Local Religious Leaders Encouraged to Help Ease Unrest in the Deep South

(25/04/2012)

Local religious leaders in the southern border provinces have been urged to help ease unrest and tackle problems in the deep South. Secretary-General of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center, Police Colonel Tawee Sodsong, stressed the important role of spiritual leaders in creating better understanding between local residents and officials in the South. He recently met 200 Muslim leaders, teachers, and school administrators in a brainstorming session to deal with southern problems. In the meeting, the Secretary-General cited misunderstanding between officials and local people as one of the root causes of the southern unrest. Better understanding about the local way of life and culture must be promoted. For this reason, the religious dimension should be emphasized in handling the southern situation. In this regard, more forums would be held for religious leaders to meet and seek ways to ease the unrest and develop the southern region. Police Colonel Tawee stated that the Government has a policy to create lasting peace in the southern border provinces, and it gives priority to ensuring the safety of local residents. In particular, it supports the Hajj pilgrimage and provides pilgrims with various services during the Hajj observance in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, each year. Islam is the second-largest faith in Thailand. The country is home to about eight million Muslims, out of the population of more than 60 million. Muslims of Malay descent are concentrated in the southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Satun, and some districts of Songkhla. Muslim Thais enjoy full state support and are free to teach and practice their religion. The Government has provided financial assistance to Islamic education institutions and the construction of some larger mosques. The funding of pilgrimages by Muslim Thais to Mecca is also included in the links between the government and the Muslim community. The Thai government in 2009 established a Hajj affairs section at the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to facilitate the travel of Muslim Thais to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage. Police Colonel Tawee said that Saudi Arabia had set a quota for 13,000 pilgrims from Thailand to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in September 2012. It has been eight years now since the southern violence erupted in January 2004. The Thai government is committed to easing the southern situation through peaceful means. The unrest demands a long-term solution, with all parties participating. Religious leaders and members of civil society organizations are emerging to play a greater role in tackling southern conflicts and bringing about lasting peace.