Imams at mosques throughout the country will make supplications for Muslims everywhere to be delivered peace and prosperity. Our brothers in Islam in the troubled regions in the south of Thailand are foremost in our prayers for obvious reasons.

The quagmire that is Thailand's burning South only makes sense to those who remember history. The annexation of Pattani by Siam in 1902 explains the long-standing sense of enmity, which has been ignited by a sense of alienation and stoked by a lack of empathy for our fellow man. I am humbled by the infinite wisdom of Lord Siddhartha Gautama Buddha's teaching: "Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love. This is the eternal rule".

Prejudices as well as a lack of understanding are the real enemy in the South. The "us against them" and "either you are with us or against us" approach discounts the commonality of humanity in all its diversity.

The ouster of Thaksin Shinawatra's government by the Thai military opens a new chapter to the separatist rebellion in the Yawi-speaking provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. The conciliatory stance adopted by the military coupled with the integrity and foresight of the Army commander-in-chief bodes well for the South.

A new opportunity to gradually put an end to the spiral of violence is being created by Malaysia's elder statesman, Mahathir Mohamad. Despite being in retirement, Mahathir is regarded as a towering figure in Malaysia. More importantly, Thai separatist groups have confidence in the diplomatic clout of the former Malaysian premier and his role as an honest broker. As Barisan Bersatu Kemerdekaan Pattani (Bersatu) president Dr Wan Kadir Che Wan explained: "Before this, the separatists and Thai authorities did not trust each other. Trust is the most important element in a peace process," he said, adding, "with justice and equality, peace is attainable".

Concerns that the ongoing political spat between Mahathir and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi will hamper the peace efforts are unfounded. The Muslim-Malay majority has no preference for any leader in this context. What we want is justice and harmony for our brethren and this responsibility falls on all our leaders. Malaysian Deputy Premier Najib Razak put the issue to rest when he stated that Mahathir had brokered the peace talks as the head of a non-government organisation.

Mahathir has described the conflict as akin to the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. Thus, the Joint Development and Peace Plan for Southern Thailand has been submitted to the Thai authorities. The hand of reconciliation is outstretched. Various insurgent groups, including Bersatu, Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo), Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) and Gerakan Mujahideen Pattani, are willing to give up demands for independence. Mahathir himself has stated, "Malaysia, like all other countries does not encourage and will not recognise breakaway states because we are a federation of states and we will not allow for any secession of any of our states".

However, demands to effect Yawi as the working or official language of the South should be reviewed carefully. Thai Muslims of the South, though accepted as kin to Malays in Malaysia, are for all intents and purposes Thai citizens. They are as much family to us as are Malay ethnic minorities in Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam and South Africa. Make no mistake, as much as we have in common with our Indonesian cousins, for example, much dissimilarity remains. The majority of Malays in Malaysia do not converse in Yawi. The younger generation, for that matter, may not even know of its existence. The way forward for the South is for Thai Muslims there to reciprocate the largely Buddhist population's growing acceptance of the cultural and religious diversity by speaking the Thai language as the first and official language. Malaysians as a whole and Muslim-Malays in particular seek justice not only for Thai Muslims in the South but also for Thai Buddhists as well. Images of Tak Bai are burnt in our memory, as deep as the sadness we feel about the tragedy at the village of Ban Kuching Reupah.

"Be upholders of justice, bearing witness for Allah alone, even against yourselves or your parents and relatives. Whether they are rich or poor, Allah is well able to look after them. Do not follow your own desires and deviate from the truth ..." (Surat an-Nisa': 135).

Malaysians always pray for peace. Violence or attempts to create instability are not tolerated. Our laws are severe with regards to ownership of weapons and mutiny against the king and the state. Kuala Lumpur has zero tolerance for terrorism. We have dealt with extremism of any and every kind decisively. It is wrong to assume that the spate of violence and vendetta perpetrated in the South by criminal elements has the support of Muslims here. We abhor any transgressions that cause the loss of civilian lives, be they Muslim or Buddhist.

Peace in southern Thailand is possible, but it will take time. Indeed, Mahathir sums it up when he says that his work is done. It's now up to the Thai authorities and insurgent groups to agree on terms of reconciliation.

Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob

Special to The Nation

Kuala Lumpur 

Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob is a Malaysian broadcast journalist and trained lawyer. He can be contacted at imran.yacob@gmail.com.