Politics Only Part Of The Problem In The Deep South; Thai Opinion

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Politics only part of the problem in the deep South

By The Nation

No single party can dominate in the strife-torn region that distrusts the parliamentary system and the state

If Thailand's modern political history proves anything, it is that no one party has ever single-handedly captured the hearts and souls of the Malay Muslims in the three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

True, the upper South was a Democrat stronghold, and for a while a sizeable portion of parliamentary seats in the deep South were in the hands of the Wadah faction during the heyday of Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who later pawned his party, along with the faction, to Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai Party.

In the decade leading up to Thaksin's premiership, a new generation of Malay Muslim separatists were being groomed to take over the fight for autonomy where the previous generation had left off.

Within a few years after Thaksin's taking over of the premiership, the rank-and-file of the new generation of militants had fully emerged on the scene and jolted the entire nation when they raided an Army battalion on January 4, 2004 and made off with more than 350 military weapons.

Thaksin recently admitted that mistakes may have been made in the South. But that's a bit of an understatement considering the fact that he created the culture of impunity that has permitted the security forces to get away with the Kru Se Mosque standoff and the Tak Bai massacre, the use of death squads, abduction and other questionable tactics.

All these activities have not only driven a bigger wedge between the Malays of the region and the Thai state, they have also made it harder for future politicians - like Thaksin's sister, Yingluck - to convince the Muslims in the deep South to give parliamentary politics a chance to solve their problems.

No one who closely follows the conflict in the deep South thinks that Thailand's political system can resolve the conflict by itself. It can help, but the recent past has shown that no one, not even the Wadah, who are ethnically Malay, has had the courage to push the envelope. Perhaps if they had, the country wouldn't be in this predicament.

The problems in the Malay-speaking South are about much more than politics. The main issue is about the fundamental nature of Thailand's nation-state construct, which overlooks the very fact that the ethnic Malays of the three southernmost provinces do not embrace Thailand's statehood. They have their own historical and cultural narrative - in this case, centuries of Siamese domination and colonisation. The way they see it, Thailand took their land. But Thailand can never capture the Malays' soul.

As for Thailand's parliamentary politics, the Tak Bai massacre was a turning point. It was the end for the Wadah MPs, who stood by helplessly as Thaksin shrugged his shoulders over the deaths of 78 unarmed Malay Muslim men who suffocated to death in the back of military trucks, and another half dozen more who were gunned down at the demonstration site.

In the following general election, all the Wadah MPs were voted out. Today, some remain within the pro-Thaksin camp, the Pheu Thai Party, while others have gone over to the Matubhum Party of Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the former Army chief who ousted Thaksin. Locals see these moves as acts of desperation rather then redemption. After all, Sonthi's troop surge did more in terms of creating mistrust between the Muslims and the state than the stated aim of tracking down insurgents.

Recently, Yingluck Shinawatra dismissed suggestions that some of her Pheu Thai candidates were cooperating with the insurgents. Incidentally, it was under her brother's watch that the top three Wadah people - Den Toemeena, Areephen Utrarasin and Najmudine Umar - were fingered as the masterminds behind the ongoing wave of insurgent violence in the region.

Today, she is talking about autonomy, or the creation of a "special region", for the deep South if Pheu Thai is able to form the next government. This will probably benefit the local elites more than the ordinary villagers. Sadly, no one is talking about equality and justice. Choosing new "leaders" is easier, apparently, than addressing the long-standing grievances.

-- The Nation 2011-06-21

[hellodolly]

Balderdash.

The problem is Islam.

They do nothing to help there fellow man in any country they have a population in. They try to take over the governments and turn them into a religious thing They have no consideration for there fellow man or for that matter there women either.

Christianity grew out of this mind set hundreds of years ago Islam still maintains war is a OK way to spread there message .

Trust me these killers are not Thaksin's hired gunmen. They are Muslims fighting to rule every one they can with there religion.

[bf2002]

yee hah!

finally someone who gets it. it is siam's version of little iraq.

and it isn't the way it must be.....look at Indonesia. if only there was a place to ship them to iraq where they would be "happier" 55555.....these people never stop griping (the fanatic islamists), so that was just a joke.....shipping them off would just make the thais happier.

Balderdash.

The problem is Islam.

They do nothing to help there fellow man in any country they have a population in. They try to take over the governments and turn them into a religious thing They have no consideration for there fellow man or for that matter there women either.

Christianity grew out of this mind set hundreds of years ago Islam still maintains war is a OK way to spread there message .

Trust me these killers are not Thaksin's hired gunmen. They are Muslims fighting to rule every one they can with there religion.

[Steely Dan]

Balderdash.

The problem is Islam.

They do nothing to help there fellow man in any country they have a population in. They try to take over the governments and turn them into a religious thing They have no consideration for there fellow man or for that matter there women either.

Christianity grew out of this mind set hundreds of years ago Islam still maintains war is a OK way to spread there message .

Trust me these killers are not Thaksin's hired gunmen. They are Muslims fighting to rule every one they can with there religion.

Got it in one. Thai policy provides the pretext for jihadi violence, but as policy changes so will the pretext and the violence continues.