Over 1,000 Muslim Woman Abandoned, Separate From Soldiers Sent To South: Thailand

[webfact]

Muslim women split with troops

The Nation

1,000 abandoned, separate from soldiers sent to South

YALA: -- More than 1,000 Muslim women in the southern border provinces have been abandoned following affairs or marriage with Buddhist troops deployed to maintain security in the region, a senior official said yesterday.

Violence continued in the region yesterday, with a bomb attack at a market in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district killing one person and injuring seven others. And a Yala-based private, apparently under the influence of drugs, fired an M16 rifle at fellow soldiers, killing a sergeant and injuring three others.

Chaiyong Maneerungsakul, the chairman of a committee on justice and human rights related to border problems in the far South, said the southern violence was causing social problems for local Muslim women. He said when Buddhist troops were sent to keep security in the area, some had affairs with Muslim women and later abandoned them.

Some of the troops fell in love with the women and married them but when they returned home to other regions, their Muslim wives could not cope with the culture shock and had to return home to the southern border provinces.

As a result, troops deployed to the Deep South had caused a lot of social problems in the region, Chaiyong said. Over 1,000 Muslim women had been abandoned by troops or other officials, he said.

The southern violence continued yesterday in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district with a bomb attack in the market at Ban Taba Moo 1 in Tambon Jeh He, near the Thai-Malaysian ferry pier. It killed one person and injured seven others.

The 5kg home-made bomb, triggered by a communication radio, went off at a roadside pavilion opposite Tak Bai Marine Police Station. The injured, who mostly suffered shrapnel to body and limps, were; Sergeant-Major Thammakorn Chaemram, Privates Likhit Thanomsombat Chakkapong Thepsena, Phusit Basri, Sanadi Doloh, Malaysian man Paosi Awae, Meenoh Boonchan, and Nida Daraman. One civilian later died from injuries while three soldiers were in a critical condition.

Police investigators found that the Army team led by Thammakorn finished patrolling the market and was resting at the pavilion when the bomb - hidden in the ceiling - went off, injuring the troops and passers-by. Narathiwat Governor Apinan Suathanuwong said the bomb was aimed at the soldiers.

In Yala's Kabang district, police arrested Pvt Bancha Raklaemkae, 22, after an early morning shooting at an outpost of Yala Taskforce 14 in Ban La Tor, Tambon Kabang. Bancha appeared to be paranoid and under the influence of methamphetamine ('ya ba').

They said he shot dead Sgt Wichien Priksri and injured three others with his M16 assault rifle.

Sgt Wachira Boonlam, Sgt Sanon Muadthip and Sgt Wikorn Chumchrt were taken to Yala Hospital.

Police said Bancha, who had to be detained and calmed down before talking to interrogators, admitted he was addicted to methamphetamine before he was conscripted and continued to secretly use the drug.

Meanwhile, the Southern Border Provinces' Public Council president Prasit Meksuwan said that, starting this year, the 1,000-member council would host 220 discussions to try to come up with solutions to end the eight-year-old insurgency.

They would invite people with experience in the region, such as the former Army Region 4 chief, former Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) chief, and former provincial governors to join the talks, he said.

Justice Minister Pracha Phromnok revealed yesterday that officials were checking the number of victims of violence in the far South entitled to compensation, using the same criteria as the Independent Commission for Truth and Reconciliation for those affected by political protest.

Names of the families or relatives entitled to get money would be |submitted to Cabinet, which was expected to have a Bt2-billion budget, he said.

-- The Nation 2012-03-06

[IsaanUSA]

Very interesting. I've never been to the deep south, but I find it difficult to understand that the women could not cope with living in other parts of Thailand.

[OzMick]

Southern Thai is quite different to Northern/Isaan. No friends, different food, music, religion, and customs, displacement from family (more than just distance!) and the savage nature of village gossip.

OTOH that so many are willing to give it a go is telling about their attitude to muslim society.

[Om85]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

[DoctorG]

There are too many stories intermingled within this one article. Is it about the WAGS left behind, the doped-up soldier, the ambush bombing, or just another day in the South?

[OzMick]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

[noitom]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

Exactly! Like most, if not all, The Nation articles and editorials, it rambles and bumbles around incoherently and rarely if ever makes a clear point with any sort of rational case. Looks like the press has stumbled on a problem in the social system down there, that of Thai Buddhist soldiers either abandoning muslim women that they allegedly marry or take them back home and they leave "in shock." They could be in "shock" for any number of reasons not made clear. The women must be voicing discontent and the paper is starting the process of "covering" for the Thai army.

[bushwacker]

Interesting logic ....

Muslim woman marries a Buddiest Thai and then moves to the NE. + She not likes the NE so she leaves him and moves back south = ABANDONED MUSLIM WOMAN

[OzMick]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

Exactly! Like most, if not all, The Nation articles and editorials, it rambles and bumbles around incoherently and rarely if ever makes a clear point with any sort of rational case. Looks like the press has stumbled on a problem in the social system down there, that of Thai Buddhist soldiers either abandoning muslim women that they allegedly marry or take them back home and they leave "in shock." They could be in "shock" for any number of reasons not made clear. The women must be voicing discontent and the paper is starting the process of "covering" for the Thai army.

The discontent the women are expressing is with their life in the south, to the extent that they are willing to take a punt on life in a relatively unknown area. The grass only looks greener from a distance.

As for covering for the army, I don't see that they bear any responsibility other than providing proximity. Soldiers are not monks, and to expect them not to seek the company of willing young ladies is unrealistic. That the families of the young ladies do not appreciate fraternisation is nothing new and has been around since the Romans, at least. That their religion treats women like chattels only exacerbates the sentiment.

[Om85]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

I don't know how much knowledge you have about Islam, but i can tell you, you are not a Muslim cuz of the religion of your fathers, you are a Muslim cuz you accepted it, no one can force you.

[Tanaka]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

I don't know how much knowledge you have about Islam, but i can tell you, you are not a Muslim cuz of the religion of your fathers, you are a Muslim cuz you accepted it, no one can force you.

Cannot force you? Tell that to all the young people who are kept down by their muslim fathers claiming his right to decide what they shall believe. You sir, are talking <deleted>, you have absolutely no idea about the ongoing surpression in muslim families.

[Thai at Heart]

The women returned because they couldn't handle living outside their home locality.

Who exactly deserted whom?

[philw]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

I don't know how much knowledge you have about Islam, but i can tell you, you are not a Muslim cuz of the religion of your fathers, you are a Muslim cuz you accepted it, no one can force you.

Cannot force you? Tell that to all the young people who are kept down by their muslim fathers claiming his right to decide what they shall believe. You sir, are talking <deleted>, you have absolutely no idea about the ongoing surpression in muslim families.

Or Christian ones for that matter.

[OzMick]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

I don't know how much knowledge you have about Islam, but i can tell you, you are not a Muslim cuz of the religion of your fathers, you are a Muslim cuz you accepted it, no one can force you.

Crap - google and find the problems malaysians have marrying outside their religion, or changing it.

[daninthai]

The women returned because they couldn't handle living outside their home locality.

Who exactly deserted whom?

My thoughts exactly.

[rgs2001uk]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

Please inform us from where you picked up this little gem.

It is my understanding, a muslim can only marry "People Of The Book", nowhere does it say they can only marry people of their faith.

In practice its a whole different ball game, in The Land of The Prophet, a Saudi man is free to marry a woman of any nationality or religion, a Saudi woman is not afforded the same rights, and is only allowed to marry Saudi men.

[rgs2001uk]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

I don't know how much knowledge you have about Islam, but i can tell you, you are not a Muslim cuz of the religion of your fathers, you are a Muslim cuz you accepted it, no one can force you.

I worked with a Saudi man who told me about his brother.

The brother was locked up in a Saudi "loony bin', the logic is, any man who refuses to subject themselves to the rule of Islam must be insane.

[TheGhostWithin]

This article appears to summarise all concerns by the publisher with regards to the south in a single article, creating a confusing "dogs breakfast" which fails to clearly define the problem points. Potentially could have been released in several articles titled "problems of the south:issue title" or something similar.

Perhaps the publisher does not feel the south worthy of multiple articles - believe it or not, the south only matters to most Bangkokians because their people are being killed there.

The Buddhists I know from the south are mostly from Yala, and are the most conservative of the Thais that I know. Muslims there speak Yawi, which is virtually the same as Bahasa, the languuage of Malaysia and Indonesia, with slight dialectal differences. I speak Bahasa, and try my best with Thai, though I am far from perfect. The Muslims tend to often speak Thai, though the Buddhists do not understand Yawi, for the most part. Villages and shopping areas are segregated by religion: areas for buddhists, areas for muslims, and the military often acts as a buffer between "trouble spots" or areas where Muslims and Buddhists live close together.

If Muslim women decide to desert the faith they have been raised upon, and try their luck with a soldier of foreign lands (muslims do not see themselves as living in Thailand, and driving through Yala or Pattani you would understand what I mean), it really does say how much of a determination they have to uphold their teachings. Unfortunately, they are probably not well educated in Thai soldier 101 - several of my friends have been screwed around by the same soldiers, who have girlfriends back in the north or north east, and simply use these girls for sex. If they get them pregnant, they are yesterdays news, simply forgotten. Though, Thai culture places a high prestige on posts of risk and responsibility, so Buddhist, and I would assume Muslim women, will continue to "try" their luck. And Buddhist soldiers the kingdom over, will continue to "have" their luck, served to them on a plate.

With regards to the drugs, it is my understanding that some of these privates would actually have the capacity to operate on both sides of the fence, guarding movements of ya ba (the funding tool of the insurgency, and cause of a lot of the violence) in exchange for ya ba to either sell, or consume. Nobody argues with a soldier in the south.

[anterian]

Soldiers and women, the same the world over, the uniform, foreignness and physical fitness of the men, attracts the girls. The men react to the biological imperative to procreate when facing possible death.

[takatukaland]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

I don't know how much knowledge you have about Islam, but i can tell you, you are not a Muslim cuz of the religion of your fathers, you are a Muslim cuz you accepted it, no one can force you.

absolute nonsense,your family is muslim,then you are muslim,you don't want to be muslim,they make you want,or you die or run far away.I come from berlin[germany]we have about 200000 muslims there,from egypt,libya,libanon,moroco,tunesia,etc,i grew up with them,nobody of them had a choice

[Om85]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

I don't know how much knowledge you have about Islam, but i can tell you, you are not a Muslim cuz of the religion of your fathers, you are a Muslim cuz you accepted it, no one can force you.

Cannot force you? Tell that to all the young people who are kept down by their muslim fathers claiming his right to decide what they shall believe. You sir, are talking <deleted>, you have absolutely no idea about the ongoing surpression in muslim families.

If their familly force them to believe they only need to wait until they are 21 years old and go to another place, I'm not Muslin myself, I am jewish but i have live among Muslin many years.

[Om85]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

What is a REAL muslim? if you are born into a muslim family, your religion is decided at birth; you have no choice in the matter.

Should you decide you wish to marry a non-muslim, the penalty id death.

should you wish to renounce your religion, the penalty is death, though there is a case in Malaysia where a muslim-born girl raised by buddhists was allowed to renounce the muslim faith two years after she died..

I don't know how much knowledge you have about Islam, but i can tell you, you are not a Muslim cuz of the religion of your fathers, you are a Muslim cuz you accepted it, no one can force you.

Crap - google and find the problems malaysians have marrying outside their religion, or changing it.

That's an ethnic problem, not a religious one, I really wonder how many of the people posting here have ever read the Koran?In Islam they can't kill you because you have change religion neither, in Israel we have plenty of convert into Christians or Jews that originally came from muslim families Edited March 6, 2012 by Scott
formatting

[takatukaland]

I know at least 3 muslim woman,who got killed or deported back to muslim land,because they did not want to listen to father or mother,or they dishonored the family,you are 15 or 18 or 25 or 35 does not matter at all,but what i see here in asia is,southeas asian muslim are not as hardline muslims as their middle east brothers and sisters

[Om85]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

Please inform us from where you picked up this little gem.

It is my understanding, a muslim can only marry "People Of The Book", nowhere does it say they can only marry people of their faith.

In practice its a whole different ball game, in The Land of The Prophet, a Saudi man is free to marry a woman of any nationality or religion, a Saudi woman is not afforded the same rights, and is only allowed to marry Saudi men.

Those problems are man-made nothing to do with religion , a Muslim can't marry a Jew or a christian a Muslim only can marry another Muslim, just pick the Koran a read it. Edited March 6, 2012 by Om85

[planemad]

Firstly, I am not a Muslim, but I do work in an Islamic country. The view that Muslims cannot marry outside their religion is incorrect, please see this line, easily Googled http://islamqa.info/en/ref/21380 This "ruling" will almost certainly be seen differently in different countries, but here in Oman Muslim men have and do marry Christian women.

[takatukaland]

Firstly, I am not a Muslim, but I do work in an Islamic country. The view that Muslims cannot marry outside their religion is incorrect, please see this line, easily Googled http://islamqa.info/en/ref/21380 This "ruling" will almost certainly be seen differently in different countries, but here in Oman Muslim men have and do marry Christian women.

how about Oman woman marry a non muslim?

[dave_boo]

This Muslim women are real Muslim? because they should know that in Islam is forbidden to a Muslim getting marry with a non-Muslim.

Please inform us from where you picked up this little gem.

It is my understanding, a muslim can only marry "People Of The Book", nowhere does it say they can only marry people of their faith.

In practice its a whole different ball game, in The Land of The Prophet, a Saudi man is free to marry a woman of any nationality or religion, a Saudi woman is not afforded the same rights, and is only allowed to marry Saudi men.

Those problems are man-made nothing to do with religion , a Muslim can't marry a Jew or a christian a Muslim only can marry another Muslim, just pick the Koran a read it.

Wow.

Leaving aside that religion is a man made construct, let's actually look at the Quran to see what it says.

5:5 says that they can marry monotheists (Christians and Jews) (

And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you)

2:221 states that a Muslim can not marry a Polytheist until they are believers. (

And do not marry polytheistic women until they believe. And a believing slave woman is better than a polytheist, even though she might please you. And do not marry polytheistic men [to your women] until they believe.)

60:10 specifically says that Muslim ladies can not marry non Muslims (

And if you know them to be believers, then do not return them to the disbelievers; they are not lawful [wives] for them, nor are they lawful [husbands] for them)

I am not going to speculate on your religion, and projected knowledge of another, but there are gaping holes in your assertions that are easily pointed out by a summary googling of exactly what you wanted us to. It is very clear there is a separation between the non-believers of Jewish/Christian faith and the polytheists. Perhaps you can provide a different set of verses to back up your thoughts?

[Scott]

Inflammatory, off-topic and troll posts have been removed.

[dave_boo]

That's an ethnic problem, nro a religious one, I really wonder how many of the people posting here have ever read the Koran?In Islam they can't kill you because you have change religion neither, in Israel we have plenty of convert into Christians or Jews that originally came from muslim families

This is Persian: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cts=1331035409600&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2F2012%2F02%2F23%2Fyoucef-nadarkhani-iranian-pastor-death-execution_n_1297262.html&ei=BP1VT53wLcSKsQLbrvDQCQ&usg=AFQjCNH2n2SsTK-6wI1QStvec50db3RKVA

This is Arab: http://www.copts-united.com/Copts_United_N/z_English_Site/articles/engartc1.php?subaction=showfull&id=1144709329&archive=&start_from=&ucat=40&

This is Pacific Islander: http://minivannews.com/politics/islamic-foundation-calls-for-death-sentence-if-apostate-fails-to-repent-7606

And all sorts in between. So with all these different ethnicity offering the same answer, perhaps it's actually the religion?

[cup-O-coffee]

There are too many stories intermingled within this one article. Is it about the WAGS left behind, the doped-up soldier, the ambush bombing, or just another day in the South?

Thank you. My thoughts exactly.

There are a lot of rants about religion here. It is nonsense to think that any great majority of any religion are of singular mind and piety. I think it offends some people to think that there are people out there who do not respect or behave in step with the religion they have been labeled with; for whatever the reason may be, and regardless of what commentator thinks. There is no singular Islamic view, and the less educated you use as a subject, the more views and differing choices and behaviors you get.

This "abandoned" theory is quite skewed and nonsensical.