Don't make us take sides, plead medics

Amid the daily violence that has raged in the deep South since 2004, medical teams can see a ray of hope after a fall in the number of victims in the first six months of the year.

However, they want security forces and militants to leave them in an impartial space so that they can continue providing physical and psychological support to victims.

"Judging from numbers of incidents and victims, the situation seems to have improved," said Dr Adul Rengma, director of Yi-ngor Hospital in Narathiwat province.

A military presence in areas where there are specific targets may make life difficult for insurgents, he said.

"But we do not want to have a military presence in hospitals," said Adul, former director of Rusoh Hospital, which has been attacked three times since the violence started in January 2004.

Health officials Yuraifun Yusoh and Samsudin Hama agree that a military presence in hospitals puts them in a difficult situation.

Last week, a security force wanted Raman Hospital in Yala province to close its doors because it was suspected that an insurgent was hiding in the hospital, Yusoh said.

The hospital refused to do so because it has a duty to provide healthcare to all people, he added.

The security force then went in to search the hospital. They finally got one suspect - a pregnant woman hiding in a toilet.

"It doesn't mean that we don't want them [security forces] to do their duty, but we want them to keep a distance from us. We want to be seen to be impartial in the eyes of all parties," said Samsudin Hama, who works at Kok-sato Health Station in Narathiwat's Rusoh district.

Medical teams from the restive region recently visited Bangkok to share their difficult situation with journalists.

Dr Supat Hasuwankit, director of Chana Hospital in Songkhla province, said 11 health stations in the three southernmost provinces had been burned down in the past four years.

"In most incidents, insurgent groups told staff to leave the station before they burned it down," Supat said. It showed that medical teams were not targeted.

Hospitals in risky areas found ways to prevent being the target of attacks, Adul added.

Instead of having a military presence, some hospitals build bunkers in front of fences, use remote-control doors and install video cameras to monitor unusual situations, he said.

Whatever happens, however, medical staff must stay close to patients and their families. They are not only providing medical aid but also visiting victims' families to provide psychological support.

"It's the Muslim way. We visit families of victims within seven days after they suffer a loss - the sooner, the better," said Yusoh.

A team comprising a doctor, nurse and health volunteers take with them only a small bag of sugar and a local dessert to show their sympathy for the family.

"We hope that our visit will help them feel better about the state's officials. We don't talk much, just listen to them as much as possible," Supat added.

Adul said that although medics were trusted by villagers, they had become the state's suspects in some situations, especially Muslim staff.

He was once searched at a security checkpoint as he drove through Rangae district to Rusoh Hospital.

"I was in Muslim traditional dress. They [security officials] searched my body even after I showed my ID card as hospital director," he said.

In another incident, some security officials even asked him why the hospital did not display a bigger photograph of the King, Adul said.

To avoid being seen as a supporter of any side, medical teams in the South agree to follow three rules so that they can work safely, said Supat of the Rural Doctors Association.

Their maxim follows the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" principle of the proverbial three wise monkeys. Their role is to provide medical care for everybody, without fear or favour.

Correction

On June 30, The Nation published a photograph of protesters to accompany a commentary titled "Preah Vihear can be 'time bomb'".

The caption wrongly stated the demonstration took place at the Cambodian Embassy "over the Preah Vihear Temple controversy". It was actually taken in 2003 at the embassy amid strained relations at the time.

Only a very small group of about 20 people had gathered at the Cambodian Embassy lately as a result of the current controversy.

We regret any inconvenience to the embassy that might have been caused by the caption.