<div dir="ltr"><h1 itemprop="headline">Language might be the key to peace in the South</h1>
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<div class="">The Nation <span>November 6, 2015 1:00 am</span> </div>
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<h2 itemprop="description">The authorities' enchained minds
must open to fresh ideas for ending the discord, first and foremost by
safeguarding Malay Muslim identity</h2>
As much as our policymakers would like us to believe that the conflict
in the Malay-speaking South stems from the militants' distorted view of
Thai history and Islam, they have never come close to gaining the
support of the local populace. Yet that has been the objective all
along, aimed at undermining the insurgents' "legitimacy".<br><br>
Between late 2001, when uprisings began anew in the region, and January
2004, when the violence exploded full-bore, authorities in Bangkok
referred to the militants as "sparrow bandits" - minor criminal
nuisances, in other words.<br><br>
Then, on January 4, 2004, a group of insurgents stormed an Army camp
and made off with more than 300 military-grade weapons, and suddenly the
political underpinnings of the conflict could no longer be denied.<br><br>
However, even while acknowledging the political nature of the
insurrection, the authorities have insisted that these are nothing more
than isolated troublemakers and it's just a matter of time before the
disturbance is quelled. They have repeated this line so often that they
have come to "believe their own propaganda".<br><br>
To admit otherwise would necessitate compromises, but ceding any ground
to the militants remains out of the question, even today, after more
than 6,000 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence.<br><br>
If there is any hope in the gloom, it is that the official mindset has
not been an obstacle to creative ideas and meaningful proposals for
peace and reconciliation coming from other segments of society.<br><br>
Several civil organisations and academics have come up with sound
concepts for moving the stalled peace process forward, and
encouragingly, they have found some receptive ears in government.<br><br>
Alas, not everyone in authority is convinced, and minds for the most
part remain closed to the notion that a political solution is needed.<br><br>
The ongoing violence in the South is the result of the Thai
government's refusal to accept a specific historical and cultural
narrative and acknowledge that the Malay Muslims have a separate
identity that must be honoured. They have their own language and
beliefs, but these have been repeatedly challenged by their membership
in the Thai nation. And they fear they might lose that identity through
assimilation, as imposed by the state.<br><br>
At a recent seminar at Chulalongkorn University organised by the
Institute of Security and International Studies, academics and linguists
suggested that a definitive policy on language for southern Thailand
could pave the way to settling the conflict.<br><br>
If properly applied, such a policy could have both a practical and a
symbolic impact, since it would address a key grievance among the Malay
minority, panellists argued. At the same time it would support national
unity and social cohesion, they said.<br><br>
The authorities need to understand that language policy involves much
more than bilingual education (although in itself that would be a good
start).<br><br>
Should the Malays be concerned about the loss of identity? They need
only look to the North and Northeast, where local dialects, written and
spoken, have faded due to natural and enforced assimilation. The loss of
the local tongue represents the diminishing of culture - shared
stories, myths, even cooking recipes - and thus a depletion of what
makes us who we are.<br><br>
It is entirely understandable why the Malays of Patani are sceptical
over the lip service paid them by the state. Officials say they
appreciate, even admire, the local culture, and then, rather than
helping to preserve it, actively work to undermine it.<br><br clear="all"><a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Language-might-be-the-key-to-peace-in-the-South-30272350.html">http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Language-might-be-the-key-to-peace-in-the-South-30272350.html</a><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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