Published on October 16, 2005
Past prime ministers set laudable examples of how to deal with sensitive issues
Re: “Militants trained in Libya: Pallop”, News, October 13.
When I learned of the remarks from high-ranking Thai military officers of the possibility that separatists in the South had been trained in Libya, I could not help but recall the good examples of diplomacy set by some of the wise Thai prime ministers from the past. When Libyan leader Colonel Mu’ammar Gadhafi expressed concern about the separatist movement in the South many years ago, the wise and charismatic Thai Prime Minister General Prem Tinsulanonda sought the opinions of leading Muslim scholars both in Thailand and abroad. Prem decided that clarification must be made to Gadhafi from the Thai government and indeed from Muslims of the South of Thailand that, contrary to what Gadhafi had been led to believe, southerners were not being suppressed, and that justice and fair process was being extended to all Thais, no matter if they were Muslim or non-Muslim. The well-respected Thai-Muslim Saengdao Siamwalla was asked by the government to go to Tripoli. There she met Gadhafi and personally made such clarifications. She apparently did a fine job for her motherland, and returned home not only with the clear understanding of the Libyan leader, but also with his agreement to fund and set up a Thai-Libyan charity and education projects to assist Thai Muslims in the South and elsewhere in the Kingdom. Thanks to the efforts of these individuals and others, Thai-Libyan friendship remains strong today. Wan Mohamad Noor Matha is another of several leading Thai-Muslim figures who have made successful trips to Libya and met with Gadhafi. The lesson we can take from this is that it makes no sense in any way to use swords when words can be used instead. If past Thai prime ministers had sought to use force to suppress Muslims or to trade insulting words with either Malaysia or Libya, it definitely would had made matters worse, and the end result would have been increased misunderstandings and mistrust. The Kingdom was very fortunate to have prime ministers like General Prem and General Chatichai Choonhavan. Although they came from a military background they were able to understand the world of international relationships very well and did such fine diplomatic work. They did not let pride and ego get in the way of making wise decisions. Later on Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai also did a very fine job with support from his Muslim Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan in cultivating good relationships between the Kingdom and Muslim nations. I hope Thaksin will seek advice from our past leaders on how to handle the situation in the South. Prof SK Bangkok --------------------------------------------- Solution for the South needs goodwill from many sectors Re: “Lack of strategy exacerbates war”, Editorial, October 14. The editorial bemoans the government’s failure to articulate a well thought-out strategy for resolving the southern conflict. Fair enough, but the same criticism can be laid against the opposition, the media and Thai society in general. This is a national problem and resolution should not be left to the government alone. First, everyone must agree on the problem. It seems to be a classic terrorist scenario, in which a small but focused group seek a separate state. They are supported – or at least, not actively opposed – by the majority of the local population. In this case the local people seem to have little interest in separating from Thailand, but are tired of being abused by the Thai government. The objective must be to persuade the local population to support the government, or at the very least not to hinder them in fighting the insurgents. Second, it is important to recognise that this anti-Bangkok feeling has built up over generations and winning people over will require the government to demonstrate a fundamental change of attitude over a sustained period. My guess is that any worthwhile plan will aim for success over a 10-year period. Why so long? The key is obviously to put a stop to the abuses. Even the greatest optimist would agree that finding a solution will be a long and painful process. In the meantime the government must make positive moves. Forget paper birds, free cable and even new schools and mosques – that’s just window dressing. It is a change of attitude that needs to be demonstrated. Why not accept that the southern provinces should be a bilingual area, like Quebec in Canada, or Wales in the UK? Imagine the effect on the local opinion if bilingual officials, courts, education, government forms and road signs come into being. Such a scheme would certainly take years to reach fruition but think of the message it would send. I can imagine Thai people throwing up their hands in horror at such dangerous thoughts. Fair enough, but it is then incumbent upon them then to come up with alternatives. Dom Dunn Chiang Mai --------------------------------------------- We cannot allow extremists to mould Islam’s image Until good Muslim people rise up and strike out against the extremist Muslims who are trying to create anarchy worldwide, the extremists will continue to create havoc. If there is to be a strategy to stop the anarchy, it must involve the whole Muslim community worldwide. They must be the ones to take the lead in stopping the madness and killings, which are often directed at innocent Muslims themselves. LJL Bangkok --------------------------------------------- Blaming others won’t get us closer to peace Re: “Lack of strategy exacerbates war”, Editorial, October 14. Tongue-lashings through the media have never been able to achieve anything effective. I agree with you that Thaksin is trying to pass the buck to Malaysia, as if to make our neighbour look guilty, particularly in the eyes of the southerners. Southerners have traditionally lived peacefully and harmoniously with Malaysians. They will never believe that Malaysia is behind all this chaos and killings in the South. Why should they? Malaysia is a main contributor to the South’s economic prosperity, because of trade and tourism. What would Malaysians possibly gain from supporting the strife in the South? For goodness sake, please don’t send Wan Mohamad Noor Matha to Malaysia for official talks. How can it be effective when members of his Wadah faction of Thai Rak Thai are under investigation for causing trouble in the South? It is really a disgrace to send junior officers to talk with a senior officials of another country. We must rely on wisdom and not animosity if the sensitive and delicate issues involving the South, including the 131 Thais who fled to Malaysia, are to be solved amicably. Southern Mice Malaysia --------------------------------------------- Watching television while driving should be banned While recently waiting for a traffic light to change on Rama IV, a lady in the car next to me was keenly watching a popular show on a small flat-screen television on her dashboard. It was clearly professionally installed. She was alone in the car and I did not see her switch the television off as the light changed so I guess she continued to enjoy the programme as she drove. These cute, small flat-screen televisions are fairly new to the market and are now being popularised in town. But while the long cycle times for traffic lights at Bangkok’s intersections make television a tempting proposition, surely this behaviour will contribute to accidents. Proposals for banning use of a mobile phone while driving are being considered. Wouldn’t it also be worthwhile to also consider banning the dangerous activity of watching television while driving? Bob in Bangkok Bangkok --------------------------------------------- Science, not superstition, should guide our decisions Re: “Hospital fears sect’s flood omen”, News, October 11. Your newspaper felt it important enough to provide readers with a front-page report on the predictions of a certain Dr Kanjira Kanjanaket. Why? Because the lady has predicted that Bangkok will be devastated by a huge flood? What’s next, predictions of earthquakes and other natural disasters? More scientific and useful information is provided by the National Disaster Warning Centre. Just because someone claims to be an expert in predicting the future does not mean this is feat can actually be accomplished. Sumaet Punyaratabandhu Bangkok --------------------------------------------- Lawsuits only promote news that would soon be forgotten More Thais get their news from television than from newspapers, and many of these newspaper readers just look for sensational news items anyway. But suing a newspaper over a news item brings attention to items that might otherwise quickly be forgotten. Forcing otherwise arcane news items into the realm of noticeable television news coverage with defamation lawsuits does not appear to be in the best interest of the litigant. Cha-am Jamal Phetchaburi
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