Ninya Khabush
via UCA News
On March 22, 2024, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and a part of SongkhlaThailand were attacked in a series of coordinated arson attacks. It set fire to at least 40 locations within those four provinces; there is no confirmation on who or which groups are actually behind this recent incendiarism. But, authorities suspect that insurgents, specifically the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), were behind this.
Unfortunately, this news is not surprising, considering attacks like these have been commonplace for the last 20 years.
The South Thailand Insurgency is an ongoing Malay-Muslim-based conflict unraveling in mostly the three southernmost provinces, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. The insurgency stems from the religious conflict between Buddhism (Thailand’s main religion) and Islam that began in 1948, and violently escalated in the early 2000s, as the government was trying to implement a policy of assimilation. In response, the BRN separatist movement resurfaced in 2001 because they disagreed with the idea of assimilation and considered themselves Malay.
The Thai government does not think that the BRN is here for a good cause, and the disagreement between the two led to the escalation of the conflict. A conflict that became one of the deadliest insurgencies in Southeast Asia and was responsible for injuring at least 13,500 people and causing the deaths of 7,000. After its 2007 peak, the violence has simmered down and is now considered a low priority. This is in large part because the southern provinces’ population only accounts for 2% of the nation's total population.
As a result of the increasing violence, Martial law was implemented in 2004 and led to a subsequent 2006 coup d’etat. As a result of Martial law, there are multiple reports of police and military abusing Muslim minority groups as a form of punishment. During the peak period, many Muslim locals in Southern Thailand told Amnesty International that “they or other victims were detained by joint military forces of about 20 and 300 people in the early hours of the day.”
This brought attention from international audiences. Including Human Rights Watch, which has stated multiple times throughout their reports that the way police and military handled detainees was unacceptable. The organization even wrote a joint letter to the Thai government and the United Nations to raise that concern. They implored the Thai government to stop committing violence against civilians and detainees, with Amnesty International even writing reports titled Torture and Make Him Speak By Tomorrow: Torture and Other Ill-Treatment in Thailand. However, after releasing these reports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has claimed the information has not yet been verified and they are unable to speak on whether or not it is accurate.
Even with the recognition that of changes are necessary and urgent, these issues persist. Why is that?
We have identified two primary issues: One, there is no consensus on why this keeps happening. And two, why is it that these solutions fail?
Looking at what the Thai government has tried in past reformations can help illuminate this. So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand has responded to Amnesty International’s “Make Him Speak By Tomorrow” report, stating that all victims should “seek compensation” under the Damage for the Injured Person and Compensation and Expense for the Accused in Criminal Case Act 2001. In addition, Thailand has been a part of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) since 2007. Thailand is also a part of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) even mentioned that Thailand plans to be a part of the Optional Proposal to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT).
On the other hand, the government postponed or extended the Act on Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance, which is crucial to ensuring justice in 2023. In response, Amnesty International’s Director for Thailand, Piyanut Kotsan, handed the letter to Mr. Kerdchoke Kasemwongjit, the director-general of the Department of Rights and Liberties Protection under the Ministry of Justice (MOL), saying enforcement of this act should begin immediately.
Internationally, Malaysia has served as a mediator between the Royal Thai Government and the BRN since 2013, but the negotiations have yet to make progress.
Eleven years later, we finally received good news. Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, the Malaysian facilitator, said both the Thai and Malay governments agreed to sign a peace plan to find a resolution to end this conflict.
The main reason the conflict persists is that both sides are totally unwilling to compromise. The BRN lacks cohesion, while the Thai government and the military hesitate to unify this policy in the South.
It is our turn to help Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat by bringing public attention to this problem. The best solution is polling and surveying Thai citizens to build trust and
confidence in the conflict area. International countries like Malaysia, ASEAN, or even the United States can help domestic NGOs that work extensively on this issue by providing tools and recommendations on public surveying to obtain more credible information.
After all, the citizens are the ones who experience this; as such, they likely have the best solutions to effectively deal with this insurgency. Hearing the locals’ perspectives, specifically, that of each party, may effectively help communicate the dialogue between the BRN and the Thai government. Pursuing a goal that the public was a part of crafting can help ensure the public trust is met for both parties, proper measures can be taken between the Thai and Malay governments to resolve this devastating conflict in adherence that both parties are supported by fair policy.
However, these steps must be taken carefully because if they are not, there is a real risk of having to start these processes over again.
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