Thailand Southern Problem

Thai rebels 'ready for talks with govt' But Malay Muslim militants will not drop independence claims

Pulo's foreign affairs chief Kasturi Mahkota insists that the conflict remains ethnic, not religious. -- ST PHOTO: NIRMAL GHOSH



STOCKHOLM: Leaders of Thailand's southern Malay-Muslim insurgency, while not dropping aspirations of independence, are ready to talk with the Thai authorities on other issues, but they need confidence-building measures to move forward, a key figure in the Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo) told The Straits Times.

In an interview at an undisclosed location in Sweden, Mr Kasturi Mahkota, foreign affairs chief of Pulo, said the recent one month unilateral ceasefire by insurgents in three districts in the Narathiwat province, was meant to 'signal to the Thais and the international community, that we want to solve the conflict'.

The idea had been discussed with Thai delegates involved in occasional talks with figures representing the insurgency.

The conflict, which dates to pre-colonial times, reignited in early 2004 after a brief lull and has since claimed more than 4,000 lives. Though personal feuds and criminality may account for many incidents, the violent political conflict has cast a shadow over the provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and part of Songkhla - and tied down 30,000 troops and 15,000 police.

Mr Mahkota said the ceasefire was successful - blaming one incident, an attack on police, on local elements that in any conflict of this nature were not always possible to control.

'On our side we have shown everything already; now we are waiting to see what they can offer,' he said.

'If they can't convince us that dialogue can move on, it is finished. We can give them about a month.'

Citing the Indonesian government's agreement with Aceh's independence movement, he said: 'Indonesia said forget independence, let's talk. The Thais say forget independence, but offer no alternative.'

'The Thais have to come to us with something, then we will discuss it among ourselves,' he said. 'The conflict has to be resolved. For me the word - independence, autonomy, federation - is not important. The content is more important. We have to be able to make an agreement, then agree on what to call it.'

Asked what he would consider an adequate gesture, he called for the release of four Pulo militants - Haji Daoh Thanam, Haji Abdul Rohman Bazo, Haji Mae Yala, and Haji Sama-ae Thanam - who were arrested by the Malaysian authorities in 1998 and are in prison in Thailand.

Mr Kasturi made special mention of Haji Abdul Rohman Bazo, whom he called by his popular name, Baboh Betong. The man was over 70 now, he said.

'If Scotland can release the Lockerbie bomber despite all the protests, why can't the Thais do the same,' he said.

He said a recent shift in focus in the militancy, from civilian to security targets, was the result of a more strategic approach since the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Coordinate (BRNC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pulo in January.

He warned that 'historically, (the insurgency) never stops; it can be down for a while, but always comes up again'.

'We have two priorities now - to unify the umma (Muslim community), and to build up a more powerful military, because dialogue can't go anywhere without a powerful armed option. But at the same time, we are trying to build a political platform (for dialogue).'

Elaborating on Pulo-BRNC's positions in dialogue, he said: 'First, no conflict can be resolved unless the real causes are discussed. They (the Thais) always talk of development. Of course who doesn't want development, but development should address the needs of the people, not of Bangkok. Ideas from Bangkok have never been accepted.'

He added: 'It is not possible to brush aside aspirations for independence. We have been fighting for 40 years. Our demand for independence has never been dropped, but we can discuss other things.'

'We have to not look into past crimes in the dialogue process, otherwise we will never achieve resolution.'

He named three figures sent by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to engage in talks - a member of the ruling Democrat Party, an academic, and a member of the National Security Council. But he suggested that representation should be raised to ministerial level.

'Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has been a disappointment,' he said. 'He has not taken the opportunity (to progress on resolving the conflict in the south). He has been thinking more about his own position.'

He insisted that the conflict remained ethnic, not religious - and that as far as he knew, there has been no approach from or involvement with Jemaah Islamiah or Al-Qaeda. Neither was Thailand's larger internal political conflict of concern.

'We have to concentrate on our struggle. The roots are historical, not religious. We were occupied by the Thais for over 100 years. Our fight is for the identity and dignity of Pattani, we don't want to involve other people.'

And he added: 'We are not going to throw out (long-time Chinese residents of the region), we hope they understand that. We are fighting for the rights of all Pattani; that is very clear.'

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By Nirmal Ghosh, Thailand Correspondent