![[Home]](/wiki.gif)
Comments From The Thai-Malaysian FrontlineComments From The Thai-Malaysian Frontline
Fact 1: The 4.5 million Malays of Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala, Satun and
Songkhla are a distinct national group with their own heritage,
language, culture, and customs.
Fact 2: These Malays are muslims, but adherent to the Islamic religion is NOT the defining factor in differentiating them from the Siamese. Indeed, there are many Siamese muslims in Bangkok, Phuket, Trang, Krabi and Ligor (Nakorn Sri Thammarat). These "Thai-muslims" are either non-Malays or descendants of Malays that were assimilated into Siamese society many generations ago.
Fact 3: There is no doubt that strong common historical linkages exist between the Siamese Kingdom and the Malay Sultanate of Pattani as well as the lesser Malay states, or fiefdoms, stretching from Satun / Tarutao in the west to Saiburi in the east. These so-called Malay vassal states (which included the current northern Malaysian states of Kelantan, Trengganu, Perlis and Kedah) were loosely subservient under nominal Siamese authority for many centuries. Their acknowledgement of Siamese sovereignty was limited to the symbolic remittances of Gold Leaves / Bouquets (Bunga Mas) every couple of yrs. The Siamese KIngdom itself, of course, was subservient (on a macro view) to the emperors of China but that does not legitimize any modern day Chinese claims on Thailand (see how ludicrous the "logic" goes if we use this argument to determine Thai sovereignty over the Malay lands).
Fact 4: The historical linkages between Siam and these Malay states were essentially alliances of convenience brought about by larger external threats from all corners of Southeast Asia. The Siamese were locked in centuries-long epic battles with the Burmese and Khmers. The Malay states were resisting invasions from the fierce warriors of Acheh, Pasai and Makassar (Bugis) as well as the dominating influence of the Malacca Empire. Malacca itself forged a strong alliance with China to curb Siamese expansionism on the Malay Peninsula but thats another story. To face these threats, the Siamese and Malays jointly faced the wrath of the Burmese hoards at the Kra Isthmus in numerous battles over three centuries. In one instance, in the late 1700s, the Sultan of Kedah sent 50,000 Malay warriors to Ligor and Chumphon to rescue the Siamese from near defeat at the hands of the Burmese.
Fact 5: The deterioration in relations started when newly nationalistic Siamese leaders (beginning in the 1890s) somehow "lost" the rationale of the Malay-Siamese coexistence in the region. Instead of recoqnizing the Malay states and population for what they are, the Siamese govt. began a series of fatal moves which resulted in turmoil and sufferings until today.
Fact 6: The first thing Siam did was to regard these Malay states as their own, incorporating into their political maps the vast swath of land from Nakorn Sri Thammarat in the north to the frontiers with the British colony of Penang and the British Malay states of Perak and Pahang in the south. Hundreds of place and geographical names were transliterated into Siamese and until today officially pronounced based on the inherent vernacular limitations of the Siamese language. A sampling: Patani, Menara, Jala, Singgora, Setol, Ligor, Teluban, Bukit, Tabal, Tanjong Mas, Sungai Golok, Sebayu, Bendang Setar, Penarek, and Jering became (respectively) Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala, Songkhla, Satun, Nakorn Sri Thammarat, Saiburi, Phuket, Takbai, Tanyongmat, Sungai Kolok, Sabayoi, Bannang Satar, Panare, and Yaring. Hence, overnight the Malays were living in towns and cities bearing mutilated, alien names. This is equivalent to Washington being corrupted to Washingburg, Washingville or Washingrad. Do you think Americans will accept this peacefully?
Fact 7: As if the place-name corruption was not enough, the Siamese forced the Malays to disown their ethnic identity. The Malays are now "Thai Muslims"; their Malay language is now called Yawi (which is actually nothing more than yet another Siamese corruption of the Malay word Jawi, meaning writing in the Arabic script); Malay names are replaced with weird sounding instantly-concocted Siamese names; and so on and so forth. Friends, how would YOU feel if tomorrow you wake up bearing a weird sounding name (imposed on you), where your race does not officially exist and your hometown name metamorphosed into some laughable alien sound? Would you take it sitting down? Would George Bush of Washington be amenable to being called Georgi Bushev of Washingrad? Of course not. Obviously, Thaksin Shinawatra won't be happy being called Amitabh Shinawalla.
Fact 8: To wrap up this deception, all forms of discontent by the Malays were lumped into a general-purpose "Thai muslim unrest in the south" category, effectively burying the REAL cause of the upheaval.
Fact 9: Fast forward to 1900-1909. The Anglo-Siamese Treaty (in which the Malays were not represented) effectively dissected these Malay states into two equal, imperfect parts: Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla, Satun and Yala remained under Siamese hands with Kelantan, Trengganu, Kedah and Perlis reverting to British rule. The British logic for sanctioning the continued Siamese occupation of the remaining northern half of the Malay lands was the perceived value of Siam as a friendly buffer against the French in Indochina. Sensing this British greenlight, Siam quickly annexed Pattani and the rest in 1906. The last Raja of Pattani, Tengku Abdul Kadir Kamaruddin, was dragged to Bangkok, jailed, humiliated and died a broken man. The royal palace was looted and a symbolic object of Malay pride, the huge cannon known as Sri Negara, was siphoned off to Bangkok as war booty and placed until today in front of the Thai Ministry of Defence Complex.
Fact 10: With the abrupt, arbitrary partition of their homeland into Siamese and British halves, the Malays of Satun/Kedah?Create and Pattani/Kelantan?Create were suddenly separated from their families and farms by an artificial international border, which is actually little more than a muddy stream known as the Golok River in the east and farmland/jungles in the west.
Fact 11: To summarise, the current situation CANNOT be solved by current methodologies. Indeed, more heartache and sufferings will be incurred by all sides if we do not conceive a just, logical solution.
Search for books about:
|
Interested in Malaysia Thailand Technology Business Partnership Dialogue Speech By Mahathir Bin Mohamad?