EDITORIAL
Tomorrow marks the ninth anniversary of what was described as the symbolic beginning of a new phase in the deep South insurgency, when a band of extremist Islamic militants raided an army armoury in Cho Airong district of Narathiwat, killing four soldiers and making off with more than 400 war weapons, mostly M16 assault rifles.
Since that infamous incident, the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani plus four districts of Songkhla have been raked with senseless violence on an almost daily basis, be it shooting, arson attacks or bombings.
Statistics compiled by the Isra news agency from January 2004 until last November show that the violence, perpetrated by militants, security forces and outlaw elements have claimed 4,962 lives, comprising 2,092 Buddhists, 2,739 Muslims and 131 whose religious faiths could not be determined. Also, 9,044 people were wounded, many of them maimed. Unfortunately, there are no figures about the number of people, especially Buddhists, evacuated from the restive region to other provinces for their own safety.
Civilians have always been the main victims in the far South as the militants have indiscriminately targetted both members of the public and security forces, regardless of their religious faiths.
Security forces, too, were also blamed for the deaths and injuries of several Malay Muslims in some controversial incidents such as the Tak Bai and Krue Se attacks.
So, it is the duty of a responsible media to report about what is actually happening in the restive region and what went wrong.
It is also the media's job to analyse the situation and inform the public, especially those who live outside the region, and present to the government the media's perspective of the situation.
Of course, a responsible media should not sensationalise the violent incidents which take place such as the beheadings of some victims.
Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul is concerned that "too much" coverage of the violence in the deep South could invite more violence.
He would prefer the international community not to pay so much attention to the unrest, but says they should feel free to condemn the perpetrators of the violence.
The real problem with both the local and foreign media in their coverage of the conflict is that they have paid too little attention to the unrest and other problems in the strife-torn region, except for some outrageous incidents such as the case of a monk's beheading or the killings of teachers which were often sensationalised.
Barely any space is spared for issues such as human rights abuses, social problems or the issue of whether a special administrative zone for the region, or some sort of limited self-determination such as the right to set public holidays for important Islamic occasions is needed.
There is no quick and easy fix for the southern conflict. But the government should at least be more responsive to the political aspirations of the ethnic Malay Muslims who are the majority in the region, by granting them a greater say in running their affairs such as in setting public holidays for important religious occasions and in local administration.
Winning the trust and support of the local Muslims is just as important as winning the war against the murderous militants. And the only weapon needed is the political will that the government must exercise.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/01/03/no-quick-fixes-in-deep-south/
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