Thaksin must take care with Malaysian ties

By Kavi Chongkittavorn

BANGKOK: A week ahead of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to Malaysia, his security advisers have leaked the details of his agenda with his Malaysian counterpart, Mahathir Mohamad. It happens to be a quite sensitive agenda dealing with the Muslim secessionist movement in Thailand.

One of Thaksin's problems is that his aides love to brag about things he has done or plans to do. For God's sake, the evidence of the bomb in Hat Yai train station had not even been collected when the government and Thaksin identified the culprits as Muslim separatists, particularly members of the Pattani United Liberation Organization. Discretion is critical in handling these delicate issues. In Thai-Malaysian relations in particular it is a prerequisite.

For years the two countries have cooperated to fight separatist guerrillas, away from the daily watchful eyes of the press. Indeed such cooperation materialized only after decades of confidence-building measures and trial and error.

Muslimi dominated nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations such as Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia helped Thailand to gain acceptance in the Muslim community. At the end of 1998, Thailand was accorded the status of permanent observer at the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

It is a testimony that the country has a satisfactory record as far as the government's treatment of the Thai Muslim minority is concerned. If there were serious problems or oppression in the South, Thailand would never have been allowed to sit with the OIC members. The Philippines has failed repeatedly to gain such status with this organization.

In the 1980s Thailand and Malaysia worked together to successfully wipe out the Malaysian communist movement along the Thai-Malaysian border. Thailand's unwavering support enabled this cooperation to proceed without a hitch. Thai-Malaysia relations have reached a zenith in the past three years. Former prime minister Chuan Leekpai and Mahathir established trust and a good rapport.

After more than 16 years of reluctance, Thailand and Malaysia finally opened up and confided in each other. During the Asia- Pacific Economic Meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, Mahathir asked Chuan to keep an eye on a group of radical Malay Muslims who had made their way to Thailand, fearing that they might stage terrorist attacks on the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok.

The request was taken up by Chuan, who later asked Mahathir for assistance to ensure that the areas straddling the Thai- Malaysian border were stable and peaceful enough to promote economic cooperation and integration.

That conversation led to the arrest of four Thai-Muslim separatists who were hidden in northern Malaysia at the end of 1998. Malaysian authorities were tight-lipped about the episode. No press was allowed to cover the story until the operation was completed and the four guerrillas were delivered to the Thai government.

Mahathir also pledged to Chuan that any Thai-Malaysians with dual citizenship who engaged in destabilizing activities against Thailand would be stripped of Malaysian nationality immediately. Indeed, during a visit to South Thailand, Mahathir urged Thai- Malaysians born in Thailand to be loyal to their birthplace.

In fact, the leak about the upcoming agenda has jeopardized Thailand's request because it has put Mahathir under a microscope. He may want to follow up his assistance to Thailand on this issue, but he has to be sensitive to local sentiment among the Muslim community, especially in Trengganu and Kelantan states, which are increasingly alienated by his style of leadership and politics. These two states are the strongholds of the Malaysian opposition Muslim party known Parti Islam SeMalaysia or PAS.

Worse, such reports could also upset families with relatives living along the Thai-Malaysian border. If history is any judge, there will be commotion in the northernmost states in weeks and months to come.

Some of Thaksin's aides have said that Thaksin and Mahathir could easily be friends and strike a familiar chord owing to their common anti-Western rhetoric. But there have been differences in their intensity and meaning. Mahathir has been known for his dim view of the West on financial, political and economic issues. Thaksin stoked Thai nationalism to boost his popularity and gain the support of disenchanted Thais.

It remains to be seen, of course, how Thaksin will fare on his first official trip abroad. When he briefly served as foreign minister at the end of 1994, his performance was not impressive. On one visit to Malaysia for bilateral talks, top officials, including three Malaysian ministers, came well prepared to discuss bilateral issues.

They were flabbergasted when Thaksin declared there were no problems to discuss. The meeting ended in 10 minutes.

Thailand cannot afford to cause any unnecessary offense to the Malaysian leaders or the Muslim community. If there is any backlash, it is fairly obvious which road Kuala Lumpur will take.

-- The Nation/Asia News Network