Thai editorial: Crisis in the South, but at least no ISIS

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
Crisis in the South, but at least no Isis
The Nation

Reassurances that the Middle Eastern terror group has no foothold here are welcome, but only go so far

BANGKOK: -- A senior Thai security official has finally spoken up to set the record straight about an alleged link between Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) and the Malay Muslim insurgency in the southernmost provinces.

There is no link, Royal Thai Police spokesman Pol General Detnarong Suthichanbancha said this week.

Zero Isis activities have been detected in Thailand, he said. The ideology of the Malay separatists in the Patani region is different to that of Isis. The two groups are unlikely to ever join forces.

While Isis does recruit radical Muslims from around the world to join in its ground war in the Middle East, it also wants some of them to remain in their home countries to carry out attacks on "soft targets".

Detnarong went on to claim that the government's policy is to end the southern unrest by building trust among citizens there. It was the standard government line, but at least he understands the need to say "the right thing" - even as the government fails to live up to that commitment.

The same cannot be said for Thailand's overall chief of security, Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan. Prawit has a tendency to make eyebrow-raising statements without offering proper context, the result frequently being damage that could have been avoided.

"There are Islamic State members in that zone," Prawit has been quoted as saying of the Thai-Malay frontier. Without specifically identifying Malaysia, he suggested that Isis members have penetrated the Muslim-majority southernmost provinces from across the border. Lacking a proper explanation, a statement like that can be interpreted in several ways, some harmful.

The police are quite correct to point out the ideological difference between the Patani Malay separatists and Isis. While the former acts on ethno-nationalist grounds, the latter is motivated purely by "jihadist" aims. Of course the term "jihadist" is itself problematic for the vast majority of Muslims around the world who have a starkly different interpretation of the word "jihad". This word means "struggle" and can connote something as harmless as the struggle for self-realisation, rather than simply a brutal "holy war" waged against non-Muslims.

The word "takfiri" has been used in reference to groups like Isis that read the Koran in the starkest terms, inferring instruction to kill all non-believers.

The Thai insurgency remains very much ethno-nationalist in nature and, as such, unable to garner the support or sympathy of those who live outside the three southernmost provinces, who identify themselves as "Thai Muslims".

This does not mean though that Thailand and the Malay-speaking provinces can rest comfortably in the absence of groups like Isis. Western Muslims have often travelled to Bangkok for connecting flights to Turkey, where they cross the border into Syria to join Isis.

Jemaah Islamiah operatives from Indonesia nestled in Thailand to plan the 2002 Bali bombings and hide afterward. Intelligence sources determined that the masterminds entered Thailand via the Malaysian border following the attacks. The head of the operation, Hambali, was finally arrested hiding out in Ayutthaya. Members of Hezbollah, the Middle Eastern militant organisation, were discovered with a warehouse of explosives in Thailand. (It is thus wrong to single out the South as a bulwark of extremism.)

Isis and its barbaric methodology need to be understood in context. Thai leaders and policymakers should refrain from using such tragedies like that experienced in Paris to advance their own agenda - like attempting to silence critics. It serves no useful or even meaningful purpose.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Crisis-in-the-South-but-at-least-no-Isis-30273330.html

-- The Nation 2015-11-20

[Thailand]

Bold statements saying that there is no ISIS presence/activity in Thailand can very easily come back and bite your bum, and probably will.

[NongKhaiKid]

Bold statements saying that there is no ISIS presence/activity in Thailand can very easily come back and bite your bum, and probably will.

Exactly, and having made such a bold statement the govt will probably stick to it no matter what happens since loss of face is unacceptable.

Thai officialdom seems incapable of learning how to make neutral press releases which allow for variation in position as issues develop. They have have to be so definitive to prove they're on top of things and of course, where appropriate, protect tourism.

[cyberfarang]

That`s because the Muslims in southern Thailand are secretly supported by Malaysia and why the Thais won`t declare an all out war on the Thai Muslims in case it creates tensions with Malaysia.

As yet Isis is still based in the middle east and Africa and hasn`t reached the far east because the Muslims of south east Asia have their own brand of Muslim fanaticism, that so far has not been influenced by the Isis..

Edited November 20, 2015 by cyberfarang

[jacky54]

6.000 dead by not by isis, what a relief then

[ChrisY1]

That`s because the Muslims in southern Thailand are secretly supported by Malaysia and why the Thais won`t declare an all out war on the Thai Muslims in case it creates tensions with Malaysia.

As yet Isis is still based in the middle east and Africa and hasn`t reached the far east because the Muslims of south east Asia have their own brand of Muslim fanaticism, that so far has not been influenced by the Isis..

I'm not too sure....Indonesia does have IS affilated cells....there's quite a bit of information available to confirm....Sharia in Aceh!......

Malaysia is becoming more strict in it's approach to Islam...probably not affording the term "radical" just yet......but there are elements that are becoming more radically inclined.

Islamic countries globally are under pressure to improve/strengthen the management of their people religiously......

[Langsuan Man]

Crisis in the South, but at least no Isis

Yet

[Srikcir]

"The Thai insurgency remains very much ethno-nationalist in nature"

It's more than that as religion is very key to Malay-Thai's difference with the Buddhist-led Thai state. Just as in Thailand's society, Islam is integral to muslim governance as it was prior to Thailand's forced annexation of the Islamic Caliphate for hundred's of years.

The Thai military has always operated in the South from the perspective that the conflict is only about nationalism that can be overcome withThai benevolance. But when it comes to peace talks with the insurgents, that benevolence becomes military domination to never concede Thai soverneignty. So one might say that the Southern conflict is very much Kingdom of Thailand ethno-nationalist in nature.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Unbelievable arrogant title.

Should I bother reading the rest?

[seadog57]

just one question no terror group can survive without funds so who is funding this operation and support for the muslims if not the ISIS/ISIL i wonder

[bark]

just one question no terror group can survive without funds so who is funding this operation and support for the muslims if not the ISIS/ISIL i wonder

Funds come from Malaysia. Government or Private funds; but from Malaysia. The three most Southern Thai provinces have a huge amount

of oil.

[diehard60]

Soft targets can turn into hard targets very easily. Thailand should be careful. Just saying.

[Bluespunk]

It's a conflict based around independence/autonomy.

Faith is not a factor in why it is taking place.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Bluespunk

[elgordo38]

6.000 dead by not by isis, what a relief then

If it walks like a duck quacks like a duck its a giraffe?

[JAG]

That`s because the Muslims in southern Thailand are secretly supported by Malaysia and why the Thais won`t declare an all out war on the Thai Muslims in case it creates tensions with Malaysia.

As yet Isis is still based in the middle east and Africa and hasn`t reached the far east because the Muslims of south east Asia have their own brand of Muslim fanaticism, that so far has not been influenced by the Isis..

Sadly it is only a question of time.

And then submarines, 1700 Generals and some lovely golf courses will not help.

Goodbye to the southern provinces.

[JAG]

It's a conflict based around independence/autonomy.

Faith is not a factor in why it is taking place.

Maybe so - although I am not sure that is entirely so.

As a conflict it is vulnerable to slipping into the influence of ISIS affiliates.

[Bluespunk]

It's a conflict based around independence/autonomy.

Faith is not a factor in why it is taking place.

Maybe so - although I am not sure that is entirely so.

As a conflict it is vulnerable to slipping into the influence of ISIS affiliates.

Faith is not the cause of the conflict nor a driving force behind it.

isis relies on established networks of fundamentalist terrorist scum to achieve a foothold. Those groups are not present in this conflict.

There are terrorist scum operating in the region but faith is not their primary motivation.

[Thai at Heart]

They really don't understand the unity that is created by fatwa do they. How the hell can they say there is no sympathy in the Muslim world for the situation in the south?

If this is what the Thai army really thinks they really are misguided.

[rocketman777]

They are still saving up for the Franchise Fee