(27/05/2013)
Over nine years ago, violent incidents erupted in the deep South of
Thailand on 4 January 2004, when a group of armed perpetrators launched
raids on a military camp in Cho-airong district, Narathiwat province,
attempting to attack authorities, seize government firearms, and
instigate instability. Following the arms theft, the three southern
border provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat, and some districts of
Songkhla became the scenes of violence, and the conflicts have dragged
on to this day.
In fact, even before 2004, different views had existed and
violent incidents had occurred in the southern border provinces for
quite some time, but the situation had rarely got out of hand. Each
government has tried numerous ways to cope with the situation,
implementing various strategies and projects, some in the short term and
some on a continual basis.
Although a separatist movement does exist in the deep South – and it has
made efforts to upgrade the movement to a fighting force – the unrest
has not involved sectarian or religious conflicts. Most local people do
not agree with those who have destructive intentions and who are trying
to create turmoil.
The Thai government has explained that violence in the southern border
provinces is perpetrated by a small number of extremist elements with
the intention of creating divisions and hatred in a uniquely and
historically harmonious, multicultural, and multiethnic society. The
attacks on innocent civilians, whether they are Muslim, Buddhist, or of
any other faith, are equally abhorrent and affect the lives of everyone
in the region. Security personnel have been deployed to protect the
lives and livelihoods of local people. All violent incidents are
investigated and prosecuted in the courts in accordance with criminal
law.
According to the Deep South Watch Center, Prince of Songkla University,
Pattani Campus, the unrest in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and four
districts of Songkhla from 4 January 2004 to 31 December 2012
experienced 12,597 violent incidents, killing 5,501 people and injuring
9,725 persons. Both Muslims and Buddhists were all victims of the
violent incidents.
Security is not the only problem, as statistics on incidents involving
other issues, such as dark influences, illegal trade, drugs, and local
crime, have been found to be higher than incidents related to
separatism.
The Thai government has placed the issue of the southern situation as a
top national priority. Apart from adopting the “politics leads the
military” approach in peace-building operations in the South, It has
also focused on a development-led approach in eradicating poverty and
drug problems, improving education, and providing greater opportunities
for local people.
The Government has also stressed the adoption of His Majesty King
Bhumibol Adulyadej’s royal advice to “understand, reach out, and
develop” as the central strategy to tackle unrest in the southern border
provinces, together with the philosophy of Sufficiency Economy,
advocated by His Majesty as a path to well-balanced and sustainable
development. The word “understanding” means to seek to understand
history, the causes of violence, and the successes and failures in
tackling the problems. In other words, people must understand the past,
present, and future of the situation.
“Reaching out” involves efforts to win the hearts of local people and
learn their feelings and thoughts. Without reaching out or
accessibility, it will be impossible to resolve the problems.
The word “development” means the proper way of developing in order to
cope with the problems with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Without understanding and reaching out, people will not be able to carry
out development properly. As a result, the problems will not be solved,
while violence might escalate.
As for the Sufficiency Economy concept, it means having enough to live
on and to live for and to lead a reasonably comfortable life without
extravagance or destruction of the environment. A survey shows that most
people in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla, and Satun agree that the
adoption of the Sufficiency Economy philosophy is suitable in their
areas. They believe that the philosophy will lead to a more economical
way of living without fighting to take advantage of others.
In handling the southern situation, the Government assigned the Internal
Security Operations Command to be in charge of security matters and the
Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center to be responsible for
development work. It formed the Committee on the Mobilization of
Southern Border Provinces Policy and Strategies, which also set up an
operation center, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Police Captain Chalerm
Ubumrung, to facilitate the tackling of southern problems in accord
with the conditions in local environments.
The principle of ensuring justice has been emphasized as part of the
peace-building process in the southern border provinces, as well. In
this regard, the Southern Border Police Operations Center was instructed
in April 2013 to reconsider arrest warrants issued in accordance with
the Executive Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations.
The arrest warrants for the persons suspected of creating unrest,
charged under the Criminal Code, would be revoked, if evidence was
insufficient. The instruction shows the Government’s gesture of
leniency, as its immediate objective is to reduce the level of violence
and prevent innocent deaths.
As for the Executive Decree on Public Administration in Emergency
Situations, it was announced in 2005 as an instrument that would enable
state officials to deal with the southern situation more effectively.
The enforcement of the emergency decree lasts three months at a time and
may be renewed, if necessary, through Cabinet approval. It covers
Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and four districts of Songkhla. A major
development is that the Government will replace the emergency decree
with the Internal Security Act in the areas where the situation has
improved. Under the Act, militants involved with the southern unrest
will be granted an amnesty and freed from criminal charges, if they are
categorized as “misled persons” and agree to undergo re-education, which
will take no more than six months.
In another significant step to reduce the level of violence in the
southern border provinces, the Thai government has held peace dialogues
with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Coordinate (National Revolutionary
Front), known in short as BRN. The dialogues came after the
Secretary-General of the National Security Council of Thailand,
Lieutenant General Paradorn Pattanatabut, and the Chief of the BRN
Liaison Office in Malaysia, Ustaz Hassan Taib, signed the General
Consensus Document on Peace Dialogue on 28 February 2013 in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. The signing was witnessed by Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen
Abdul Wahab, Secretary of Malaysia's National Security Council.
The Government explained that the signing signaled the beginning of a
dialogue process between the National Security Council and groups
holding different views and ideologies to that of the State. It does not
confer any recognition upon the groups taking part in the dialogue. In
addition, all actions taken with regard to this matter have been
entirely in line with the framework of the Constitution of Thailand,
which stipulates that separatism is not legally permissible.
Concerning this issue, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said, “We
believe that dialogue with all stakeholders and groups is an important
step forward. And we must continue on this path in order to achieve long
lasting peace and stability.”
Following the signing the General Consensus Document on Peace Dialogue,
the Thai government held the first round of dialogues with BRN on 28
March 2013 in Kuala Lumpur. The second round took place on 29 April
2013, also in Kuala Lumpur. The third is scheduled for 13 June 2013.
Kamphaeng Phet province in the lower North will be the venue for the
upcoming mobile Cabinet meeting, the 10th of its kind under the Yingluck
Shinawatra administration.
