarded to be the seat of Muslim faith in southeast Asis.

I do not understand how the Indonesian 'process' would apply in southern Thailand. There had been decades of armed conflict in Aceh, The insurgence was visible, with visible leaders and proclaimed objectives. The peace accord between Aceh and Indonesia was in part motivated by the massive devastation of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which utterly devastated Aceh, killing hundreds of thousands. The peace talks and subsequent signed peace accord were brokered by the European Union, led I believe by the Finns.

In the Thai south we have no visible leaders to negotiate with, no historic basis for insurgency, no stated objectives of the insurgents and no insurgent organization to deal with. I have no idea why Indonesia sees the situations as simiiar -- but we can wait for the earthquake to start the 'process', I suppose.

Edited May 20, 2011 by tigermonkey

[RickBradford]

Only the 2004 tsunami created the Aceh peace process -- the devastation of the entire region was such that differences were set aside in the name of humanity , so kudos to both sides.

Floods don't do it.