Don Pathan
BenarNews
Yala, Thailand
This past weekend, a mother and her teenage daughter were shot and killed as they were returning home from a flea market in Bacho district in Narathiwat, one of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand hit with a 14-year-old separatist insurgency.
Riding up from behind, the gunman let off two rounds, sending the mother-daughter motorbike into a ditch. He walked up to them and fired two more rounds at point blank to each victim’s head before leaving the scene with their motorbike, ring and gold bracelets. The two victims were Buddhists.
This particular sub-district, Tambon Palukasamo, also witnessed a murder a few weeks ago, on July 18, when a gunman hiding behind a bush riddled a pickup truck with rounds from an M16 automatic rifle. The driver was killed on the spot but the passenger took a bullet to his stomach and survived. The truck slid off the road and into a small pond. The two men were Muslims.
On the same day that the mother and daughter were murdered, Aug. 11, just 50 km (31 miles) north in Panare district of Pattani province, a paramilitary ranger was shot dead by a sniper who fired five rounds from about 100 meters away.
The victim was going about his daily chore – turning on and off the light switch at the hut outside his army base camp.
That same day, an army ordinance team was called to defuse a 5-kg bomb at a fair in Tung Yang Daeng district in Pattani province. Fliers floating around the village instructed people to stay away from the fair but offered no further explanation.
In these and in most cases, police make generic statements about the violence in this restive region, often blaming separatists. They, too, offer no further information.
Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the long-standing separatist movement that controls virtually all combatants on the ground, doesn’t put out public statements to confirm or deny responsibility for specific incidents.
No eyewitness comes forward, probably for fear of reprisal from the insurgents and because nobody believes the security forces can give them the needed protection should they become a state witness.
7,000 dead
So far, this current wave of insurgency has claimed nearly 7,000 lives since January 2004. But life goes on as local Buddhists and Malay Muslims interact on a daily basis, looking for common ground.
In spite of bitter moments that surface every now and then between them, the fabric of society in this historically contested region remains largely intact. In morning eateries and tea shops, ethnic Thai, Chinese and Malays sit side-by-side and chat about low fruit prices and the heat wave.
Police say they are investigating the gruesome case of the mother and daughter shot in the head at close range in broad daylight on a village backroad.
They have not ruled out a personal dispute or robbery as potential motives.
Judging from the way the two victims were killed, it seems like a great deal of trouble for any criminal to go through just to get a motorbike, bracelets and a ring.
And if the past 14 years are any indication, chances that justice will be done are slim. Most criminal cases in the Far South go unsolved.
Information is scarce, the truth is relative, and life is cheap.
As for ending the decades-long insurgency that sets the stage for the endless violence in the Far South, officials are busy with other matters in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.
Don Pathan is a Thailand-based security and development consultant for international organizations. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and not of BenarNews.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/commentaries/far-south-view/violence-update-08152018144110.html
DON PATHAN Senior Program Officer for Regional Security Cooperation at The Asia Foundation
Thursday 16 August 2018
Friday 3 August 2018
Junta Has Little to Show for Deep South Peace Efforts
Don Pathan
BenarNews
Yala, Thailand
As Thailand moves closer to a general election, expected sometime early next year, the current junta members who came to power through a coup four years ago are concerned that they would not have much to show for peace efforts in the Muslim-majority Deep South.
The Safety Zone pilot project is pretty much the only thing they have to talk about when it comes to their legacy for this restive region that has claimed about 7,000 lives since January 2004.
There are other projects, such as Bring People Home, a half-baked amnesty program that nobody, especially the militants, takes seriously. There is also the 50-million baht (U.S. $1.5 million) civil-military program that involves giving money to local civil-society organizations (CSO) believing this will undermine local support for the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the one long-standing separatist movement that controls virtually, if not all, of the militants on the ground.
But that, too, flopped, as most longstanding CSOs in the far South shunned the offer.
Already, a local political party, Pracha Chat, is in the making and its aim is to cash in on the anti-military sentiment among the general public.
It’s hard for the Thai leaders to talk about successes and continuity because Thailand’s counterpart, the MARA Patani, has suspended the dialogue process.
The umbrella organization is made up of deep-rooted separatist movements and a handful of BRN members who do not have the support of their top leaders.
The organization suspended the talks because they felt belittled by how Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha treated the Safety Zone project when he casually told Thai reporters that a district has been selected to come under the pilot project. Safety Zone is a designated district government security forces and separatist militants are supposed to observe ceasefire.
MARA Patani considered the project to be a “breakthrough” and wanted the Bangkok government to give it the kind of respect they think it deserves. But Prayuth pulled the rug from their feet and denied them the much-needed spotlight that MARA Patani members think could have enhanced their legitimacy.
Although their technical team agreed in principle with the selection of Cho I-rong district, MARA Patani leaders continue to remain tight-lipped.
Besides denying them the limelight, Bangkok also refuses to sign the agreement on the Safety Zone pilot project, saying inking anything at this point was unnecessary because the two sides are still at confidence-building stage.
For the time being, no one can say when MARA Patani leaders will come out of their corner and resume the talks. Officially, only the Thai side has made a public announcement about Cho I-rong being designated as Safety Zone.
Prayuth made the statement to reporters in April and MARA Patani responded by suspending the talks.
The following month, the changes in Malaysia’s political landscape that saw the ouster of UMNO from power after almost 60 years, gave MARA Patani another reason to stall the talks.
Abu Hafez al-Hakim, a key member in the organization, said it was premature to predict whether the new government in Kaula Lumpur will retain Ahmad Zamzamin Hashim, Malaysia’s former spy chief, as the designated facilitator.
But even if MARA Patani came around and formally endorsed Cho I-rong as the designated Safety Zone, the project is resting on a shaky ground, as it has always been.
First of all, MARA Patani doesn’t control the insurgents on the ground; it’s the BRN. Sources in the Thai government said Zamzamin had assured them last year that the BRN leadership would not sabotage the project.
Militants on the ground said they have no problem with observing the ceasefire. But as far as they are concerned, nothing has been formally designated – at least not by both sides. So far, militants in Cho I-rong said they have not received any instruction to observe any ceasefire.
Some Thai officials working on the insurgency in the far South are wondering if the BRN leadership actually made that kind of commitment to Zamzamin. Some believe Zamzamin may have exaggerated his claim.
Moreover, according to the Thai officials, Zamzamin was supposed to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Thailand’s chief negotiator Gen. Aksara Kherdphol and Doonloh Wae-mano, one of BRN’s top leaders. The venue was supposed to be in Indonesia. But that, too, hasn’t happened.
“I don’t think the BRN leaders are serious about coming to face-to-face with any Thai representatives,” said a Thai army general working in the Far South. “If a date hasn’t been set by now, the meeting won’t happen any time soon.”
Don Pathan is a Thailand-based security and development consultant for international organizations. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and not of BenarNews.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/commentaries/far-south-view/philippines-militants-08032018161110.html
BenarNews
Yala, Thailand
As Thailand moves closer to a general election, expected sometime early next year, the current junta members who came to power through a coup four years ago are concerned that they would not have much to show for peace efforts in the Muslim-majority Deep South.
The Safety Zone pilot project is pretty much the only thing they have to talk about when it comes to their legacy for this restive region that has claimed about 7,000 lives since January 2004.
There are other projects, such as Bring People Home, a half-baked amnesty program that nobody, especially the militants, takes seriously. There is also the 50-million baht (U.S. $1.5 million) civil-military program that involves giving money to local civil-society organizations (CSO) believing this will undermine local support for the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the one long-standing separatist movement that controls virtually, if not all, of the militants on the ground.
But that, too, flopped, as most longstanding CSOs in the far South shunned the offer.
Already, a local political party, Pracha Chat, is in the making and its aim is to cash in on the anti-military sentiment among the general public.
It’s hard for the Thai leaders to talk about successes and continuity because Thailand’s counterpart, the MARA Patani, has suspended the dialogue process.
The umbrella organization is made up of deep-rooted separatist movements and a handful of BRN members who do not have the support of their top leaders.
The organization suspended the talks because they felt belittled by how Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha treated the Safety Zone project when he casually told Thai reporters that a district has been selected to come under the pilot project. Safety Zone is a designated district government security forces and separatist militants are supposed to observe ceasefire.
MARA Patani considered the project to be a “breakthrough” and wanted the Bangkok government to give it the kind of respect they think it deserves. But Prayuth pulled the rug from their feet and denied them the much-needed spotlight that MARA Patani members think could have enhanced their legitimacy.
Although their technical team agreed in principle with the selection of Cho I-rong district, MARA Patani leaders continue to remain tight-lipped.
Besides denying them the limelight, Bangkok also refuses to sign the agreement on the Safety Zone pilot project, saying inking anything at this point was unnecessary because the two sides are still at confidence-building stage.
For the time being, no one can say when MARA Patani leaders will come out of their corner and resume the talks. Officially, only the Thai side has made a public announcement about Cho I-rong being designated as Safety Zone.
Prayuth made the statement to reporters in April and MARA Patani responded by suspending the talks.
The following month, the changes in Malaysia’s political landscape that saw the ouster of UMNO from power after almost 60 years, gave MARA Patani another reason to stall the talks.
Abu Hafez al-Hakim, a key member in the organization, said it was premature to predict whether the new government in Kaula Lumpur will retain Ahmad Zamzamin Hashim, Malaysia’s former spy chief, as the designated facilitator.
But even if MARA Patani came around and formally endorsed Cho I-rong as the designated Safety Zone, the project is resting on a shaky ground, as it has always been.
First of all, MARA Patani doesn’t control the insurgents on the ground; it’s the BRN. Sources in the Thai government said Zamzamin had assured them last year that the BRN leadership would not sabotage the project.
Militants on the ground said they have no problem with observing the ceasefire. But as far as they are concerned, nothing has been formally designated – at least not by both sides. So far, militants in Cho I-rong said they have not received any instruction to observe any ceasefire.
Some Thai officials working on the insurgency in the far South are wondering if the BRN leadership actually made that kind of commitment to Zamzamin. Some believe Zamzamin may have exaggerated his claim.
Moreover, according to the Thai officials, Zamzamin was supposed to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Thailand’s chief negotiator Gen. Aksara Kherdphol and Doonloh Wae-mano, one of BRN’s top leaders. The venue was supposed to be in Indonesia. But that, too, hasn’t happened.
“I don’t think the BRN leaders are serious about coming to face-to-face with any Thai representatives,” said a Thai army general working in the Far South. “If a date hasn’t been set by now, the meeting won’t happen any time soon.”
Don Pathan is a Thailand-based security and development consultant for international organizations. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and not of BenarNews.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/commentaries/far-south-view/philippines-militants-08032018161110.html
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