FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Thailand due for upbraiding on the South

Thailand due for upbraiding on the South

The head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation returns to Bangkok duty-bound to point out that prior agreements are being ignored

The chief of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is paying Thailand another visit next week. It’s to be hoped that this time the government will be courteous and open-minded enough to take seriously what this group with global reach has to offer.
It’s not yet clear what Iyad Ameen Madani and his 57-member organisation have in mind on this occasion, but, if its representatives’ visits in 2007 and 2012 are any indication, Madani will arrive with significant proposals for resolving the conflict in the Malay Muslim-majority deep South.
Those previous visits included intense negotiations with authorities in Bangkok that resulted in several agreements. Thailand has failed to honour those agreements.
Prior to the second visit, the OIC had suggested it serve as mediator in peace talks between the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva and groups involved in the long-established separatist movement. At the same time, one of the ideas the OIC raised with Patani Malay separatists was that a regional assembly be established to help legitimise the movement. It came as no surprise that the government rejected the notion.
During the first visit, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu – then secretary-general of the OIC – raised the issue of the disappearance of Thai-Muslim lawyer and rights activist Somchai Neelapaijit in 2004. The OIC is no doubt dismayed that, a dozen years later, there is still no progress in that case.
The visit in May 2012 resulted in a joint statement in which the government reiterated that ending the conflict in the southern border provinces was a top priority. It said a comprehensive approach was being employed to address its root causes, in line with His Majesty the King’s advice to “Understand, reach out and develop.” The OIC acceded to the declaration, saying the policy was “moving in the right direction”.
The government also pledged to revoke the controversial emergency decree covering the southern provinces “whenever and wherever the situation on the ground permits”. The decree remains in place. 
Successive governments have been eager to claim progress in their varied approaches to resolving the southern conflict. However, the reality is that a force of nearly 70,000 armed security personnel – given free rein in a culture of impunity – and a lack of opportunities for locals to make a decent living reflect the ongoing failure to make any significant advance towards peace.
While it is true that recent years have witnessed a decline in the number of militant attacks, no government in Bangkok can claim this represents progress. The frequency of the attacks might be lower, but the intensity of those that do occur should remind the government that the militants remain active, potent and committed to violent insurgency.
Meanwhile the widespread perception among southerners that the insurgents are “liberators” means the militants will continue to be a dangerous force, rendering empty any official claim of progress towards peace.
Thailand, as an observer-state member of the OIC, needs to find ways to strengthen its cooperation with the organisation. Six months after the May 2012 visit, OIC foreign ministers issued a resolution expressing concern over the “meagre progress” in the five years since their previous visit. They regretted the “continued application of the emergency law in most southern areas and the limited progress in introducing the language of the local population [Malayu] as a language of instruction in the schools of the South.”
The assembled ministers noted the “continued extensive military presence” in the region and “its negative impacts on the population’s normal life” and expressed concern at the “mounting reliance on undisciplined paramilitary militias accused of committing illegal acts”. They warned of possible “increasing ethnic and religious polarisation”.
Despite such concerns, the current government has maintained faith in the paramilitary militias, posting them to remote areas where they continue to disrupt life and harass residents.
No one expects the OIC to perform miracles, but Madani arrives duty-bound to remind Thailand that it has to live up to principles agreed to during negotiations in 2007 and 2012. What is the use of negotiating and signing joint communiques if the government has no intention of abiding by their content?
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