Let's be positive, Thai students in Saudi Arabia say
Thai students in Saudi Arabia have urged the interim government to create better understanding and a more positive attitude towards them so there can be peace in the restive South.
"We are here to study religion and the Arabic world, not to obtain terrorist training as many officials and mass media widely accuse us," said Safee Kara, chairman of Thai Student Association in Saudi Arabia. Some 70 Thai students, mostly Muslims from the deep South, gathered at the Thai Embassy in Riyadh last week to discuss the situation in their home country. They made 10 suggestions for the authorities to help boost the image of Thai Muslim students and facilitate their study in the Middle East. The most important was for the government to correct the negative image of Muslim students created by officials and the mass media, Safee said. He claimed that officials in previous governments consistently accused Thai Muslim students, notably those who study in the Middle East, of being involved in weapons and terrorism training before returning to create trouble at home. Former Defence Minister Thamarak Isarangura last year named the countries where Thai students were studying, he noted. "The government should be wary of spreading any news which might affect Muslim communities and Thai students. Some sensitive information in connection with the violence should be screened before releasing it, otherwise it could harm Muslims," Safee said. Safee has been studying in Saudi Arabia for seven years for a master's degree at the Al-Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. He also urged the new government to develop relations with the Islamic world for the benefit of Thailand - and Muslim communities in the country. They should also pay attention to the decline in assistance from Islamic states and notably scholarships for Thai students, which have declined sharply since 2000 from 20-30 scholarships a year to just two or three. The government should also negotiate with Riyadh and issue measures to facilitate the education of Thai students, Safee said, adding that students who graduate from the Islamic world should have more job opportunities when they return to Thailand.
Supalak Ganjanakhundee The Nation Riyadh
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