Thai government probes Islamic schools for extremist links

Producer: Valarie Tan
First broadcast: 12 January 04, Radio Singapore International

In the country's latest move to tackle the problem of terrorism at its roots, Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered private Islamic schools in the southern provinces to be investigated by authorities.

This comes after the deadly attack on an Army Battalion in the southern province of Narathiwat. Thai authorities believe that local Islamic schools are linked to that attack.

Will this latest move by the government be able to counter the problem of
terrorist insurgency in Thailand?

There are more than 500 Islamic boarding schools in the southernmost region of
Thailand. Widely known as 'pondoks', only about 100 of them incorporate courses approved by the Education Ministry into their school curriculum. They also receive some form of funding from the Thai government.

Thai Muslims also enjoy full state support and are free to teach and practice
their religion according to their own tenets.

So will things change for the worse for the Thai-Muslim community in light of
the latest probe in private Islamic schools?

I put this question to Mr Kwa Chong Guan (KCG), Head of External Programmes at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore.

KCG: No, I don't think Muslims in Thailand need to worry unduly. Simply because the Thai state is increasingly becoming a secular state. I believe his majesty, the King has gone as far to say that there's no need to make Buddhism the state religion in the new constitution. So in that respect, Muslims in Thailand need not worry.

So is it safe for us to say that this move is not a beginning into a series of probes into the Thai-Muslim community?

KCG: The problem is more deep seat. The Muslims in the South have been alienated from the people in Bangkok and further North. So quite clearly, Bangkok has to work harder on its relations with the distant provinces in the South, Muslim or not. They will have to try to win over the allegiances, loyalties of the population of the deep south. They have to devote more resources, promote a more equal development in the provinces.

Will this latest move to investigate private Muslim schools in Thailand be able
counter the problem of terrorist insurgency?

KCG: The problem with terrorrism is a very complex and deep seat one. It goes beyond the Muslim community beyond the school curriculum. The present way of terrorism has very complex international links. So here the Thai govt really have to work with other ASEAN countiries to counter this problem. Thailand here have to expand its working relationship with their Malaysian counterparts. They already have very a very good relationship dating back to the old days when they cooperated to work against the comunnists terrorists. This has to be expanded and built upon on now for a new category of terrorist threats.