'Special admin zone possible solution for South'

[Lite Beer]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
'Special admin zone possible solution for South'
July 28, 2013 1:00 am

Paradorn

BANGKOK: -- National Security Council chief Lt-General Paradorn Pattanathabutr hinted during his latest interview with Sunday Nation's Pakorn Puengnetr that a "Special Administrative Zone'' could be the last resort to end the decades-long Muslim separatist insurgency that escalated since 2004 in the four southernmost provinces. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Has there been a visible reduction in violence during Ramadan?

There have been four insurgency-related incidents [as of July 23], the rest were to do with drugs and local political conflict. This is actually a normal pattern of events. We always have two main hypotheses - violence either involves the insurgency or there are other motives, however, security officials tend to sway towards insurgency as the motive so that they can [quickly] close the case. Once the case reaches court, it is dropped. We have to "improve" this mindset.

What do you mean by improvements exactly?

The Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre appointed a joint security panel to promote peace during Ramadan this year, chaired by Fourth Army Region chief of staff Maj-General Charin Amornkaew. The panel asked the BRN via the Malaysian peace facilitator, if the BRN was responsible for the incident in question.

They either accept responsibility for the incident or report that groups opposed to the peace process were responsible for the incident. We use this approach, as jointly agreed in peace negotiations, to find out who is responsible.

During the first 7 days of Ramadan, an insurgent suspect was injured in a shooting and a teacher was shot dead. Security officials concluded that personal conflicts were a possible motive, but the BRN told the Malaysian peace facilitator that state officials were responsible for the two cases. How will this be resolved?

It was not so. The BRN knows what really happened. With regard to these two cases, the BRN believed it might have provoked other groups to take revenge although the motive was personal conflicts, both are sensitive to security.

Are you sure that Hassan Taib is the real leader of the BRN?

Hassan is the ideological leader. If he had the ability to link every group, our burden would be reduced. He can talk to most of them, but some people or local leaders are still a problem.

Do security officials have problems with local leaders?

Yes, they fight about issues not related to the insurgency.

What is the final outcome of the peace dialogue?

Our last hope to end the insurgency is [an independent] administration but we must adhere to our Constitution. Surveys done locally indicate that people do not support separatism so the BRN has to alter their model of independence. They have five to six models but details of these have not been revealed. Conservative BRN members believe they cannot be independent from Thailand as they must depend on both Thailand and Malaysia, so they think having a special administrative zone would be better. However, younger generations of BRN believe they can be totally independent.

The difficulty is to make Thai people understand because we would have to pass it (a

special administrative zone) into law.

Former PM Thaksin Shinawatra has played a big role in bringing about this peace dialogue. Does he have any special model?

His way is to live together peacefully.

Do you know who is who at the operation level of the BRN?

We know the operation level in local areas.

What do you think is the recipe for success?

The leader of the peace talks must be open-minded like an ocean that can take both good and bad water.

How do you describe the relations with the BRN and have you gained more trust in them?

It is good. They wish me longevity so the peace dialogue can continue.

You mean in terms of age or your current position?

(Laughing) Both. I believe Hassan is not cheating us. It depends on whether he is in

control. Right now, we are at the mountain top, but we have not yet crossed it.

-- The Nation 2013-07-28

[CIHUAHUA]

Islam is a violence based religion and history has proven that. We say that most Muslims are peaceful people however the road to violence is paved by the writings in the Koran. Mohammed waged war against non-believers. Islam is beyond criticism therefore Islam is the problem for non-believers. It is naive to think there would be a positive final outcome of peace with dialogue alone. "Special Administrative Zone'' is a way of pushing the dirt under the rug.

Edited July 28, 2013 by CIHUAHUA

[justathought]

Islam is a violence based religion and history has proven that. We say that most Muslims are peaceful people however the road to violence is paved by the writings in the Koran. Mohammed waged war against non-believers. Islam is beyond criticism therefore Islam is the problem for non-believers. It is naive to think there would be a positive final outcome of peace with dialogue alone. "Special Administrative Zone'' is a way of pushing the dirt under the rug.

Christians are much more peaceful. We have 2 world wars, nuclear strikes and the crusades to prove the point

But I do agree that arabs are a very cruel bunch and the Christians among the arabs are equally as bad. Whether these people are christians or muslims would make no diffrence. Evil people tend to be evil.

What is evident is that the cruel and harsh doctrines from the desert is spreading into Asia. Pakistan is a point. When this happens you tend to see the state fail. The Thai government project of opening Islamic schools in the south is a little late but in the right directtion. Asian Islam is so very different from bedoiun Islam.

Just a thought.

[simple1]

Islam is a violence based religion and history has proven that. We say that most Muslims are peaceful people however the road to violence is paved by the writings in the Koran. Mohammed waged war against non-believers. Islam is beyond criticism therefore Islam is the problem for non-believers. It is naive to think there would be a positive final outcome of peace with dialogue alone. "Special Administrative Zone'' is a way of pushing the dirt under the rug.

Christians are much more peaceful. We have 2 world wars, nuclear strikes and the crusades to prove the point

But I do agree that arabs are a very cruel bunch and the Christians among the arabs are equally as bad. Whether these people are christians or muslims would make no diffrence. Evil people tend to be evil.

What is evident is that the cruel and harsh doctrines from the desert is spreading into Asia. Pakistan is a point. When this happens you tend to see the state fail. The Thai government project of opening Islamic schools in the south is a little late but in the right directtion. Asian Islam is so very different from bedoiun Islam.

Just a thought.

I concur, Islam as practised in Thailand is "different" from that in Arab states, Iran & Pakistan and incorporates many Thai cultural practices.

Thai Royal Family have been supportive of Islam & Muslims for many years and their rights are included in Thai Constitution. http://www.thaiembassy.org/riyadh/th/organize/29025-Muslim-in-Thailand.html

Over the past few years some Islamic extremists have allegedly started to get involved in the deep South, but from media reports a very large majority of Thai Malays are not supportive of their activities. Looking at the glass is half full perspective I hope that the real decision makers in the Thai Malay community support the possibility of a 'special admin zone" along the lines of Bangkok & Pattaya. The challenge is to get the disparate insurgency groups to agree.

Edited July 28, 2013 by simple1

[phuketsub]

The headline that keeps giving and giving...how many times has it been reported and/or discussed before?

As for sweeping generalizations about nationalities, ethnicity and religious beliefs: equally redundant and boring.

The unofficial motto of the Thai state is as an indivisible, single entity based on three pillars, the first two of which are Nation and Religion; whatever the Constitution says about the right to practice religion, the presumption is that Thai is the national language (Not Melyu Patani) and Buddhism the national religion (see the holiday schedule). Every time the idea arises to provide some level of autonomy on such issues, it is quietly squelched and allowed to die on the vine, and the careers of the officials who broached the topic seldom benefit.

So, almost ten years on, now we have what we have: a horrible status quo pitting a well-funded, monolithic Government security apparatus (throughout which one hand doesn't know what the other is doing) against a small number of active 'real' insurgents and their supporters, on the other. If that ain't bad enough, throw in all the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, drug-dealers, mafioso, etc., and others who benefit from the chaos in multifarious ways. The Deep South, for all its beauty, is now home the worst armed insurgency in Asia, not what the nice and innocent people who make up the vast majority of the population deserve at all.

The well-funded SBPAC tries to "buy off" the presumed opposition, such as by spending over a BILLION baht to fly Muslims from the region to Mecca for the last Hajj last year, to what end? A better approach would be to adopt a secular approach and get the government out of the 'business' of religion altogether.

Espionage blimps, the bogus bomb "detector" scandal, dropping origami birds by aircraft: you could not make this stuff up if you wanted to.

The reporting is pretty abysmal too. For example, in the car bomb attack that left two Muslim teachers dead in Narathiwat recently, the driver of the car died a few hours later from schrapnel wounds to the head: never reported in the English-language media (at least that I am aware of).

The solution to the problem will remain elusive as long as so many continue to profit so handsomely from the misery of others. If I had a magic wand and a single wish, I would wave it over this entire region and extract all the minority scum on both sides who are perpetuating the situation at the expense of the normal people who just want to get on with their lives, not live in constant fear.

[rucus7]

'Special admin zone possible solution for South' Some how this reminiscent of my understanding of a Chinese fire drill. At a red light, All the occupants exit the vehicle simultaneously,run around the car three times then jump back in prior to the light turning green.

Edited July 28, 2013 by rucus7

[belg]

last century it was islamn land

thainland took it... so just give it back

what do those people bring to the nation, except terrorism ?

oil ? tax paying people ?