Thai editorial: A deep wound still festering in the far South

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EDITORIAL
A deep wound still festering in the far South
The Nation

Until the government acknowledges the Tak Bai massacre as a state-sponsored atrocity, anger in Narathiwat will continue to fuel the insurgency

BANGKOK: -- More than 10 years after the Tak Bai massacre, the incident continues to haunt Thailand.

Successive governments have been dogged by the controversy ever since, but none has satisfactorily answered the questions arising from it.

Now Niran Pitakwatchara of the National Human Rights Commission is calling on the administration of Prayut Chan-o-cha to provide a clear timeframe for the process of seeking justice for the Tak Bai victims so that the old wounds can be healed. "It's been 10 years and counting already," Niran said this week. "We need to find an end to this affair or it will end up in limbo, like so many other cases."

On October 25, 2004, more than 1,000 Malay Muslims staged a protest in front of the Tak Bai Police Station in Narathiwat, demanding the release of six "village defence" volunteers detained on suspicion of supporting insurgents in the area.

The volunteers were part of a security arrangement that had been hastily mobilised by the government of the day, but the strategy was doomed to fail from the beginning - the volunteers were provided scant combat training or weaponry before being asked to put their lives on the line for the state. And yet, a decade later, the government appears to be repeating that mistake by outsourcing security duties to local residents as part of an initiative dubbed "the Thung Yang Daeng Model".

In 2004 the unarmed Tak Bai protesters were surrounded by security officials from various agencies. Shots were fired into the crowd, killing at least seven people. The remaining male protesters were punched, kicked and corralled into the back of military transport trucks bound for an Army camp in Pattani.

The government could argue that martial law was in place, prohibiting mass gatherings. But in reality the tragedy was shaped by the conduct of security officials, not any technicality of law. Its context was a longstanding culture of impunity among security forces in the Muslim-majority South, where an ongoing insurgency has claimed more than 6,000 lives since January 2004, when the curret wave of violence flared up.

By the time the military transport trucks reached their destination, Ingkayuthboriharn Army Base, 78 protesters had suffocated to death, the inevitable outcome of being bound and stacked prone, one on top of the other. The incident enraged residents and radicalised a new generation of Malay-Muslim insurgents.

Niran says he wants a clear timeframe for action once the Cabinet has acknowledged the Right Council's recommendations. "Let's have clear-cut discussions on solutions for the incident," he said.

The massacre has naturally been a huge stumbling block for peace talks between the government and the rebels. The Council has called on the government to establish committees to handle protests and other gatherings in the South and to kick-start a process to aid victims and their families.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has said the matter will be on the agenda at the next Cabinet meeting and that agencies such as the Social Development and Human Security Ministry would be assigned to follow up on the recommendations.

Such pledges to heal the wounds of Tak Bai have, however, been made by authorities before and have proved empty.

During his time as prime minister, General Surayud Chulanont apologised for the incident on behalf of the government. But the state apparatus and much of the general population greeted his statement with indifference. After that, Thailand squandered any chance of building on the expression of regret.

In societies regarded as open and free, massacres of such scale prompt the erection of monuments to commemorate the tragedy and express the state's remorse. It is unfortunate that Thailand doesn't want to take that route. In lieu, discussion of financial compensation for the families of victims is a start, but until we acknowledge the true scale of the Tak Bai atrocity, the deep wounds in many hearts will remain unhealed.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/A-deep-wound-still-festering-in-the-far-South-30266106.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-07

[fish fingers]

Seeing as it was his arch enemy Thaksin who caused it, Prayuth has a golden opportunity to make peace and not lose face.. I guess its asking too much.

[Srikcir]

Seeing as it was his arch enemy Thaksin who caused it, Prayuth has a golden opportunity to make peace and not lose face.. I guess its asking too much.

With regard to suppression of the Malay-Thais, Thaksin and the miitary actually had a common goal.

It was PM Yingluck who bypassed the military in 2012 to get insurgents to peace talks. She offered dual sovereignty as a resolution but you can imagine the military's reaction to weakening Thai sovereignty over the Malay-Thais that the military is sworn to uphold.

[EnglishJohn]

Do people really think that if someone makes a statement that the Army was 100% to blame (and we know that is the ONLY acceptable result, whatever the truth might have been) then the Muslim's in the South will suddenly be happy and the violence will stop ?.

Of course not. This is the same as the red-shirts blaming the government for 2010. It has nothing to do with the event : it is being used as a focus for their hate. If it wasn't this it would be something else.

Of course it would be right and proper to get to the truth of either of those - but don't think for a minute either red-shirts or the Muslim's would accept anything which doesn't suit them or change their attitude at the end of it.

[Bodene]

Seeing as it was his arch enemy Thaksin who caused it, Prayuth has a golden opportunity to make peace and not lose face.. I guess its asking too much.

The problem in the south boils down to 2 opposing and unbridgeable agendas.

The Insurgent side appear to want Moslem rights to be the same as Buddhist rights and no discrimination or further moslem-killing by the army, self-government (or secession of what they consider to be the provinces that Thailand 'acquired' from Malaysia). They're the big things and inevitably there are some other, relatively minor things.

The Thai side want the violence to stop with no other changes, and the opportunity to run round killing insurgents after peace is declared - which the insurgents are very well aware of..

I can't see the basis for optimism, the Army will continue to lose face and standing, the more so since they assumed (or were given) full responsibility for resolving the conflict. That little lunge for glory has and will continue to bite them in the backside.

Many people fear that if there is a continuing stalemate the conflict may be exported to Bangkok. Uncle Prayuth wouldn't like that very much too much face to lose, and he;s lost much more than he is comfortable with now.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Bodene

[Bodene]

Do people really think that if someone makes a statement that the Army was 100% to blame (and we know that is the ONLY acceptable result, whatever the truth might have been) then the Muslim's in the South will suddenly be happy and the violence will stop ?.

Of course not. This is the same as the red-shirts blaming the government for 2010. It has nothing to do with the event : it is being used as a focus for their hate. If it wasn't this it would be something else.

Of course it would be right and proper to get to the truth of either of those - but don't think for a minute either red-shirts or the Muslim's would accept anything which doesn't suit them or change their attitude at the end of it.

Largely agree but with the exception of the 2nd para. I suspect that 2010 had quite a lot to do with generating the hatred - and hatred it most certainly is.

[GeorgesAbitbol]

Do people really think that if someone makes a statement that the Army was 100% to blame (and we know that is the ONLY acceptable result, whatever the truth might have been) then the Muslim's in the South will suddenly be happy and the violence will stop ?.

Of course not. This is the same as the red-shirts blaming the government for 2010. It has nothing to do with the event : it is being used as a focus for their hate. If it wasn't this it would be something else.

Of course it would be right and proper to get to the truth of either of those - but don't think for a minute either red-shirts or the Muslim's would accept anything which doesn't suit them or change their attitude at the end of it.

but don't think for a minute either red-shirts or the Muslim's would accept anything which doesn't suit them or change their attitude at the end of it.

While we all know the Democrats and the Army always accept concessions and the results of elections and changed their attitude....

The south will not have peace and the army, giving weapons to the civils to create a kind of militia will only fuel the conflict...we all know how thais act with a lot of reflexion while handling guns..well done Prayouth

Edited August 7, 2015 by GeorgesAbitbol

[Bodene]

Seeing as it was his arch enemy Thaksin who caused it, Prayuth has a golden opportunity to make peace and not lose face.. I guess its asking too much.

Thaksin didn't cause Tak Bai, the Royal Thai Army did. Though everyone understands why you don't want to say that.

[tajtom]

Yeah there hard to heal but after a few bowls of Som Tum.... She be sweet mate

[Skeptic7]

Seems to be pandemic. Islam and it's ilk...like a virus spreading at an alarming rate and causing mayhem, discomfort and worse wherever they infect.

[ravip]

Would talking with insurgents ever help?

I doubt. There is only one solution and that is to defeat them militarily.