Author: John Aglionby
Publication: The Guardian
Date: January 16, 2004
URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,1124656,00.html
An attack on an army base has undermined
Thailand's strenuous claims that it has no problem with terrorism.
It has taken an audacious attack
on an army base, including the murder of four soldiers - two of whom had
their throats slit - the theft of more than 300 weapons and the torching
of 21 schools as a diversionary tactic to finally expose the Thai prime
minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, as a ruler with no clothes.
Prior to the January 4 raid, on
a base in the Muslim-dominated southern Narathiwat province, the populist
telecoms tycoon turned politician had repeatedly told the world that his
country did not have a problem with terrorism, separatism, militant Islamism
or any of the other issues plaguing his neighbours.
Protecting the nation's image, and
the revenue brought in by the 10 million tourists that visit every year,
seemed more important than tackling thorny problems.
Mr Thaksin's denial came despite
the fact that the region's most senior terrorist, Hambali, had been arrested
in Thailand last August. At least one of the key Bali bombing planning
meetings was held in Thailand, and many of the dozens of terrorist suspects
arrested round the region since the Spetember 11 2001 attacks claimed to
have used the country as a base.
Moreover, and perhaps most importantly,
there has been simmering Muslim separatist sentiment in the predominantly
Muslim southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat for at least
the last century, and arguably for almost 500 years.
De facto martial law has been in
effect in many districts of the south for a decade. More than 20,000 militants
in these provinces, mostly grouped under the umbrella of the Pattani United
Liberation Organisation, fought for secession in the 70s and 80s, dispersing
after the government granted an amnesty in the early 80s.
It is unclear who was responsible
for the recent raid. A court in Narathiwat this week issued arrest warrants
for four alleged Muslim militants whom police believe orchestrated it.
Awae Kaleh, Masae Useng, Karim Karubang and Waeli Copter Waji face charges
of treason, murder, arson and robbery.
They allegedly have ties to, or
are members of, various fairly obscure groups such as the Malay-named Gerakan
Mujahideen Islam Pattani (GMIP - the Pattani Islamic Mujahideen Movement),
that could be linked to Jemaah Islamiyah, which is regarded as the south-east
Asian arm of al-Qaida.
This obfuscation and ambiguity over
the precise nature of the four's involvement, and myriad other possible
suspects, extends to the perpetrators' motivation. That has been variously
claimed to be religion, social and economic resentment, criminality and
international terrorism, by both officials and people submitting opinions
to internet chat rooms.
Critics say that this further exposes
the extent to which Bangkok has lost the pulse of the south where, in the
four aforementioned states, 80% of the population, but only 10% of the
officials, are Muslim. According to one recent survey, more than one third
of six to 24-year-olds have not completed their primary education.
As a result, the government's reaction
has been rather haphazard. It initially responded very much with the stick,
and is only just starting to think about the carrot.
In addition to martial law being
declared, thousands of troops and police have been mobilised, private Islamist
schools - many of which serve the poorest in society - are being investigated
for suspected training of Islamic militants, and joint border patrols with
the Malaysian security forces have been initiated for the first time in
30 years.
Southern community leaders are only
getting the chance to discuss the issue with senior ministers this weekend.
The deputy prime minister, General
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, will meet Muslim leaders from the three most tense
provinces on Saturday, a day after Mr Thaksin has found the time to meet
his Malaysian counterpart, Abdullah Badawi.
Many newspaper columnists believe
that this failure to prioritise engagement at grassroots level could well
prolong the disquiet- cum-unrest for decades, if not longer.
Writing in the Nation this week,
the former foreign minister, Surin Pitsuwan, said that, in addressing the
issue of Islamist extremism in the south, "it is better to aim at long-term
regional stability and prosperity rather than a daily dose of publicity
for short-term political gain.
"We must realise that every one
of our neighbours has its own domestic constraints and sensitivities. Failure
to recognise that would lead to complicating the issue further for all
of us."
With elections due within the next
year, Mr Thaksin does not have an awful lot of time on his side if he wants
to protect his domestic reputation and his country's international one.
He is beginning to get dressed at
last, but the make-up of his final wardrobe remains uncertain.
