Thai politicians do not understand the southern insurgency and make no efforts to do so
Of all places in the country, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat finally found some solace in Thailand's deep South. This is where an ongoing insurgency has claimed more than 3,400 lives since January 2004. Unlike in Bangkok or other regions, Somchai was not greeted here with abuse or flying objects from anti-government protesters. For ordinary locals - mostly Malay-speaking Muslims - Somchai was just another Thai leader coming to the restive region to remind them of Bangkok's legitimacy over their historical homeland, known as Patani.
One more visit by a Thai political leader will not do much to curb the century-old resentment toward the Thai state, which has translated into an on-off separatist insurgency that seeks to carve out an independent homeland for the Malays of the region. Nevertheless, local residents were civil, providing Somchai with a traditional reception and hospitality. But at the same time, local leaders spoke publicly and frankly about their predicament and the frustrations they are confronted with during these times of trouble. Many told Somchai that the local community has lost faith in the country's justice system. The culture of impunity among government officials is so prevalent that even traditional allies of the state are disturbed by the actions of the security forces. Abductions, extra-judicial killings and target killings by government authorities have become so prevalent that more and more people have decided to speak out.
Civil society and Islamic leaders yesterday urged Somchai to dig deep into his years as a civil servant at the Justice Ministry in order to help restore southern faith in the country's bureaucracy One leading academic, Associate Professor Srisompob Jitpiromsri of the Prince of Songkhla University, went as far as to call on the state to seriously consider structural reform as an option for permanent peace for the region.
All this may have been too much to throw at Somchai, considering the fact that this was his first visit to the region as prime minister. But then again, these grievances are nothing new, and both Somchai and accompanying Army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, are well aware of them.
The fact that Somchai had told reporters not to expect anything dramatic in terms of policy changes from his trip begged the question as to why he chose to play down this issue that should receive urgent attention. Has the country become so used to the daily killings in this region that we choose to ignore the daily bloodshed? Are we just wishing that somehow the violence will suddenly end?
The problem with the Thai state is that it doesn't think its legitimacy in the Patani region is an issue. But if it looked through the eyes of the local community, it would understand why the people here equate the Thai presence to that of an illegitimate foreign force.
True, much development money has been poured into the region since the 1990s, but this has done little in terms of empowering the local community. Handouts are not empowerment and good intent is not policy.
The vast majority of bureaucrats in the South are civil servants from elsewhere, while efforts to get local people into the bureaucratic system, so that they feel a sense of ownership, have not been taken seriously. Bangkok continues to think that by co-opting a handful of the Malay elite so that they can articulate the state's position is the way to go. But if the past four years tells us anything, it is that while these co-opted Malays make good, the rest of the community finds itself at the bottom of the ladder, wondering when the foreign occupiers are gong to leave.
The gap in thinking between the Thai state and Malays at the village level is as wide as ever. Co-opting the Malay elite or giving them a few seats in the Parliament has not helped. It's time to think outside the box. Unfortunately, neither Somchai nor Anupong is willing to make this effort. They appear to be more concerned with their own hides.
