Prem disagrees with proposal to use Malay as official language in deep South

Pattani — Privy Council President Gen Prem Tinsulanonda said Sunday that he disagreed with one of suggestions by the now defunct peace championed National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) to have the Malay language as an additional working language in the deep south.

"We cannot accept that (proposal) as we are Thai, the country is Thai and the language is Thai so we have to make efforts to learn Thai and command it as good as the rest of the kingdom," he said.

Prem, who architected a policy to ease violence in the deep south during his premiership in 1980s, was in Pattani Sunday to meet religious and community leaders as well as Muslim youths as part of a project to champion peace.

"We have to be proud of being Thai and having the Thai language and the sole national language," Prem told the local residents' gathering.

Source: The Nation - 26 June 2006

Is it me , or is there a lack of understanding here which could be a small part of the problem ?

my very very very wild guess is it wouldnt have happend without the authoritarian PM back in his seat firing his guns.

For anyone who lives in London, you'll understand when I say that Thaksin reminds me very much of Ken Livingstone....Refuse to apologise when your wrong, instill your will on the people even though they dont like it, not listening to others better advice and running a city through authortarian methods.....they could be brothers!

Don't know that Ken Livingstone ever went to Burma to dine with the dictators and talk business... while bombs were exploding in the country.

One can only hope the Thais come to their senses and don't re-elect him or one of his puppets. I am sure previous leaders in Thailand were just as corrupt as him, but Thaksin seems to do it all on a much grander scale.