Kantathi believes new start with KL possible

Published on October 23, 2005 - Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said yesterday he was prepared to let bygones be bygones concerning the diplomatic stand-off with Malaysia and added that the two sides should take advantage of the “positive signals” that had emerged recently. “I consider this episode past and gone. I look forward to good cooperation. I am optimistic,” said Kantathi, in an exclusive interview with The Nation yesterday.

He also stated that Thailand was prepared to engage with the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to iron out any “misunderstanding” following a damning statement from the group’s chief.

OIC secretary-general Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said in a statement last week that he was deeply concerned with “continued acts of violence in Southern Thailand against Muslims, claiming the lives of innocent civilians and inflicting damage to property. Some villages have been under siege and some families had to migrate”.

Kantathi questioned whether Ihsanoglu’s statement was based on “the sentiment of the OIC members” and added that the organisation’s chief might have been “misinformed”.

“He is looking at the situation in the South from a distance. There is a tendency to see things in black and white when in reality it is much more complicated than that,” Kantathi said.

Concerning Thailand being at loggerheads with Malaysia, Kantathi said there had been “unconstructive language” over the past few weeks coming out of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur over the fate of the 131 Thai Muslims who have taken refuge in northern Malaysia.

Yet recent days have been relatively quiet, and that it in itself is a positive sign that things will get back on track, Kantathi said. He and the government have initiated a number of “confidence-building measures”.

He pointed to the upcoming trip by top military officers who plan to visit the 131 Thai Muslims in northern Malaysia.

The minister on Thursday night issued a statement, which he described as “very personal”, to express his condolences to Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi over the death of his wife, Endon Mahmood.

The statement highlighted Endon’s humanitarian work and said she would be remembered for her contribution to the well-being of women and children around the world.

Supreme Command has assigned a team of senior government officials to travel to Malaysia tomorrow to talk with Malaysian counterparts about the 131 Thai Muslims, a source said.

The team, led by Director-General of Intelligence Lt-General Chayasit Linthong, will travel to Malaysia’s Terengganu state, where the Thais are being detained.

“The team hopes that if talks goes well they can bring back women and children, who reportedly wish to return home,” the source said.

In Satun, Privy Councillor Palakorn Suwannarat presented a gift of dates from HM the King to Satun’s Islamic Committee members and religious leaders on the occasion of Ramadan.

Don Pathan, Sopaporn Saeung
The Nation