[Tlc] T-Southern Thai violence II

[justinm at ucr.edu]

Forwarded from Al Valentine.
Thanks,
justin


http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/8649/separatists-well-organisedpolice-believe
Separatists well organised, police believe

Five related groups are working together with the aim of seceding from the country,
    By: Wassayos Ngamkham 
    Published: 25/12/2008 at 12:00 AM

On the surface, the separatist unrest that has afflicted the far South for more than four years now seems to be nothing more serious than scattered incidents of loosely-planned acts of violence.
But the Police Operation Centre's Forward Command in Yala, one of the strife-torn southern border provinces, recently revealed that the separatist movement is a well-structured organisation with five major related groups of people working together to achieve the region's secession from Thailand.
The forward command has been set up to pool human and material resources allocated to fighting separatist insurgents in the three largely Muslim border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
The southern insurgency erupted in January 2004.
According to police officers working in the restive region, the first group is made up of Islamic leaders and ustazes, or teachers, who are responsible for educating those involved in insurgent operations at all levels.
Security officials believe the group has distorted Islamic teachings and put separatist ideas into the minds of young local Muslims.
Also, it is the job of these religious leaders to initiate new sympathisers into the separatist movement.
Newcomers must swear an oath of allegiance during an initiation ceremony, which is aimed at strengthening the bonds of fellowship, the officers said.
The second group acts as a governing body with members holding administrative posts similar to those held by state authorities.
These members have tried to infiltrate every southern village and their job is primarily to come up with plots to incite local people to violence.
However, some Muslim scholars do not believe such a governing structure exists in the rebel movement. They say that according to Islamic teachings, the separation of religion and state is not allowed.
The next group seeks funding and provides financial assistance to keep the separatist movement running.
Parts of the funding are contributions from some members of this group themselves, while financial donations are also solicited from local people, although many of them are forced to pay against their will, the police said.
The forward command said some of the funds also come from organised drug cartels and contraband dealers, who agree to finance the insurgents' armed campaign against state authorities.
The fourth group is the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK), which means a small combat unit.
A recent survey carried out by the forward command shows there are currently about 3,000-5,000 RKK guerillas operating in the far South.
RKK recruits must undergo intense training in guerilla warfare modelled on the tactics and techniques used by separatist groups based in Indonesia. A vast expanse of forest in the far South serves as their ideal training ground.
Usually, a small band of six RKK guerillas is sent out for a small, daily mission, while it takes more than one combat unit to carry out a large-scale operation.
Each unit operates independently of the others and unit members do not know much about their comrades in the same group.
This is meant to prevent information leaks.
The forward command said RKK guerrillas are mostly recruited from devout Muslim students who are clever, well-behaved, and disciplined.
The fifth group is called Permudor and comprises young sympathisers.
The forward command believes there are large numbers of such sympathisers in practically every village in the far South.
Their job is to keep track of officials' activities and movements, and to try to obstruct police and military operations by scattering metal spikes on roads or blocking roads with fallen trees.
As these RKK supporters know their neighbourhoods well, they often help whisk RKK fighters away to safety right after completing their attacks or other missions.
These young sympathisers are expected to be trained to be new RKK fighters in the future.
The separatist campaign stresses the use of brute force and seeks to take the southern conflict to another level by internationalising the issue, police at the forward command said.They also said the education system in the three southernmost provinces is conducive to the growth of the separatist movement.
Besides, the civil service system's failure to ensure justice and fairness for the locals is a factor contributing to the conflict, they said.



______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
3046 INTN
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu