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Thai South Ripe for Extremism: Anwar
By Jasbant Singh/AP/Kuala
Lumpur |
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Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim on Monday warned southern Thailand risked becoming a flashpoint for
Islamic extremism, after 85 Muslims died there last week in a confrontation
with the army. “If [violence] is allowed to go on and you leave it purely to security forces to handle the situation, this is certainly going to be a base for extremism,” Anwar said. “Training of cadres for violence is certainly conducive in such an environment.” More than 400 people have been killed this year in the three southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani—the only Muslim-dominated provinces of predominantly Buddhist Thailand. Security forces broke up a Muslim demonstration in the country’s south on October 25, resulting in the deaths of at least 85 people, including 78 who were crushed or suffocated after being stacked on top of each other in trucks while being transported to detention centers. Anwar said he believes Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s government does not condone the deaths, but that allowing security forces to alone deal with dissidents was “not acceptable.” The deaths sparked outrage in the Islamic world against Thaksin’s government. The concern has been greater in Malaysia, which shares a border with southern Thailand. People on both sides are of the same ethnicity and speak the same language, and some Malaysian leaders worry that the violence could spill across the border. Anwar urged Thaksin to seek assistance from Malaysia, which is the chair of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. He said Thailand should not be overly concerned about its sovereignty in approaching Malaysia for help. If they are committed to fighting Islamic extremism and terrorism, “then they should welcome” Malaysia’s involvement, and not see it purely as an internal affair, said Anwar, who wields considerable support in the Muslim world. He said, however, the time was not right to talk about granting autonomy to the restive southern Thai provinces, as suggested last week by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Thaksin described Mahathir’s comments on Monday as “not constructive.” “Anyway he [Mahathir] is no longer a part of the [Malaysian] government,” Thaksin told reporters. “Government-to-government relations are still good. But the remarks from people outside the government have made Thai people feel bad.” |
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