Reasons Writing About the Insurgency in Southern Thailand

Conflict that is currently happening in Southern Thailand is a big issue that cannot be

neglected by the world especially by Malaysia. Regarding this conflict, it specifically

happens in Pattani which the area is mostly occupied by Muslims. Basically, the conflict

happened due to lack of tolerance between religions or believers in Thailand. Referring to the

topic “Insurgency in Southern Thailand”, there are several reasons of writing about this topic.

The reasons are to briefly introduce the actual fact about this conflict, the effect of the

conflict towards neighbour countries especially Malaysia and the ways to handle or overcome

this conflict as a neighbour country.

First of all, insurgency of Southern Thailand started to happen in 1960 where the

Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) was founded by Haji Abdul Karim in response to the

introduction of a secular curriculum in Pattani's religious boarding schools and Patani United

Liberation Organisation (PULO) was founded by Tengku Bira Kotanila (alias Kabir Abdul

Rahman). PULO became the most powerful insurgent group during the year 1960 to 2000

period of the war. During these periods, there were several provocations and criminals

happened such as murders, bombing and others between Buddhist extremist and Muslim

extremist which triggered the war. This war continues until now as Thailand’s government

still fail to solve this conflict.

Insurgency in Southern Thailand is a huge conflict that affect other countries

especially the neighbour countries like Malaysia in many aspects. One of the aspects

regarding this conflict is about security of neighbour country which focusing on Malaysia’s

security towards the conflict. Obviously, Malaysia’s security also affected due to the conflict

as Malaysia is the nearest neighbour country specifically for Kelantan state and Terengganu

state. The Malaysian government does not bolster the southern uprising and has a personal
stake in observing soundness come back to the territory. The Malaysian government stresses

not just over the conceivable overflow impacts of the contention, yet in addition that

territorial psychological oppressor gatherings, for example, Jemaah Islamiya (JI) may make

themselves key to the contention, a dread most as of late communicated by Malaysian

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar. Thai charges of aggressor preparing camps situated in

Kelantan are most likely false, as there are a lot of remote places in the three southern

territories to lead this sort of movement; for sure, one such camp was struck by the Thai

armed force on March 2 in Narathiwat. At any rate, the Thaksin government never given

solid proof to back up its claims. Furthermore, Thai cases that aggressors normally traverse

into Malaysia, and plan assaults there, have more reverberation. The fringe is very permeable,

and there are an expected 50,000-100,000 individuals in the zone who hold both Thai and

Malaysian personality cards, encouraging simple access over the outskirt. There have been

claims that nearby police in Kelantan choose not to see the nearness of Malay-Muslim

aggressors.

A harmony procedure is the best way to achieve durable and sturdy harmony in

southern Thailand. In February 2013, the then Yingluck Shinawatra government started the

principal formalized harmony exchange with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN),

encouraged by Kuala Lumpur. The discussions slowed down in the wake of developing

enemy of government challenges in Bangkok before gaining much ground. In December

2013, the BRN commented that any further exchange could just happen after the Thai

parliament supported its five requests and proclaimed the procedure was a 'national

motivation'. It was an open mystery that the military was not completely energetic about the

harmony discourse at that time. The extended equipped clash in southern Thailand needs a

political arrangement, not a military one. As the freedom developments are distrustful about

the military government's ability to give concessions, a few separatists want to see the
discourse continued under a fair environment. Fathoming the southern clash is in this manner

interwoven with the bigger development for vote-based system in Thailand.