Malaysia Urges Thailand to Win Muslims Over
- From: "Faris Jawad" <ana_faris_bila_jawad@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 15:10:25 -0400
Malaysia Urges Thailand to Win Muslims Over
CAIRO , September 4, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) - Muslim heavyweight Malaysia
has urged neighboring Thailand to find ways to win over its six million
Muslims instead of resorting to military action, Malaysia 's The Star
reported on Sunday, September 4.
"We hope Thailand will undertake efforts to win the hearts and minds of the
Muslims there because it is clear that there is fear which shows there is
conflict among various groups there," said Foreign Minister Syed Hamid
Albar.
He said Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra should engage in discussions with
his country's Muslim leaders to come up with solutions to the conflict in
the south.
"What is clear is that the situation in the four Muslim provinces in the
south should be resolved quickly before the problems spill over into
Malaysia ."
Some 131 Thai Muslims have fled to Malaysia 's northeastern state of
Kelantan last week, saying they left their villages in Narathiwat province
after the army arrived.
The Thai government has declared emergency rule across the
predominantly-Muslim south, once an independent Muslim sultanate, under a
decree rubber-stamped by a hastily convened cabinet meeting on Friday, July
15.
The controversial measure grants Thaksin the power impose curfews, censor
news, ban public meetings, tap phones and hold suspects without charge for
up to 30 days.
Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation but Muslims make up about five
percent of the population and mostly live in the five southern provinces
bordering Malaysia .
Standoff
On the issue of the 131 Thais, the foreign minister said Malaysia , the
current chair of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), needed
time to check their records.
"We need a little more time because we have received various information
that they come from certain groups," he told reporters.
"We need time to come up with a decision. If we rush things, more problems
could arise," added Syed Hamid.
Malaysian and Thai marine police began Saturday joint patrols along the
Sungai Golok river separating the two countries in a bid to prevent more
Thais from crossing over.
Malaysia has voiced concerns over the prospect of more Thais fleeing across
the border.
Thaksin denied accusations that the 131 villagers had fled because they were
afraid of the Thai authorities, The Nation reported on Sunday.
Reports from the border area said the Thais fled after a tense standoff
between residents of Narathiwat's Ban Rahan and security forces, following
the shooting death of a local imam.
The villagers accused the police of killing the imam and protested by
blocking the entrance of the village to security forces wishing to
investigate the incident, The Nation reported.
After being threatened with charges of obstructing justice, many decided to
flee their homes for Malaysia . Others from nearby districts joined them in
the exodus.
"License to Kill"
Senator Kraisak Chonhavan, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Affairs, blamed the government's controversial emergency decree for creating
community fear in the south.
National Reconciliation Commission Chairman Anand Panyarachun said the
decree, which grants immunity to officials for actions performed in the
course of duty, is regarded by Muslims in the south as a license to kill.
The new sweeping powers drew fire from the press and activists as
dictatorial and a recipe for more violence and has prompted strong reactions
from civic groups which argue that it violates many basic rights.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) stressed on Thursday, May 19, that the
Thai government's failure to address injustices and open a genuine dialogue
with Muslim leaders in the south is the real reason behind unrest in the
country.
Thailand 's national rights watchdog also accused the army of "violent
breaches of human rights" against Muslims in the south.
http://islamonline.net/English/News/2005-09/04/article05.shtml
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