Muslims Fleeing Thailand

[pumpuiman]

More Muslim Thais flee to Malaysia

(BangokokPost.com from Malaysian media reports)

Another group of 20 Muslims has fled southern Thailand to seek safety in Malaysia, the Malaysian media reported this afternoon.

Official Bernama news agency said five families comprising nine men and 11 females ranging from two to 55 years old, were seeking political asylum.

The group, who entered Malaysia illegally across a border river late Thursday night, claimed they were seeking protection from Thai "military pressure".

This was the same excuse given by a previous group of 131 Thai Muslims who crossed into Malaysia last Aug 30, ostensibly for protection against the Thai army. Both groups claimed the army was detaining and and torturing innocent people.

The fresh incident was likely to embarrass the Bangkok government, which has officially embarked on a kinder, gentler approach to the southern violence. There was no immediate response by government or military spokesmen to the Malaysian reports.

Bernama reported that a spokesman for the latest group to flee declined to have his name published. But he said they were continuously harassed by the army, including by soldiers who entered their houses at night and detained whoever they found and suspected as terrorists.

"The action is torturing the villagers who have been hoping for a better life after a new government was formed recently," the Thai Muslim told Bernama, whose reporter said the meeting took place at the banks of the Sungai Golok River on Thursday night, right after the group entered Malaysia.

Bernama said the spokesman claimed that villagers had expected the situation in the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala to improve after the Sept 19 coup ousting the widely detested ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Instead, he said, the worst was far from over.

A month ago, the Bernama report quoted the Thai group leader as saying, the army staged a series of raids on their village at night, allegedly looking for suspects.

"They trespassed into our homes and arrested whoever they suspected as terrorists without checking. They took several members of my family and we do not know where they are now," said the man, whose wife and their three children were also in the group.

He claimed that the army under the new government was more aggressive.

"To my knowledge, they have arrested nine villagers on suspicion of being terrorists when they are in fact ordinary village people who are not at all involved in any anti-government activities," he told Bernama, according to the agency's report.

Supposedly two of the arrested men have been freed while seven remain in army hands.

He said he fled to Malaysia for a safe and better life for his family, Bernama reported.

A housewife who identified herself as Yah, 47, said her husband was arrested by the army about a month ago and she had never heard from him since. "Since then, my family slept under the house in the dark for fear that the army might come again," she said.

Bernama said Malaysian authorities believe more Muslims will flee the South and claim refugee status.

Of the group of 131 Muslims from Thailand who fled into Malaysia last August, 130 of them are still at Kuala Berang, Terengganu. One was said to have been sent home as an insurgent suspect.

[dog412]

anyone so knowledgable as to know the innocence of these individuals, makes it sound as if he knows who is innocent and guilty. point them out, would be one solution.

[pumpuiman]

anyone so knowledgable as to know the innocence of these individuals, makes it sound as if he knows who is innocent and guilty. point them out, would be one solution.

I agree, they could help solve the problem...not run away.

I find it odd that a reporter just happened to be waiting for them on the river bank. It seems they are part of a larger plan.

[Heng]

The majority of Muslims aren't going anywhere. They are here to stay with huge land holdings.

[Sing_Sling]

What's the big deal? Some leave, some stay. Some have large landholdings, others have none (I'd love to see the stats on the majority having huge landholdings, though.)

I think the pertinent point is that if they feel safer elsewhere then that is where they should go and be allowed to go, especially with the history of violence by the army here.

[Heng]

What's the big deal? Some leave, some stay. Some have large landholdings, others have none (I'd love to see the stats on the majority having huge landholdings, though.)

I should say that's just my experience in my dealings with Thai Muslims. They are a lot more reluctant to sell up and one runs into them all the time in real estate (for myself, IMO a good portion, likely evenly split between Thai Chinese, Indian Thais, and Thai Muslims, of the treasure trove of land all over eastern Bangkok from Samutprakarn to Bangkapi, Ladkrabang, stretching into Survarnabhumi and Chachoengsao, etc. I doubt there are any published stats, just like there isn't any firm evidence that the Thai Chinese own most of the valuable land in the country (other than broad general statements without any specific stats). I'd say they are the third more important group of land owners in the LOS (in terms of value not area) behind the Thai Chinese, and Indian Thais.

Edited December 16, 2006 by Heng

[Sing_Sling]

I'd say they are the third more important group of land owners in the LOS (in terms of value not area) behind the Thai Chinese, and Indian Thais.

Chinese and Indians possibly in Bangkok and other cities, but certianly not in the countryside, except for the valuable areas. Thailand is quite large and small plot-owners still own their land as it isn't important or value-increasing enough for investment purposes.

No idea about muslims owning land in Bkk, so can't comment.

[Heng]

Yeah, as mentioned, I was referring to value, not area.

[Sing_Sling]

Indeed you did.

Btw, did you know that 'heng' means 'luck' in Cantonese? better ask Meemiathai for confirmation, though - not sure about the transliteration.

Hello Mr Lucky!

[Heng]

Yeah, the same in Teochiu. Luck/good fortune. They're always after me lucky charms.

[pampal]

European machinations relating to trade routes are the cause of many of today's problems. These are not limited to southeast asia, look at the arab countries whose borders were drawn arbitrarily by occupying powers in the early part of the 20th century. Sykes-Picot agreement is the source of today's middle east problems. Let's not forget that it wasn't so long ago that the british were fighting "rebels" in Malaysia. They never went away, they just move to Thailand and now they are back at it. Persia/Iran was partitioned by the british and russia, all the former

-istan countries(Uzbekistan-Tajikstan,etc...) were part of Iran including the country we call Azerbaijan today.

Our old deeds coming back to haunt us.

[Scott]

It doesn't bode well for the situation in the South when you have people fleeing as refugees.

The government's approach may be gentler, but it doesn't sound like the army's approach is any gentler.