Yingluck May Seek Malaysian Role In Peace Process During Kuala Lumpur Visit

[webfact]

ANALYSIS
PM may seek Malaysian role in peace process during KL visit
Don Pathan
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's visit to Malaysia on Thursday will address the possible role of Kuala Lumpur in facilitating a peace process between Bangkok and the Malay Muslim separatist movement.

The extent of the role that Bangkok will permit Malaysia to play is still being finalised in the days leading up to the visit. Thai authorities have not been able to agree on whether they want the Malaysian government to mediate the process or just facilitate it.

According to Thai sources, the Thai Foreign Ministry is dead against the idea of mediation and would rather see Kuala Lumpur's role, if any, be minimised as much as possible.

Because of its geographical proximity to the troubled region, few Thai officials see Malaysia as an honest broker. In this respect, many Thai officials see Malaysia as a stakeholder. Thailand has never been comfortable with outside mediation or facilitation for the insurgency in the Malay-speaking South.

The violence in Thailand's southernmost provinces greatly concerns Malaysia because of the possibility that the insurgency could attract some of its citizens into a conflict that the Thai government deems a domestic affair.

Thai diplomats, when explaining the conflict, often employ the word "unrest", as opposed to "conflict", to deflect unwanted inquiries from the international community.

There are many issues that Bangkok would like to refrain from talking about, such as the culture of impunity among its security officials and the practice of targeted killings by pro-government death squads.

Needless to say, the culture of impunity is something that has undermined successive Thai governments' secret peace talks with the separatist movement.

The leading agency paving the way for these talks is the National Security Council (NSC). But the Army has also set up its own team to do the same. The lack of unity among Thai stakeholders has complicated the move towards peace. And until these stakeholders can agree on a common position, as well as a division of labour, advancing the cause of peace or the peace process would be nearly impossible.

Historically, talking to the separatists has been the work of the Army. Talks were held in Middle Eastern countries in the 1980s. But since 2006, starting with the then government of Surayud Chulanont, civilians, namely the NSC, have been brought into the picture. Coming around to the idea of civilian supremacy is not so easy for the Army.

Besides asking Malaysia to take up a more active role, the proposed political agreement, the text of which is still being negotiated, is supposed to show that the government of Yingluck Shinawatra is serious about peace in the restive region.

But what takes place in the diplomatic orbit may not necessarily resonate on the ground as militants continue to carry out attacks, especially after suffering a humiliating defeat in last week's attempt to overrun a Royal Thai Marine camp in Narathiwat's Bacho district. The operation ended in the deaths of 16 insurgents.

Because of the setback in Bacho, the insurgents are eager to show that they are still a force to be reckoned with. This explains, in the days that followed the failed raid, the stepping up of attacks in urban areas, as opposed to ambushing military or police patrols on the back roads of remote villages.

According to an exiled source from one of the long-standing separatist groups, at least three of the 16 insurgents killed in Bacho were affiliated with the Patani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo). Most of the 50 or so militants who took part in the botched attack were affiliated with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Coordinate (BRN-C).

Complicating Bangkok's initiative to start up a peace process is the fact that there is no real security tsar to oversee the conflict in the deep South, said Professor Panitan Wattanayagon, a Chulalongkorn University security expert and a former adviser to the Abhisit Vejjajiva government.

What is lacking, he said, is a security tsar with the kind of clout needed to work as a go-between for the government and the Army.

A lack of unity is also displayed among the exiled leaders, but observers believe these various long-standing groups will fall in line with the BRN-C should the group decide to take part in a formal peace process that has real political commitment from Bangkok. Without a convincing peace process, there is no other option for the militants on the ground than to continue with their campaign of violence.

For anybody to come to the negotiating table, Bangkok must first agree to grant immunity to the participants. But in doing so, Bangkok will move towards recognising the political nature of the conflict.

Moreover, Bangkok would no longer be able to paint the insurgents as a bunch of drug-crazed youth who embrace distorted Islam and wrong history.

Many hard-liners in Thailand are not comfortable with shifting away from framing the violence in the deep South as "criminal activities".

It remains to be seen how far the Yingluck government will stay the course towards peace as her administration sees it. If the hard-liners have their way, military means as an option to quell the separatist activities will continue to be the mode of operation for the foreseeable future. And a formal and convincing peace process will just have to wait.


-- The Nation 2013-02-23

[Locationthailand]

Clearly 'Bangkok' has no idea or solutions in this conflict. Bringing Malaysia to the table would be a totally biased slant who has no empathy with non-believers. The world has fought hundreds of wars continually and globally throughout history and the stupidity of such conflict is all about people trying to impart their will on others who don't accept it. Remove religion from the equation and the conflicts will drop immediately but that is not going to happen. Trying to reason with people to get them to understand they can believe in what they like, but it is all about integration and living in harmony, is a hard issue. At any rate, unless there is some way to remove the hardliners who continue to poison the minds of less intelligent people to sacrifice themselves in the name of 'religion', this conflict is going to continue.

[Robby nz]

Perhaps she will apologise for Chalerm's behavior.

That would be a good start to improving relations.

[youngXpat]

'Complicating Bangkok's initiative to start up a peace process is the fact that there is no real security tsar to oversee the conflict in the deep South, said Professor Panitan Wattanayagon, a Chulalongkorn University security expert and a former adviser to the Abhisit Vejjajiva government'

Maybe it's not yet considered a big enough problem to distract them from their 'interests' in other parts of the country.

[scorecard]

Clearly 'Bangkok' has no idea or solutions in this conflict. Bringing Malaysia to the table would be a totally biased slant who has no empathy with non-believers. The world has fought hundreds of wars continually and globally throughout history and the stupidity of such conflict is all about people trying to impart their will on others who don't accept it. Remove religion from the equation and the conflicts will drop immediately but that is not going to happen. Trying to reason with people to get them to understand they can believe in what they like, but it is all about integration and living in harmony, is a hard issue. At any rate, unless there is some way to remove the hardliners who continue to poison the minds of less intelligent people to sacrifice themselves in the name of 'religion', this conflict is going to continue.

Religion is obviously deeply involved but don't fotget the other factor which has been upsetting the Southern provinces for decades, the fact that they are treated as second class citizens by Bangkok, and no political party is imune from this point.

[waza]

Maybe they could enlist the help of Thaksins Malasian tour guides...................

"KUALA LUMPUR Feb 27 Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar was today conferred the Knight Grand Cross First Class of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand for promoting friendship peace and order between the kingdom and Malaysia."

"The Director of the Malaysian Police Special Branch Division, Datuk Seri Akhil Bulat was conferred the Knight Commander (Second Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant.

Akhil was also presented with the royal decoration by the Thai Police Chief at the same venue."

Yinglucks cabinet is giving these awards away like candy.

Edited February 23, 2013 by waza

[chainarong]

Malaysia has done absolutely jack sh!!t about this boarder problem and will continue to do so , they find it hard to choose between reality and religion, they will offer a series of smoking mirrors remedies that wont do one bit of difference to the present situation, trying to win the hearts and minds of the people is one thing, trying to win over hard line terrorists is another .

[muttley]

Maybe they could enlist the help of Thaksins Malasian tour guides...................

"KUALA LUMPUR Feb 27 Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar was today conferred the Knight Grand Cross First Class of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand for promoting friendship peace and order between the kingdom and Malaysia."

"The Director of the Malaysian Police Special Branch Division, Datuk Seri Akhil Bulat was conferred the Knight Commander (Second Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant.

Akhil was also presented with the royal decoration by the Thai Police Chief at the same venue."

Yinglucks cabinet is giving these awards away like candy.

You may wish to be a bit more circumspect about who confers these awards in your words "like candy"

[Mosha]

Malaysia has done absolutely jack sh!!t about this boarder problem and will continue to do so , they find it hard to choose between reality and religion, they will offer a series of smoking mirrors remedies that wont do one bit of difference to the present situation, trying to win the hearts and minds of the people is one thing, trying to win over hard line terrorists is another:bah: .

The muslims in the deep south feel as though the Malays abandoned them when their land was given to Siam. I'm not sure if the Malaysian government has that much influence over them.

[waza]

Maybe they could enlist the help of Thaksins Malasian tour guides...................

"KUALA LUMPUR Feb 27 Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar was today conferred the Knight Grand Cross First Class of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand for promoting friendship peace and order between the kingdom and Malaysia."

"The Director of the Malaysian Police Special Branch Division, Datuk Seri Akhil Bulat was conferred the Knight Commander (Second Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant.

Akhil was also presented with the royal decoration by the Thai Police Chief at the same venue."

Yinglucks cabinet is giving these awards away like candy.

You may wish to be a bit more circumspect about who confers these awards in your words "like candy"

If any one should be more circumspect it should be the Yingluck cabinet, after all these are royal honors they are giving away like candy. Yingluck has been awarded 3 in the fist 6 months as PM and 5 in her career.

PS: You may benifit from researching how these awards are given.

Edited February 23, 2013 by waza

[bigbamboo]

Maybe they could enlist the help of Thaksins Malasian tour guides...................

"KUALA LUMPUR Feb 27 Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar was today conferred the Knight Grand Cross First Class of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand for promoting friendship peace and order between the kingdom and Malaysia."

"The Director of the Malaysian Police Special Branch Division, Datuk Seri Akhil Bulat was conferred the Knight Commander (Second Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant.

Akhil was also presented with the royal decoration by the Thai Police Chief at the same venue."

Yinglucks cabinet is giving these awards away like candy.

You may wish to be a bit more circumspect about who confers these awards in your words "like candy"

If any one should be more circumspect it should be the Yingluck cabinet, after all these are royal honors they are giving away like candy. Yingluck has been awarded 3 in the fist 6 months as PM and 5 in her career.

PS: You may benifit from researching how these awards are given.

I've always wondered how one is deemed to deserve the award of the White Elephant.

Edited February 23, 2013 by bigbamboo

[senna101]

Khun Yingluck - go to Malaysia by all means. Shop your heart out. For some reasons, imported/branded products are cheaper there than they are in Thailand. You'll be spoilt for choice! But don't waste your time on anything else. The Malaysian Government can't even handle a group of armed militants landing on a coast in Lahad Datu, Sabah. They are negotiating with these militants, who claim that Sabah belongs to the King of Sulu, whoever that is. Apparently, the militants are from some movement in the Philippines. The 'landing' has been denounced by the Philippines Government. It has also asked Malaysia to deport these people back to the Philippines. And the Malaysian government is still negotiating with them? What is there to negotiate? A group of armed men, landing on Malaysian soil, takes over a village, and is now engaged in negotiations with the Malaysian government? I wonder what would happen if the same happened on US soil. Or UK. Or any other country that knows what it is doing, to start with.

Oh and for some reasons, the news of the Lahad Datu invasion has been kept away from Malaysians in general. The local mainstream media have been 'asked' not to cover it. So, if you're in Malaysia, don't read the local fish-wrappers they call 'newspapers'. They have a very fishy smell to it. Rightly so.

One more thing, general elections in Malaysia is due to take place in Q2. Right now, the ruling party is busy campaigning, printing leaflets, giving our candies etc. etc. The government is looking at dissolving the Parliament to make way for the GE. Do you honestly think the Malaysian Government has time to look into the 'unrest' in Thailand's south? What if the current govt. get voted out? Then another trip here for the same thing, perhaps?

Go to Malaysia Truly Asia (not!!!), have a blast, have some downtime, but really, that should be about it :-)

Edited February 23, 2013 by senna101

[waza]

Maybe they could enlist the help of Thaksins Malasian tour guides...................

"KUALA LUMPUR Feb 27 Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar was today conferred the Knight Grand Cross First Class of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand for promoting friendship peace and order between the kingdom and Malaysia."

"The Director of the Malaysian Police Special Branch Division, Datuk Seri Akhil Bulat was conferred the Knight Commander (Second Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant.

Akhil was also presented with the royal decoration by the Thai Police Chief at the same venue."

Yinglucks cabinet is giving these awards away like candy.

You may wish to be a bit more circumspect about who confers these awards in your words "like candy"

If any one should be more circumspect it should be the Yingluck cabinet, after all these are royal honors they are giving away like candy. Yingluck has been awarded 3 in the fist 6 months as PM and 5 in her career.

PS: You may benifit from researching how these awards are given.

I've always wondered how one is deemed to deserve the award of the White Elephant.

Here you can buy one on Ebay........

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THAILAND-MEDAL-COMPANION-MOST-EXALTED-ORDER-WHITE-ELEPHANT-FOURTH-CLASS-/110977100473?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d6c02ab9

[simple1]

Khun Yingluck - go to Malaysia by all means. Shop your heart out. For some reasons, imported/branded products are cheaper there than they are in Thailand. You'll be spoilt for choice! But don't waste your time on anything else. The Malaysian Government can't even handle a group of armed militants landing on a coast in Lahad Datu, Sabah. They are negotiating with these militants, who claim that Sabah belongs to the King of Sulu, whoever that is. Apparently, the militants are from some movement in the Philippines. The 'landing' has been denounced by the Philippines Government. It has also asked Malaysia to deport these people back to the Philippines. And the Malaysian government is still negotiating with them? What is there to negotiate? A group of armed men, landing on Malaysian soil, takes over a village, and is now engaged in negotiations with the Malaysian government? I wonder what would happen if the same happened on US soil. Or UK. Or any other country that knows what it is doing, to start with.

Oh and for some reasons, the news of the Lahad Datu invasion has been kept away from Malaysians in general. The local mainstream media have been 'asked' not to cover it. So, if you're in Malaysia, don't read the local fish-wrappers they call 'newspapers'. They have a very fishy smell to it. Rightly so.

One more thing, general elections in Malaysia is due to take place in Q2. Right now, the ruling party is busy campaigning, printing leaflets, giving our candies etc. etc. The government is looking at dissolving the Parliament to make way for the GE. Do you honestly think the Malaysian Government has time to look into the 'unrest' in Thailand's south? What if the current govt. get voted out? Then another trip here for the same thing, perhaps?

Go to Malaysia Truly Asia (not!!!), have a blast, have some downtime, but really, that should be about it :-)

Equally amazing this incident is currently not covered in world media with 300 armed personnel invading a sovereign state territory. An article in the Philippines media talking to the claim by the Sultan of Sulu. A quote from his wife "She said she was confident that there would be no bloodshed in Lahad Datu, where over 300 members of the Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo led by the sultan’s brother, Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, were holed up"

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/65295/army-stays-in-sabah-sultan-of-sulu-decrees

Edited February 23, 2013 by simple1

[OzMick]

And while Malaysia is gearing up for a general election, they are busy making sure that it isn't scrutinised too closely.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/bullyboy-malaysia-immature-and-australias-reaction-so-limp-20130218-2end9.html

[hellodolly]

'Complicating Bangkok's initiative to start up a peace process is the fact that there is no real security tsar to oversee the conflict in the deep South, said Professor Panitan Wattanayagon, a Chulalongkorn University security expert and a former adviser to the Abhisit Vejjajiva government'

Maybe it's not yet considered a big enough problem to distract them from their 'interests' in other parts of the country.

Like rice paddies.

[hellodolly]

Clearly 'Bangkok' has no idea or solutions in this conflict. Bringing Malaysia to the table would be a totally biased slant who has no empathy with non-believers. The world has fought hundreds of wars continually and globally throughout history and the stupidity of such conflict is all about people trying to impart their will on others who don't accept it. Remove religion from the equation and the conflicts will drop immediately but that is not going to happen. Trying to reason with people to get them to understand they can believe in what they like, but it is all about integration and living in harmony, is a hard issue. At any rate, unless there is some way to remove the hardliners who continue to poison the minds of less intelligent people to sacrifice themselves in the name of 'religion', this conflict is going to continue.

Religion is obviously deeply involved but don't fotget the other factor which has been upsetting the Southern provinces for decades, the fact that they are treated as second class citizens by Bangkok, and no political party is imune from this point.

I would have to agree in principal but I have no knowledge of there treatment since the early 1900s. Could they have brought it on them selves.

Also have they been treated in worse than other parts of the country? The only thing I know is that some people say there are other areas of the population treated worse than the South yet they don't feel the need to indiscriminately kill people. I know for a fact that they don't kill innocent people but I have no idea as to the treatment they receive at the hands of the Thai Government. This includes all past governments. None are lily white and one about ten years ago was out right sadistic.

Edited February 23, 2013 by hellodolly

[senna101]

And while Malaysia is gearing up for a general election, they are busy making sure that it isn't scrutinised too closely.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/bullyboy-malaysia-immature-and-australias-reaction-so-limp-20130218-2end9.html

That has not escaped the attention of 'mature' Malaysians, OzMick. People in general think it is a good move to have an independent observer during the GE. It really is a simple case of 'why are you scared, if you have nothing to hide?'. That the current government can brand ONE SINGLE observer a 'threat to national security', while a group of armed militants are still illegally occupying a village in Lahad Datu, beggars belief! No way will the upcoming GE be clean.

Malaysia will never move out of the dinosaur era as long as it still practices race-based politics. And if you knew your Anthropology (or whatever it is that studies 'race'), you'd also know that there are only a handful of real 'races' on earth. Malaysians consist of a multi-etnic group. No one single group is a 'race' on its own. By the way, if you study the history of Malaysia's politics more closely, it won't be that hard to understand how the current party has held on to power for more than half a century. Really, it's the best case-study for anyone who wants to understand what 'divide and conquer' means.

Therefore, and given the whole set of circumstances, the timing of YL's visit to Malaysia is somewhat off, in my opinion. Really curious what the Malaysian government, which is almost at the end of its tenure, can do to help Thailand's problem in the South.

Edited February 23, 2013 by senna101