Thai insurgent spells out his
message By Parvaiz Bukhari
SUNGAI KOLOK, Southern Thailand - A new
military-appointed interim government has publicly
promised a more conciliatory approach in dealing
with southern Thailand's Muslim insurgency. Yet
there are few signs that the sectarian violence is
abating.
Ousted prime minister Thaksin
Shinawatra stands broadly accused of tipping the
historically volatile region back toward
full-blown conflict through his government's
various heavy-handed policies. A disproportionate
number of young Thai Muslim men
were
extrajudicially killed during Thaksin's
controversial "war on drugs" and "war on dark
influences" campaigns in 2003.
More than
1,700 people have been killed so far on both sides
of the spiraling conflict, which erupted in
January 2004. In recent months Thailand's
insurgent groups have dangerously upped the tempo
of their campaign of violence, including the
increased use of remotely detonated explosive
devices in civilian areas. There is a growing
perception among security analysts that the
violent region is near the tipping point, and that
the government's military strategists have run out
of new ideas for how to counteract the deadly
hit-and-run tactics.
Thailand's new
military-appointed government has made finding a
solution to the spiraling conflict a priority.
Army commander General Sonthi Boonyaratklin has
indicated his willingness to reach out and
negotiate with insurgent groups, a notable
departure from Thaksin's tough law-and-order
approach.
Yet it is altogether unclear
whether the new government will be any more
willing to make the sort of self-autonomy
concessions insurgent groups say they desire. Asia
Times Online recently spoke with Pak Abu, head of
internal affairs of the Pattani United Liberation
Organization-Bersatu, both before and after the
September 19 coup at a secret location in the
southern Thai town of Sungai Kolok along the
Thai-Malaysian border.
Asia Times
Online: Will the groups agree to
negotiations with the Thaksin-led government, or
will they wait for him to step down before
negotiating?
Pak Abu: All
the separatist and militant groups have an
agreement among themselves. It is called
Bersatu. The question is not whether or not
Thaksin is in power. We are willing to negotiate
with any representative of the Thai government as
long as he is sincere.
ATol:
Are you winning the war in southern Thailand? Is
your movement gaining strength or changing
tactics?
Pak Abu: For us,
our struggle will succeed. The Thai government is
getting weaker by the day. The government does not
know how to quell the fight in south Thailand.
This is becoming obvious now. They don't even know
who is behind the fighting. They don't know how
many groups are operating. They can't infiltrate
the groups.
ATol: How strong
are your collective fighting forces?
Pak Abu: The Thai government
says that we have at least five members in each
village in southern Thailand. There are more than
5,000 villages.
ATol: Why
has the insurgency been confined to Pattani, Yala
and Narathiwat provinces? Are there any plans or
discussions to take your fight further up
Thailand's southern coast, toward areas popular
with tourists such as Phuket and Krabi provinces?
Pak Abu: We are not
interested in targeting tourists.
ATol: Unlike other global
Muslim insurgencies, southern Thailand's has not
been led by a particular charismatic leader. Why
is that?
Pak Abu: Struggles
in other parts of the world are open. In Palestine
the commandos wear scarves. It's the same with the
Hezbollah. They fight in the open. Ours is an
underground movement. Maybe when we come out in
the open, we would have a charismatic identity.
ATol: Is Bersatu linked to
any other regional or international groups? What
is the goal of your insurgency?
Pak
Abu: Our struggle is to take back our land
which is being occupied. This has nothing to do
with JI [Jemaah Islamiya] or al-Qaeda.
ATol: Do you have any
operational, logistical, philosophical support
from JI or al-Qaeda?
Pak
Abu: Of course there are individual
relationships. People from these groups sympathize
with our struggle. Muslim countries and Saudi
Arabia do offer assistance, but to the religious
schools and imams. They are afraid to be linked
with us as an organization. The elders in our
community knew the leaders and members of militant
groups in the world when they were studying
together.
ATol: How big a
role did Thaksin's heavy-handed policies toward
the region in general and Thai Muslims in
particular play in launching your insurgent
campaign in January 2004?
Pak
Abu: We are not angry with Thaksin alone.
We are not just fighting Thaksin alone. We are
fighting the Thai government.
ATol: Would you be willing
to lay down arms and broker a peace deal if
Thaksin is no longer in power?
Pak
Abu: We will negotiate with any
representative from the Thai government, including
Thaksin.
ATol: What role, if
any, do you believe the Americans are playing in
the Thai army's counter-insurgency tactics?
Pak Abu: I am not aware of
any. I believe the Thai army itself does not want
any interference from the Americans because the
southern Thailand issue would become
internationalized. There is a division in the Thai
army. There are some who want help from the
Americans and others who do not. Those who want
American involvement do so because they want the
arms deals to fill their pockets. The others are
worried it would affect the economy adversely.
ATol: Have you been
approached behind the scenes by either the Thai
government or mediating international
organizations to negotiate a peace deal?
Pak Abu: Germany and Sweden
have approached us and so has the United Nations.
We are still in the midst of working out our
modus operandi.
ATol:
What about recent reports that insurgent groups
have held informal talks with Thai intelligence
officials in Malaysia with former prime minister
Mahathir Mohamad serving as interlocutor?
Pak Abu: The move was not
made by the government. It's Sonthi's initiative.
It is just a dialogue, not a round-table talk.
This is the first time Thailand has agreed to hold
a dialogue with us. We prefer to talk to the Thai
government as opposed to the military, but we
still see this as a positive move. We hope they
are honest about finding a solution to the
problem.
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