Cash schemes cannot buy peace

The military insists that its intentions are genuine but in reality, the Bt50-million project to dole out money to civil society organisations (CSO) in the conflict-ridden South, caused more heartache rather than heal the wounds left by the ongoing insurgency.
Last August, the Internal Security Operation Command (Isoc) announced that a Bt50-million fund has been set up and urged local activists to put in bids for the money. It was one of those moves with an ulterior motive where the organisations would have had to compromise on their independence.
Isoc tried to bill the project as civil-military cooperation aimed at quelling the conflict in the Malay-speaking South where about 7,000 people have died due to insurgency-related violence since January 2004. 
But members of long-standing civil society organisations, political activists, and academics from the region said they smelled a rat from the start. Many refused to buy the bait and because of that they continue to be seen in a bad light by the authorities.
Some think the Isoc idea was aimed at causing a split within the CSO community that is already divided along political fault lines, with one camp promoting the right to self-determination for the local people – the vast majority being Malay Muslims – while the other side is less critical and tends to work within the government’s policy framework, such as promoting autonomy, and going along with initiatives, particularly the ongoing peace dialogue.
Those in the camp that promotes the right to self-determination are often billed as separatists or sympathisers of the armed militants who are bent on carving out a separate homeland for the people in the three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat and the three Malay-speaking areas in Songkhla.
Preecha Chanakitkamjorn, director of the SBPAC Office for CSO coordination, told reporters this past week that his office will be requesting an additional Bt15 million for the project.
Like a good little bureaucrat, Preecha said General Udomdej Sitabutr, the head of the 13-member so-called Forward Cabinet for the conflict-affected region, recognised the importance of CSO participation in solving the unrest.
This point may be true for conflict resolution as seen around the world. But for Thailand’s armed forces, the concept of civil-military relations is not much different from harassing activists and sometimes human rights defenders who either disagree with them or question their ability to govern – not to mention the abusive practices and the culture of impunity.
Since the announcement of the Bt50-million budget in August 2017, at least 488 CSOs have put in their claims for cash. One should not be surprised considering many of these self-proclaimed CSOs came together instantly, at the behest of government authorities, from the district chiefs to the village heads who got them together ostensibly for the money. 
Interestingly, not one of the long-standing CSOs asked for the money. These include groups such as Nusantara, Perwani, Permas, YICE, Patani Forum and Muslim Attorney Centre (Mac). Some said these guys smelled a rat from the very beginning; others said they do not want to compromise on their principles because the Thai military knows almost nothing about civil-military affairs.
Respect, not harassment, needs to be the underlying factor for civil-military relations. Until then, Thai security officials and policymakers can forget about getting any meaningful CSOs on board their project, no matter how good their intentions may be.