Thai Embassy clarifies<\/p>\n
I refer to the article of Thang D. Nguyen titled Thaksin can
\nlearn from Indonesia that appeared in the Aug. 25 edition of The
\nJakarta Post, making an analogy between problems in the southern
\nprovinces of Thailand and Aceh.<\/p>\n
It is to my deep regret that the said article is not well
\nbalanced in presenting the facts and is based on emotional rather
\nthan logical analysis.<\/p>\n
Therefore I feel obliged to clarify the points that may lead
\nto public misperception in Indonesia about the situation in the
\nsouthern provinces of Thailand and how the Thai government is
\naddressing it.<\/p>\n
We, Thai people, always believe that violence begets more
\nviolence. Therefore, the need for a peaceful solution to conflict
\nis well embedded in the hearts and minds of Thai people to the
\nextent that it has become their way of life.<\/p>\n
The new round of violence in the southern provinces, which
\nstarted in January 2004, is a result of a complicated mixture of
\nfactors. It is no secret that the area has been subject to a
\nthreat by separatists for quite some time, especially during the
\n1970s and 1980s.<\/p>\n
To assume that the root cause of the problem in southern
\nThailand is a demand for independence is awfully wrong. The 70
\npercent turnout in the last general election in February 2005 in
\nthe five southernmost provinces clearly showed what the majority
\nof people want.<\/p>\n
The Thai government is fully committed to finding a peaceful
\nsolution and addressing the problem at its root cause, which lies
\nin the lack of proper education, social injustice and uneven
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
With the aforementioned reasons, the analogy between Aceh and
\nthe southern provinces of Thailand is way off the mark and not
\nbased on complete facts. The supposedly analytical supposition
\nthat since \"no individual or organization has claimed the
\nleadership to represent the people of the south, unlike the Free
\nAceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh, it is doable that Bangkok can show
\nwillingness and ability to hold talks with representatives from
\nthe south\" is so superficial to say the least.<\/p>\n
It simply ignores at least two important facts that there is
\nnothing like the south vs. Bangkok as suggested in the article
\nand people in the south of Thailand, like other parts of the
\ncountry, have their rightful representatives in parliament who
\nwork on their behalf.<\/p>\n
JESDA KATAVETIN
\nMinister Counsellor
\n(Political Affairs)
\nRoyal Thai Embassy
\nJakarta<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thai-embassy-clarifies-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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