 | Violence in Thailand's Muslim South Intensifies - VOA Story In Thailand's Muslim-dominated south, an increasingly violent insurgency is breeding fear and mistrust among neighbors, and government efforts to bring peace have made little progress. More than 2,000 people have died since a Muslim insurgency flared up in 2004 in Thailand's Muslim-majority southern provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. While the majority of Thailand's 65 million people are Buddhists, around 1.3 million ethnic Malay Muslims live in the south. Most identify more with Muslim Malaysia and the Melayu language than with Thai Buddhists. Many have complained of discrimination and attempts at forced assimilation since Thailand annexed the region 100 years ago. The shadowy insurgents have never identified themselves nor made any public demands. Officials and analysts widely believe they want to establish a separate Islamic state. The insurgents attack symbols of the government, including the armed forces, schools, businesses, workers in critical industries such as rubber, and places deemed un-Islamic, like bars that serve alcohol. They also kill Muslims viewed as government collaborators. The insurgents, however, primarily target Buddhists in what is believed to be an attempt to drive them from the region. Officials estimate tens of thousands have fled. Many of the Buddhist temples here have closed and all are heavily guarded. The government that took power in a military coup last September vowed to make peace in the south a priority, but has made little progress. Many Buddhists and Muslims in southern Thailand say it is a tragedy that they, who once lived side by side in peace, now live in fear. Both sides worry now that trust and tolerance have broken down, this conflict could spiral out of control. |
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