Muslims and Buddhists

Muslims and Buddhists

It is no secret that the fabric of society in the deep South has been rent by the ongoing insurgency, but the damage is not yet beyond repair.

Indeed, it should not be too hard for Muslim Thais of Malay ethnicity, the majority in the deep South, to empathize with the victimized Buddhist minority living in their midst. The local Muslims have been on the receiving end of unfair treatment and discrimination themselves for so long now.

It is only recently that mainstream Thai society has been made aware of past mistakes in the way southern Muslims have been treated. However, it is through public pressure and the goodwill of the fair-minded Buddhist majority that the government is being compelled to engage southern Muslims in a process of reconciliation.

"It is only proper that such goodwill be reciprocated."

-- The Nation, Bangkok