CRISIS IN SOUTH: Kantathi hits out at OIC

Published on October 20, 2005 - The government lashed out at the world’s largest Islamic organisation yesterday over comments it made about violence in the deep South, while relations with Kuala Lumpur have soured following a war of words over the handling of the 131 Thai Muslims who took refuge in northern Malaysia.

The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) issued a statement on Tuesday expressing concern over the continuing violence in the mainly Muslim South that “claimed the lives of innocent people and forced the migration of local people out of their places”.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the OIC, said in a statement that dealing with the matter from a security perspective exclusively would aggravate the situation and lead to continued violence.

A peaceful solution would come only by addressing the roots of the problem and attempting to settle them through dialogue and positive handling of the legitimate aspirations of people in the South, he said.

People need to maintain and express their cultural identity, and manage their local affairs through participation guaranteed by the Thai constitution, within the framework of respect for the territorial integrity of Thailand, he said.

Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon criticised the OIC statement, saying it failed to address perpetrators of violence who used religion to justify acts of terror.

“We have made it clear to the OIC several times that the violence in the deep South is not caused by religious conflict and the government grants protection to all of our citizens no matter what religion they embrace,” he said in an interview to The Nation.

The government had handled the situation in the deep South with full respect for human rights in accordance with the law and the Constitution, he said, adding that Bangkok had issued an “open invitation” to Ihsanoglu to see the situation for himself.

The Foreign Ministry yesterday issued a statement dismissing the OIC’s comments and saying these had the effect of disseminating misperceptions and misinformation about the situation in the southern provinces.

“If the OIC secretariat really wants to promote the cause of peace and harmony in the three southern provinces of Thailand, the responsibility falls on the OIC secretariat to strongly condemn the militants, who are perpetrating these acts of violence against both Thai Muslims and Thai Buddhists,” the statement said.

The violence has claimed more than 1,000 lives since January 2004.

Meanwhile, relations with Malaysia have soured badly since 131 Thai Muslims sought refuge in Kelantan, allegedly because they feared for their safety. The “refugee” crisis has also attracted international attention.

Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok have accused each other of insincerity in addressing the problem.

Kantathi said yesterday he would not reach out to his Malaysian counterpart, Syed Hamid Albar, unless Malaysia shows “sincerity and positive signals” on the issue of the displaced Thai Muslims.

He said positive signals could be achieved by discontinuing the use of improper language through the media to criticise Bangkok over the handling of the situation in the deep South.

Kantathi said Syed has always indicated during bilateral discussions that neither country should try to solve the ongoing problem of the displaced Thai Muslims by making statements in the media.

“We have always been in touch and understood each other well, but when he gives interviews to the press his remarks take on a different character,” Kantathi said.

Thailand is still open to negotiations with Malaysia over the issue but the minister said he would wait for Kuala Lumpur to send a positive signal through diplomatic channels.

Lt-General Chayasit Linthong, director of Military Intelligence, would visit Malaysia on Monday to see the displaced Thai Muslims and speak to his Malaysian counterparts about their repatriation, Kantathi said.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee,
Don Pathan
The Nation