Thai editorial: Security agencies do themselves no favours

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
Security agencies do themselves no favours
The Nation

By intimidating and harassing political and civil activists in the deep South, the authorities only turn more local people against the Thai state

BANGKOK: -- Over the past few weeks several political activists and members of civil-society organisations in the three southernmost provinces have had run-ins with security officials.

Yala Rajabhat student leader Suhaimee Dulasa's home was raided by a group of police officers. They found nothing incriminating, but that was not the point. Such activities are outright harassment.

In the same week the house of a well-known Narathiwat activist, Yaenah Salamae, was also searched. Local officials said they didn't mean to single her out when they went into her house. They claimed to be in hot pursuit of a suspected insurgent who was believed hiding in her village in Tak Bai district. By way of apologising, they gave her two goats.

A week earlier Ishmael Hayiwaeji, editor of Wartani, a Pattani-based alternative-media outlet, was also harassed by four men who pushed their way through his front door. Intimidated by their handguns, Ishmail permitted them to photograph his identification cards.

Artef Sohko, one of the top leaders of the youth network, was also the subject of intimidation. A group of armed men - very likely agents of government officials who dislike his civic activism - were seen prowling around the back of his house. He also came under attack on the Internet, an attempt clearly aimed at discrediting him and his work. Artef is thinking about taking legal action against the perpetrator.

Suhaimee, or Ming as he is known, is the president of the Federation of Patanian Students and Youth (Permas), a student-led organisation that promotes awareness of the insurgency in the Malay-speaking South. Of all the civic organisations, one can safely say that the youth network is the closest to the grassroots community. A recent public rally organised by the network attracted more than 12,000 people.

Because of its willingness to confront the authorities directly about the questionable conduct of security personnel in the region, the youth network has gained tremendous respect among local residents.

Thai government officials - who don't like to be confronted with any controversial issue, like target killing, abduction or torture of suspects - see these young activists in a different light. Bureaucrats cannot tolerate any form of criticism, so they conveniently label them sympathisers or collaborators with the insurgents.

These incidents of harassment reflect the fact that that the authorities are unable to let go of their zero-sum-game mentality, says Angkhana Neelaphaijit, chair of the Justice for Peace Foundation, whose Pattani office was also searched by local police in February 2009.

Given the ongoing violence in the region, the government needs to consider how it can work with civic groups and activists, especially organisations like the youth movement, which has the trust and respect of the citizenry.

Such harassment also reflects the gap between stated policy and the actual conduct of the authorities. Bangkok often talks about reconciliation and understanding, but security officials in the region cite "special laws" as justification for their highly questionable tactics. Thai officials need to learn about manners and conduct. They need to understand that all the free goats in the world can't undo the damage caused by harassment and intimidation.


-- The Nation 2013-09-27

[noitom]

Buying them off with goats. One can only imagine what is going on in the Thai south. It is truly amazing that international organizations and NGOs haven't been looking in to this Thai south thing. Even more conspicuous by their absence are foreign press articles/stories about the on-going killing, terror, and insurgency in the Thai south. No truth available whatsoever on the Thai south.

[simple1]

Buying them off with goats. One can only imagine what is going on in the Thai south. It is truly amazing that international organizations and NGOs haven't been looking in to this Thai south thing. Even more conspicuous by their absence are foreign press articles/stories about the on-going killing, terror, and insurgency in the Thai south. No truth available whatsoever on the Thai south.

You're again misrepresenting facts, a list of some NGO and others who have reported on the deep South on both the insurgency killings and abuse by Thai government agencies. A number of international media organisations have also reported on the Thai government agencies use of torture, extrajudicial killings etc

Human Rights Watch

Amnesty International

Deep South Watch

International Crisis Group

KAS Thailand

[Maybole]

I think that many of those "Security Agencies" are acting in their own interests outwith the control of any Government authority.