Deputy chairman of the Islamic Committee of Yala, Nimu Makaje,
said he had nothing against Al-Jazeera or any local or foreign news agency reporting on the restive South but any such decision should be based on each agency’s editorial judgement.

The idea was announced by Lt-General Plangkoon Klaharn, a spokesman for the Southern Border Provinces Peace-Building Command, a multi-agency body responsible for overseeing security in the region.

Plangkoon accused the media of “distorting” the situation in the three southernmost provinces and believed the pan-Arab station could help set the record straight.

Nimu, on the other hand, blamed the government for the distortion, saying past reporting painted a distorted picture of the region because of misleading input from the authorities.

If the government was sincere about building trust with the Malay-speaking region, it should allow all news agencies the freedom to judge for themselves what is news, Nimu said.

The government still has yet to satisfactorily explain how a number of violent incidents had broken out over the past year, he said.

Professor Worawit Baru, chairman of the Muslims for Peace Network, said a number of foreign news agencies and outlets have visited the restive region to report on the ongoing violence. But, essentially, it would be up to the people to decide what is credible.

Defence Minister Thamarak Isarangura said it was impossible to tell whether Al-Jazeera’s presence would help or harm the situation. He suggested the Foreign Ministry should have a say in the proposal.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Sihasak Puangketkoew said yesterday he believed Al-Jazeera could help create a better understanding of what the government has been doing in the Muslim-majority South.

An official delegation will visit the Al-Jazeera headquarters in Qatar next month, Sihasak said.

More than 800 people have died in violence that has flared since January 2004. The government has blamed much of it on Islamic separatists.

Nine people, mainly Buddhists, have been beheaded in the deep South since early June.

The Nation
Yala