VOA标准英语2009年-Thailand Explores Greater Autonomy for Largely

A Thai government policy review of the largely Muslim southern provinces is considering granting greater local autonomy with reforms including introduction of Sharia Law through Islamic courts. The strategy is part of efforts to bring to an end a five-year insurgency 1 that has cost more than 3,000 lives.
　
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Foreign Press Club in Bangkok, 14 Jan 2009

The policy review began soon after the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva came to office in December. Speaking to foreign correspondents earlier this year, Mr. Abhsit set out the government's policy goals.

"The only long-term solution must be done through a comprehensive package that covers well beyond the security dimensions, but also addresses the issues such as economic development as well as addressing education and cultural diversity in the provinces," he said.

'Total development concept'

The government plan includes setting up a special office headed by a minister in charge of affairs in the Southern provinces. An interim 2 committee of ministers has examined what the government calls a 'total development concept' directed to the three provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala.

The region is among the poorest in Thailand, heavily reliant on agriculture, especially rubber, as well as mining.

While Thailand's 63 million population is overwhelmingly Buddhist 4, there are more than six million Muslims, largely living in these provinces bordering Malaysia.

A Thai government review paper, an English translated copy of which was obtained by VOA, says people in the region consider themselves Pattani Malays rather than Thai.

The review paper calls on government to adopt a strategy that is largely peaceful and suggests a military solution will fail to win local community support, even if it succeeds in imposing 5 control.

Insurgencies in the 1970s and 1980s came to an end through a process of military action, negotiation 6 and amnesty.
　
Thai police officers and soldiers examine the wreckage 7 of cars that was exploded after insurgents 8 detonated a bomb hidden inside in Narathiwat province, southern Thailand, 04 Nov 2008

The paper says policy changes in 2002 under the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, with the disbanding of joint 9 military, police and civilian 10 commands, had led the way open for the insurgency to resurface. The first major attack occurred in January 2004 on an army depot 11. Since then the violence has escalated 12.

Thai government spokesman, Panitan Wattanyagorn, says the new proposals are part of a coordinated 13 approach to the Southern border regions. A state economic think tank, the National Economic and Social Development Board - or NESDB - has completed a master plan for development.

"For the first time - integrating all aspects of economic and social development programs together; they work on the ground, with the military also - the ISOC - the Internal Security Operations Command Center - to get information from more than 200 villages," said Panitan. "And they are integrating that approach - of military, civilian and non-government organization, NGO - together with a single master plan."

'Southern cabinet' policy

Policy review options include a specially 3 elected local chamber 14 of government, the partial application of Islamic Sharia Law through Islamic Courts and local administrative 15 organizations based on Muslim community leadership. It also calls for security forces and government officials to be selected from the local Southern community or have language, cultural and knowledge of local customs and traditions before being posted.

Panitan says the empowerment of local communities and application of Sharia law is an option under consideration.

"They are in consideration already in the proposals," he said. "There are at least two different proposals - legislative 16 proposals - proposed by the members of parliament [MPs]. We do not know what will be adopted by the parliament yet but yes - these are the considerations."
　
Angkhana Neelapaichit and Kraisak Choonhavan at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT)

A member of the governing Democrat 17 Party, Kraisak Choonhavan, has been an outspoken 18 critic over the militarization of the Southern Provinces where up to 40,000 troops have been stationed to curb 19 the violence.

"The government has a plan - it calls itself the Southern Cabinet in which in theory the military will be part of a civilian rule in the South and that eventually the emergency law would be lifted," he said. "But considering the pace of this implementation 20 is just frustrating 21 for me to wait for them to come to the decision."

Escalating 22 violence

Violence has escalated during the five years. More brutal 23 attacks by the insurgents; drive by killings 25, beheadings of victims to spread fear through local communities, the torching of schools, killing 24 of teachers, state officials and Buddhist monks 26, as well as Muslims.

The response by the military has often led to accusations 27 of extrajudicial killings, disappearances 29, and heavy handed security crackdowns into villages. Kraisak says the government must take action to end state-backed violence.

"I have evidence, pictures, witnesses you name it of all the perpetrators - hundreds of perpetrators - and they all belong to the state security," he said. "How does one go about bringing justice as we understand it?"

Justice for all

Angkhana Neelapaichit, chairs a group that monitors human rights abuses in Southern Thailand. She says rather than autonomy as a priority the people of the southern provinces are seeking justice.

"First priority; they want justice," said Angkhana. "They want to live peacefully. If you saw the local people, I think they are very poor. They want to have a good job; they want to send their children to go to school, to have a good education, good job. But I think they could not."

The Thai Cabinet this week endorsed 30 a plan to streamline 31 the judicial 28 processes in Southern Thailand concerning the legal treatment of suspected insurgents. The overnment says the changes are designed to ensure fairness and boost confidence in the justice system and a further step towards ending the five-year cycle of violence.