TUL PINKAEW
Pupils of Wat Suwannakorn school in Pattani's Khok Pho district undergo basic military training with soldiers from the Prachin Buri-based 2nd Infantry Regiment _ to cultivate patriotism and discipline. — JETJARAS NA RANONG
Political silence amid fresh rows with Malaysia and the suspicious disappearance of Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit serves to illustrate that no political party has a clear plan for dealing with the troubled South, academics said yesterday.
''There is nothing new except it [the South] is forgotten,'' said Chulalongkorn University lecturer Vitit Muntarbhorn.
''Every political party campaigning in the Feb 6 election has, for some reason, neglected the issue of the South, leaving it vague and unclear,'' he said.
Speaking at a forum, ''Party Policies Concerning the South'', Mr Vitit criticised the Democrats' policy of re-establishing people-to-state agencies as an idea from the past and Thai Rak Thai's use of military force over the last four years as inhumane and constitutionally unjust.
''The continuing crisis in the South inspired the government to introduce new decrees to increase state power, notably for police to arrest, detain and question anyone suspected of involvement with terrorism. Given the government's dismal history of abusing power, only the insane would continue to accept this type of behaviour,'' he said.
Mr Vitit said if predictions were correct, and Thai Rak Thai is re-elected, the party should come up with a People's Agenda, a set of policies designed specifically to uphold southern culture.
''The policies would be devised by the people of the South themselves and should embrace cultural diversity and freedom of speech,'' he said.
Former Thai ambassador to the UN, Asda Jayanama, said Malaysia and Indonesia were Thailand's allies and it was unwise to provoke them.
''The Malaysian government also desperately wants to maintain peace and, in the past, has extradited suspects to Thailand, but by going behind their backs and talking to the press instead of meeting face to face, the Malaysians are feeling cheated,'' he said.
Mr Asda also said the Malaysian government is currently the leader of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Thailand should find ways to work with it to its benefit.
Meanwhile, Senator Sak Khosangruang, chief of the Senate's sub-committee on the investigation into Mr Somchai's disappearance, said the sub-committee has not made any progress as neither Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra or his deputies have responded to formal requests that they appear for questioning.
Mr Somchai, who disappeared in March and is still unaccounted for, is widely believed to have been killed shortly after allegedly being kidnapped by men in uniform.
''His case serves as a barometer for the sorrowful state of human rights and the rule of law in Thailand. Somchai was courageous and outspoken when it came to publicising allegations of police violations made by his clients who had been arrested on charges of having links to the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah,'' said the senator.