Rethinking: Thailand's Southern ViolenceEdited by Duncan McCargo
Rethinking: Thailand's Southern Violence
Edited by Duncan McCargo
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SINCE January 2004, the three Muslim-dominated provinces of Patani, Yala,
and Narathiwat in the Thai south have been ablaze with political violence.
Early incidents such as the bloody storming of the historic Kru-Ze mosque,
and the death of 78 Tak Bai protestors at the hads of the army made global
headlines. But most of the subsequent events have gone largely unnoticed
despite a terrible catalogue of the 'daily killings.' The Thaksin
Shinawatra government's persistent mishandling of the southern violence
was a key factor behind the September 2006 military coup d'čtat,
the biggest political upheaval in Thailand since the early 1990s. The collection by Thai and international scholars examines the reasons behind the unrest in south Thailand from a variety of perspectives. The contributors all reject the simplistic mantras of 'terrorism experts,' and call for a more nuanced, subtle, and critical readings of events. Their topics include the political meanings of history and monuments, the ambiguous role of the Thaksin government, alternative explanations of the violence, the salience of political Islam, the voices of ordinary people in Patani, and the misleading paradigms of the insecurity industry. This book will change the way the southern Thailand conflict is understand. Contributors are: Duncan McCargo, Chiwat Satha-Anand, Ukrit Pathmanand, Srisompob Jitpiromsri, Panyasak Sobhonvasu, Wattana Sugunasil, May Tan-Mullins, and Michael Connors. Duncan McCargo is professor of Southeast Asian politics at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
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