THERE seems to be no interest on the part of the Thai or the Malaysian government to resolve the ongoing conflict in southern Thailand to give autonomy for the Malay Muslims in the region, said P Ramasamy.

Ramasamy, who is an expert in geo-political issues, said there has been no progress in the peace talks.

The current peace talks between the Thai government and the rebel groups represented by Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) is being mediated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Ramasamy said Malaysia has appointed a civil service official to coordinate the several rounds of peace talks between the parties to the conflict.

“To date, there has been no progress in the peace talks. During my recent visit to Pattani, I had the experience of meeting several Malay Muslim groups concerned about the lack of political direction in the peace talks,” said the former DAP leader in a statement.

He also said that the legitimacy of BRN in being the coordinating rebel group involved in the on-going negotiations was being questioned.

He added that there were concerns that BRN might not be representing the collective wishes of the Thai Malay Muslims.

“The groups that I had met felt that the Malaysian government was dictating the peace process by advising the BRN leaders too much.

“Since these BRN leaders have dual identity both in Thailand and Malaysia, there is a difficulty in adopting an independent stand.

“The Thais are happy that Malaysia is doing the job that otherwise might have been their domain,” he said.

He further said that the Thai government was quite flexible in fulfilling the cultural and religious demands of the Malay Muslims as long as political autonomy was not broached.

“One Malay Muslim leader remarked during the meeting that while the Thai government is prepared to build religious schools and cultural departments, the Malay Muslims have no say in the running and managing of these cultural institutions.

“In other words, in the absence of political autonomy, the proliferation of cultural and religious institutions have no meaning.

“The occasional low level conflicts in the restive provinces is an indication of the growing gap between the genuine aspirations of the Malay Muslims and their leadership,” he added.

Ramasamy also reminded Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of his earlier initiatives in wanting a resolution to this conflict, including meeting up with his Thai counterpart in Bangkok.

But he said the prime minister’s interest in the Thai-Muslim conflict has considerably dissipated as he shows more passionate interest towards the Palestinian issue.

Ramasamy, who had been involved in peace talks in Sri Lanka, Aceh and Columbia, said there was a need for a neutral party to mediate the Thai-Muslim conflict.

“Holding peace talks in Kuala Lumpur might not be the best place in terms of the neutrality of the venue.

“While Malaysia can assist the Malay Muslims, surely there is a need for a neutral mediator who is powerful enough to command the respect of  Thailand, the Malay Muslims and Malaysia,” he said.

The conflict involving four provinces of Southern Thailand peaked in 2004 and to date has claimed more than 7,000 lives and 13,000 injured. – May 16, 2024.