Donman was referring to an allegation by a senior politician about Thai Muslim students studying terror in the Arab world.

In 2004, the then deputy prime minister Thamarak Isarangura was reported as saying that the Thai government believed there were military training camps in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt where Thai Muslim separatists were schooled in terrorist techniques.

As a final year student at Al Azhar, the most prestigious Islamic institute of higher education, as well as the three-time former president of the Thai student association in Egypt, Donman said the allegations were "absolutely false".

"It is not possible. There has never been even a political gathering of students in Al Azhar, let alone militant training," explained Donman, whose eyes remained unblinking as he defended his fellow students.

Donman, 32, explained that Al Azhar operated like open universities in Thailand where attendance is not counted. Hence, there is no gathering in the university. Besides, throughout a decade of living in Egypt, he has never heard of a Thai student receiving military training.

Instead, all students studied hard for their degrees at the Islamic university, which is highly-regarded among other Muslims from around the world, he said.

Al Azhar was founded in around AD 971 - making it the world's oldest university - as an Islamic university and later took up secular subjects, offering degrees in science, literature and other subjects.

According to the Royal Thai Embassy in Cairo, there are approximately 1,700 Thai students in Egypt - the largest group of Thai Muslim students overseas.

The number, however, is in dispute as the Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar, the most senior Egyptian religious leader, said during the visit of Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon in January that there were about 2,500 Thais pursuing degrees at Al Azhar alone.

Although Al Azhar offers many subjects, Thai students mostly pursue degrees in religious studies due to their lack of language skills, educational background and financial support.

"Most of the scholarships offered to Thai students are only in religious studies," said final-year student Kitsanenat Boonmalert.

"If you are not awarded a scholarship, it is still free to study religion. However, to pursue a degree in a secular subject is very expensive for an international student."

Kitsanenat, 27, added that since most Thai students had a religious studies background from Thailand, it was difficult to get admittance to secular classes in Al Azhar, not to mention the requirement of fluency in Arabic and English.

Of the four sub-disciplines in religious studies - Islamic law, Islamic studies, linguistics and Arabic, and educational science - Islamic studies is where the majority of Thai students are admitted.

Islamic law, however, is the most popular with students, said Kitsanenat, who is finishing her legal degree.

The undergraduate curriculum at Al Azhar takes four years to complete but Thai students say that apart from diligence and intelligence, luck is also required when studying in Cairo.

"Sometimes you know you did well but fail the subject, whereas you pass other subjects where you do not feel fully competent," said Donman.

It's 10 years since he started his studies and he is in his last semester.

"I am in no rush. I just want to learn and be able to use the Arabic language. During the exams I will revise for just a few days before the exam. If I pass, it means that my language is okay. If not, I'll just re-take the class," said Donman.

The language barrier is certainly a burden for Thai students in Egypt and other Arab countries. Even though every Muslim Thai has some knowledge of Arabic from studying Islam and the Koran at religious schools, they face a culture shock when they arrive in Cairo.

In an effort to alleviate the language barrier, several parents send their children to Cairo after they leave secondary school to build up their Arabic before they enter Al Azhar.

But whether they are at secondary or university level, students in Egypt will have to go through six days a week of education, leaving only Friday as a day off.

Thai students often congregate in the foreign capital and formed the Thai student association more than 51 years ago.

Currently the association has about 1,500 members, said the president, Ayoob bin Mahmood. Each year it helps organise several activities to mark His Majesty the King's birthday, fresher welcoming parties, a mini-football competition, Thai cuisine classes and excursions, to maintain the members' links with their motherland, he explained.

Nonetheless, some branch out with entrepreneurial enterprises and Azmee Nima, 32, chose to open a Thai restaurant in Cairo.

Originally from Pattani, Azmee said he worked as a chef in a Thai restaurant in Malaysia for a couple years before deciding to pursue an education in Egypt in 2002.

"It was two years before I decided to open a restaurant. I study and work at the same time so that I can fund my degree," said Azmee, who added that his family's financial status was the impetus for striving to become self-reliant.

His restaurant, The Nile, has a separate section for female customers and offers a mix of Arab and Thai dishes.

"The locals love nasi goreng [stir-fried rice with curry]; they love spicy food," Azmee said.

The Nile has both Egyptian and international customers and Azmee has also provided buffets for hotels. He also takes orders from tourists, particularly Malaysians, who often miss Thai food.

The Nile has been running for nearly two years and, on average, generates around Bt8,000 a day, said Azmee.

Although his restaurant is still in its infancy, the final-year student in Islamic studies at Al Azhar said he was happy about the business and planned to keep it running after graduation. He is planning to open a second branch in Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast.

While Azmee might choose to prolong his Egyptian stay, many other Thais want to return. In the past, their career paths might have been limited to teaching Arabic or Islam in schools because their degrees are not recognised by the Thai Education Ministry.

This left them with the secular certificate they carried with them to Egypt: usually primary six or secondary three.

But now overseas students are able to pursue a secular education at Thai embassies in parallel with their religious studies, although the fees and documentary costs can be relatively high. Nevertheless, with a recognised degree, they would be able to pursue many more careers.

Thailand is building a reputation as a health tourism hub and is attracting increasing numbers of Middle Eastern visitors who enjoy Thailand's rather lenient visa restrictions.

Therefore, Thai students in Egypt, who have fluent Arabic, stand a good chance of getting work in medical institutions, airline offices and in other tourist-based jobs, servicing visitors from the Arab world.

While Middle Eastern educated students face many problems, allegations of insurgency training will only make matter worse.

"My friends and I were very angry to hear the comments," Donman said.

"Every one of us here wants to go home and get a good job. With such comments being made, we might be monitored when we return home and how will that help our future?" he asked.

"If there are any militant sympathisers among Thai students here, then they will have carried their beliefs with them from home," said Donman. 

Sopaporn Kurz

The Nation