Conflict in deep South must not be seen as a religious war
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Controversial remarks by a monk on his facebook page are symptomatic of the wider perception in the country
A senior monk from a respected temple in Bangkok has been told to put a lid on his recent statement, billed as ‘hate speech’ by various sectors of Thai society.
Late last month, Phra Apichart Punnajanto posted on his Facebook page: “If a Buddhist monk dies from being shot at, or from an explosion in the South at the hands of Malayu bandits, a mosque should be burned, starting from the northern part of Thailand southwards.”
“Malayu bandits” refers to Muslim insurgents fighting the Thai state in the three southernmost provinces and four districts in Songkhla where about 80 per cent of the 2 million people identify themselves as Malay.
Armed insurgency surfaced in the 1960s and after a period of quiet unease in the late 1980s and early 1990s resurfaced again in late 2001.
Academics and observers agree the separatist insurgency is ethno-nationalist in nature, and not a religious one.
But many in the country, like Phra Apichart, view it as a religious conflict.
Following pressure from the authorities and the Supreme Sangha Council, Phra Apichart decided to close his Facebook account for the time being.
But if the “Buddhist people call me back, I shall return,” he was reported as saying.
Frustration runs high throughout the country, as this wave of violence has created havoc for more than a decade now and a solution is nowhere in sight.
Peace talks between the government and some of the rebel groups have been initiated but no meaningful progress has been made. Hence frustration among people in all areas.
However, this should not become an excuse to twist facts, like what Phra Apichart did, by billing it as a religious conflict.
Sad to say, the conflict in this historically contested region has been used as an excuse to push a certain political agenda. This includes the push by Buddhist nationalists who want to make Buddhism the state religion and want this to be enshrined in the country’s next constitution.
No one is really sure how designating Buddhism a state religion will enhance the religion given the likelihood of interface from the authorities in the Sangha’s affairs.
If Buddhism is to grow and strengthen in Thailand, it should be the work of society, not the state.
Monk Apichart’s crusade against the Muslim South is also based on wrong facts. First of all, most of the 6,500 insurgency-related deaths in the region are of Malay Muslims.
Monks getting killed by insurgents grab national attention. But no one says anything when an imam or an Islamic religious leader gets eliminated by government forces.
Monk Apichart’s statement disturbingly resembled the hardline position taken up by monks in Myanmar, where practically every politician from all walks of life refused to challenge their anti-Muslim campaign for fear of losing votes.
While Phra Apichart is not in the same league as Myanmar ultra-nationalist monk Ashin Wirathu, the head of the anti-Muslim campaign throughout Myanmar, his overall message should be a point of concern.
Even before his Facebook post last month, anti-Islam sentiment in various pockets of Thailand has already taken shape.
Residents in Nan province, as well as communities along the Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai road, for example, successfully prevented local Muslims from building a community mosque, saying they do not want to see their community turn into a war zone like the deep South.
They fail to grasp the fact that the conflict in the far South is an ethno-nationalist one and ignore that Muslims in other parts of Thailand are loyal citizens.
This misunderstanding and hatred does not emerge out of a vacuum. Much of it is shaped by news reports that do not give an accurate picture of the conflict in the far South.
Moreover, the shallow and simplistic picture of the situation in the restive region provided by government officials only adds fuel to the fire.
In this respect, the state is not without blame. They must share the blame for this anti-Islam sentiment because of their unwillingness and inability to grasp the crux of the problem and challenges they face.
