Southern Thai insurgency remains local affair, for now

PATTANI, Thailand, Sep 17: A 'dirty war' pitting ethnic Malay Muslim rebels against the predominantly Buddhist Thai state has so far remained free of outside interference, but some here are beginning to wonder just how long that can last.

Viewed from afar, the insurgency bears the hallmarks of what many in the West see as a ''clash of civilisations'' with militant Islam.

These include bombings, shootings, disappearances and even beheadings, generally in the name of a vague Muslim agenda.

The latest violence erupted yesterday in the market town of Hat Yai, where coordinated blasts killed at least three people and wounded more than 60.

The insurgency has killed more than 1,700 people since 2004 in Thailand's three southern provinces, where Malay Muslims make up 80 percent of the population of 1.8 million. Gangland killings and reprisals from the security forces contribute to the toll.

Yet there is little evidence linking the insurgents to al Qaeda or related groups. In fact, the differences are striking.

Where al Qaeda runs an impressive publicity apparatus, the insurgents here are so secretive that their motives remain murky.

Where al Qaeda follows a purist reading of Islam, some Malay rebels invoke Sufi mystical practices -- anathema to the Arab traditionalists -- that adherents believe make them invisible to the security forces.

And the insurgents have never attacked Western targets or endorsed a global Islamist programme.

For many in Pattani, centre of local Islamic culture, the struggle is simply about preserving the Muslim identity in the face of Thai Buddhist chauvinism. They want Malay made an official language and to replace the Buddhist-centric school curriculum with one less hostile to Muslim sensitivities.

''The Thai government doesn't recognise Malay Muslims as an ethnic identity,'' said Sukree Langputeh, a political scientist.

''They want you to say you are Thai, both ethnically and nationally.

This is the real problem.'' If the state would accept Muslim citizens as equals, he said, the insurgency would weaken and might eventually collapse. Until then, it festers amid widespread fear and distrust.

For worshippers at Pattani's 500-year-old Krue Se mosque. the the solution is simple: keep the state's hands off Islam. ''I don't want non-Muslims interfering with our faith,'' said preacher Salee Le-hanu.

CONFLICT COULD WIDEN

Krue Se is a poignant symbol for Thai Muslims. It once stood at the heart of a Muslim sultanate that was handed over to the Buddhist king in Bangkok in 1909 by British colonizers. It now sits stranded on a tiny strip of land, hemmed in by roads on two sides and an imposing Buddhist cemetery on a third.

It was here, in April 2004, that 32 militants were gunned down by the security forces after a failed uprising. In all, 105 insurgents, five members of the security forces and one civilian died in the siege and related violence.

Bullet holes still punctuate a Ministry of Tourism sign at Krue Se, and Le-hanu is eager to show a visitor bullet-riddled copies of the Koran. An official inquiry found the security forces overreacted, but no one was ever punished.

The region's plight has drawn the attention of Muslims worldwide, including that of armed militants.

Francesca Lawe-Davies of the International Crisis Group consultancy says Jemaah Islamiah, fighting for an Islamic 'superstate' in southeast Asia, made attempts to enter the fray, all of which were rebuffed. She said the insurgents appeared keen not to internationalise their struggle.

But Lawe-Davies says the nature of the conflict is changing and could one day break out of its narrow confines. ''It is much more self-consciously Islamic than it used to be. It is beginning to take on a life of its own. ... What happens when the insurgents start making political demands?'' For political scientist Sukree, the unrest can only be understood by setting aside fers for ''national security'' and rereading history, in particular what he calls heavy-handed rule from Bangkok dating back to 1909. For example, he said, the three restive provinces have ever had a Muslim governor.

''If the Thai government had realised there would be problems for the next hundred years, they wouldn't have acted this way. Don't look at the incidents, lok at the roots, the real causes,'' he said.

Otherwise, the conflict will only spread and one day spiral out of control.

REUTERS