Transcript_WITHOUT INVITATION: Conflict in Southern Thailand

 

Interviews

Interview 1: Abu Hafez Al-Hakim, President of the Islamic Liberation Front of Patani (English language WITHOUT subtitles)

Interview 2: Isma-ae Taha, Student (Patani Malay language WITH English subtitles)

Interview 3: Ariee Muktar, Patani United Liberation Organisation (PULO) (English language WITH English subtitles)

Interview 4: Chairat Suksomkid, Assistant District Officer, Su-Ngai Padi (Thai language, English subtitles)

Interview 5: Rukchart Suwan, Newtork of Buddhists for Peace (Thai language, English subtitles)

Interview 6: Provost Prachot Rattananuruk, Temple Leader (Thai language, English subtitles)

 

Time code (minutes.seconds)

 

00.04 Screen Text, FILM TITIE: WITHOUT INVITATION

00.08 Screen Text, FILM TITIE: Conflict In Southern Thailand

 

00.16 VO (Voice Over): Insurgency is simmering in southern Thailand.

00.21 VO: The three provinces of Pattani, Narithiwat and Yala are a battleground in a power struggle between the ruling Thai government, and ethnic Malay Muslims who are fighting for an independent Patani state, governed by Sharia law.

00:43 VO: This is a separatist war and religion is caught in the crossfire.

00.50 VO: Buddhism and Islam are at the heart of these conflicting identities and both sides are vulnerable to foreign influence and religious extremism.

00.59 VO: Some fear that radicalization has already begun.

01.06 VO: The southern region is controlled by the ruling Thai Buddhist elite seated in Bangkok.

01:11 VO: They have deployed 70,000 security personnel across the southern provinces. That’s about one rifle for every 25 people living here.

01.21 VO: The soldiers are everywhere and the region is infested with military checkpoints. Vehicles are searched around the clock and suspects are detained at the whim of Thai soldiers.

01.31 VO: Malay Muslims feel a strong sense of injustice at the hands of the Thai authorities, who many see as the imperialist occupier of their Patani homeland.

 

01.35 Screen Text: Patani Independence

 

01.43 VO: Alienated, estranged and ignored by the ruling elite in Bangkok, Malay separatists took to arms 50 years ago.

01.52 VO: They have been fighting ever since.

 

01.55 Interview 1, SPOKEN: We always name ourselves as freedom fighters because we fight for our freedom and we fight for our rights.

 

01.59 Screen Text: Abu Hafez Al-Hakim, President of the Islamic Liberation Front of Patani  (BIPP)

 

02.02 Interview 1: We don’t want anything that doesn’t belong to us. We just fight and we just want all the things that have been taken away from us.

02.017 Interview 1: Our rights to self determination and our right to decide our own future.

 

02.24 VO: Abu Hafez Al-Hakim is President of the Islamic Liberation Front of Patani, a pro-independence group which has opposed Thai rule in the southern provinces since 1959.

02.35 VO: The organization demobilized its militant wing long ago.

 

02.42 - 02.48 Screen Text, Copyright Attribution: © Spring News

 

02.43 VO: He is now a member of Mara Patani, a collective of Malay separatist groups formed in 2015 to revive negotiations with the Thailand’s military government.

02.57: It marks a return to the spotlight for the old guard who previously nurtured ties with separatist groups and Islamic militants across the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

 

03.07 Interview 1: When you are overseas there are so many places you can go for military training. Libya, Syria or whatever… Interview 1:  But my friends who are high ranking people in the movement now, they all went for training.

 

03.23 VO: Abu Hafez admits that some militants active today have received training in Afghanistan and that Taliban tactics may have been adopted.

03.31 VO: During the peak of the violence in the mid 2000s monks, soldiers and civilians were beheaded and their corpses mutilated.

03.39 VO: It ushered in a level of barbarism the likes of which the southern provinces had never seen before.

 03.46: While Hafez admits that extremist tactics may have been adopted, he insists that radical ideology has not.

03.52 VO: He says there is no collaboration between this insurgency and Islamic radicals such as Jemaah Islamiah (JI), Al Qaeda or Islamic State.

 

04.02 Interview 1: We do see that some of us do have personal relationships with people in Al Qaeda or JI, but not as organizations.

04.12 Interview 1: I do not see any organization in Patani at all, whether it is PULO or BRN or BIPP in fact. The do not have official connections with these groups.

04.27 Interview 1: Maybe they know some friends personally, but I cannot verify that.

 

04.46 VO: Signs of those personal affiliations are already starting to surface.

04.51 VO: At the Tak Bai border crossing on the Golok River travelers browse mug shots of Thailand’s ‘Most Wanted’. 

04.58 VO: Top of the list is the Bangkok Bomber who is suspected of planting the bomb that killed more than 20 people at Erawan Shrine in August 2015. 

05.14 VO: Thai authorities believe he came from Narthiwat and was working alongside an international network of Uyghur terrorists out of China.

05.23 VO: It is unclear which groups operate in the country today or how deep their influence runs. But there are legitimate concerns that young Malay Muslims may fall under the spell of Islamic radicals such as Islamic State.

05.58 VO: There are perceived similarities between Islamic State which is fighting for a caliphate in the Middle East and Malay separatists who are fighting for an independent Patani, free from Thai rule.

06.11 VO: While some individuals may be lured in by radical propaganda campaigns, most Malays do not embrace extremist ideology or methods.

06.36 VO: Isma-ae Taha is a student activist at the Prince of Songklah University in Patani who has grown up in a world where roadside bombs, shootings and even beheadings are a feature of daily life.

06.51 VO: He is a devout Muslim but he sees fundamental differences between Islamic State and local Malay separatism.

 

06.53 Screen Text: Isma-ae Taha, Student

 

06.58 – 07.00 Interview 2 SUBTITLES: I feel these two are different.

07.01 – 07.07 Interview 2 SUBTITLES: IS has clearly stated their purpose is to establish a global Islamic state.

07.08 – 07.15 Interview 2 SUBTITLES: Here, the purpose of the struggle is liberation from the Thai government. 

07.19 – 07.26 Interview 2 SUBTITLES: I agree with IS if it truly lives up to its name,

07.27 – 07.35 Interview 2 SUBTITLES: but I disagree with their process and deeds, because these are not Islamic. 

 

07.37 VO: Resistance to radical Islam comes readily to the educated and politically engaged.

07.45 VO: But the rural poor may be more amenable. They have seen local Islamic schools closed and suffer routine harassment by Thai authorities.

07.55 VO: These disenfranchised communities have long filled the ranks of the insurgency, and could become a target for Islamic State whose influence and appeal is spreading throughout the Islamic world.

08.09 VO: Ariee Muktar is a prominent member of the Patani United Liberation Organization, an insurgent group which retains a small militant wing and has a seat at the table of the fledgling peace initiative.

 

08.12 Screen Text: Ariee Muktar, Patani United Liberation Organisation (PULO)

 

08.21 VO: Arie fears the contagious influence of international terror networks. He is concerned that radical Islam could spread to southern Thailand, infecting local ideology and radicalizing young insurgents.

 

08.34 – 08.39 Interview 3, SUBTITLES: Islamic groups are now very active

08.40 – 08.44 Interview 3, SUBTITLES: We are very afraid.

08.45 – 08.52 Interview 3, SUBTITLES: And I always warn the government to be very careful the way it treats our people

08.56 – 09.06 Interview 3, SUBTITLES: Now Islamic groups, especially Al Qaeda or IS, are everywhere.

09.12 – 09.17 Interview 3, SUBTITLES: In PULO ours stand is very clear,

09.18 – 09.22 Interview 3, SUBTITLES: We do not engage with those groups

09.23 – 09.30 Interview 3, SUBTITLES: if the Thai side is very aggressive, or does something wrong,

09.31 – 09.36 Interview 3, SUBTITLES: They will come without invitation.

 

09.56 – 10.00 Screen Text, Copyright Attribution: © clipwebsite

 

 

10.01 VO: The war for southern Thailand has escalated in the last decade. Since 2004 more than six thousand people have been killed and fourteen thousand wounded.

 

10.11 – 10.19: Screen Text, Copyright Attribution: © We Love Thai Soldiers:

 

10.11 VO: Most of the victims are civilians and Human Rights Watch has criticized insurgents for terrorizing Buddhist communities.

10.19 VO: This has created a climate of fear and anxiety across the southern provinces.

10.26 VO: Thai people are deeply patriotic and fiercely loyal to state institutions.

10.32 VO: Bound by nationalism and a strong sense of duty, many villagers are volunteering to defend the Thai nation against Malay separatists.

10.40 VO: The Thai army has recruited civilians in to its counterinsurgency campaign. The village defence volunteers obediently patrol the villages and report any incidents or suspicious activities to local authorities.

10.56 VO: Chairat is a local administer in Su-Ngai Padi, a district in Narathiwat close to the Malaysian border. He works closely with local defence volunteers to, in his own words, alleviate suffering, create happiness and ensure justice for the people.

 

11.06 – 11.10 Screen Text: Chairat Suksomkid, Assistant District Officer, Su-Ngai Padi

 

 

11.11 – 11.15 Interview 4, SUBTITLES: I have been in Su-ngai Padi for more than 10 years.

11.16 – 11.21 Interview 4, SUBTITLES: I have seen these scenes of people living in unity.

11.23 – 11.29 Interview 4, SUBTITLES: When Muslim brothers hold an event or activity, be it traditional affairs, weddings or religious events,

11.31 – 11.34 Interview 4, SUBTITLES: they will invite the head monk and he will attend,

11.35 – 11.38 Interview 4, SUBTITLES: taking Buddhist brothers and sisters with him and bringing donations.

11.39 – 11.42 Interview 4, SUBTITLES: These help create unity and harmony amongst local people

11.44 – 11.50 Interview 4, SUBTITLES: which means that  Su-Ngai Padi has experienced fewer violent incidents since the unrest broke out,

11.51 – 11.55 Interview 4, SUBTITLES:  and recently, I can say that acts of violence have barely taken place.

 

11.56 VO: Chairat dutifully toes the party line, heralding the security campaign a great success and boasting of harmony between Thai Buddhists and Malay Muslims.

12.04 VO: But his words mask a more sinister reality of mistrust and intolerance.

 

12.11 VO: Rukchart is a civil society activist from Yala and founder of the Network of Buddhists for Peace.

12.16 VO: He works alongside communities to bring them into the peace process and has encountered extremism along the way.

 

12.17 – 12.22 Screen Text: Rukchart Suwan, Newtork of Buddhists for Peace

 

12.23 – 12.38 Interview 5, SUBTITLES: There are plenty of extremist thoughts, some don’t acknowledge Muslims in the region.

 

12.39 – 12.47 Interview 5, SUBTITLES: Many people have questioned why we should recognise the Muslim identities,

 

12.48 – 12.56 Interview 5, SUBTITLES: and why the authorities don’t suppress them and keep the situation under control.

 

13.00 – 13.08 Interview 5, SUBTITLES: The most obvious extremism can be found among some monks.

 

13.12 – 13.21 Interview 5, SUBTITLES: Here, these monks lead the extremism, and they are respected by the Buddhists.

 

13.21 – 13.27 Interview 5, SUBTITLES: So here is the fuel.

 

 

13.30 VO: Bound by religious duties, Buddhist monks are not meant to engage in politics. But across the border in Myanmar, some of the clergy are inciting violence between Burmese Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya in Rakhine State.

13.43 VO: Rukchart is concerned that Burmese monks will extend their influence to southern Thailand and inflame the conflict here.

 

13.52 – 14.01 Interview 5 SUBTITLES: Now I’m worried about hard core monks, because the situation here might become like in Myanmar. 

14.07 – 14.12 Interview 5, SUBTITLES: I heard a news report about Burmese monks who are interested to come to the three Southern Border Provinces.

14.13 – 14.20 Interview 5, SUBTITLES:  I’m concerned about that. If they really come, what shall we do?

14.21 – 14.22 Interview 5, SUBTITLES: (Have they already come here?)

14.23 – 14.25 Interview 5, SUBTITLES: No, not yet.

 

14.43 VO: Provost is the temple leader in Su-Ngai Padi.

 

14.45 – 14.49 Screen text: Provost Prachot Rattananuruk, Temple Leader

 

14.47 VO: He has lived here for many years. He understands the extremist elements within the community and the so-called Buddhist hardcore but he disapproves of religious persecution happening in Myanmar. 

 

14.59 – 15.05 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: We can exchange our ideas, but we can’t do the same thing as in Myanmar.

15.06 – 15.13 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: So far more than 20 monks have been killed.

15.14 – 15.18 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: So they want to come to exchange ideas,

15.19 – 15.23 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: not to encourage Buddhists to fight against Muslims.

15.24 – 15.29 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: They are afraid that the situation here might worsen like in Myanmar.

 

 

15.30 VO: More than 20 Buddhist monks have been brutally assassinated by insurgent fighters in southern Thailand since 2004.

15.37 VO: Monks are revered within Thai culture and these targeted killings cut straight to the heart of the Thai community.

15.44 VO: Thai Buddhists feel unable to practice their faith and this has eroded the spiritual fabric of Thai society in the south.

15.51 VO: Fearing for their lives, many monks have left the region, taking their congregations with them.

15.58 VO: As Thai Buddhists embark on their steady exodus north, some go so far as to say the insurgents are winning the war for Southern Thailand.

 

16.22 – 16.24 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: In fact, the insurgency wins.

16.25 – 16.27 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: They have already won.

16.29 – 16.32 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: Most of government officers are Muslim.

16.33 – 16.37 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: Muslims can sell goods on footpaths and in flea markets,

16.38 – 16.40 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: there is no room for Buddhists to do so.

16.41 – 16.43 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: If we do, they might shoot us.

16.44 – 16.47 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: They can do whatever they want.

16.48 – 16.50 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: They come here to harvest betel nuts, coconuts, rambutans or other fruits.

16.51 – 16.54 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: Come here to find steel scrap in predominantly Buddhist areas.

16.55 – 16.56 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: They can easily do that.

16.57 – 16.58 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: They don’t have to be afraid that they will be harmed.

16.59 – 17.01 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: But if Buddhist people go into a Muslim community,

17.02 – 17.06 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: maybe they won’t last three days or perhaps three trips.

17.07 – 17.08 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: This is it.

17.09 – 17.11 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: Realistically speaking they have occupied everything already.

17.12 – 17.15 Interview 6, SUBTITLES: But by law, it is not possible to set up a separate special administrative zone.

 

17.36 VO: Muslim and Buddhist communities have lived side by side for hundreds of years, but this war has come between them.

17.44 VO: Leaders on both sides are worried that outside forces are using faith to further their own agendas, and are distorting local ideologies in the process.

17.54 VO: It is the youth who are most at risk, and the twin dangers of Buddhist extremism and radical Islam could fan the flames of conflict in southern Thailand for years to come.

18.05 VO: As these nations remain divided by their faith and unwavering patriotism, the death toll slowly marches on in the land of smiles.

 

18.32 – 18.34 Thai national anthem, SUBTITLES: The time is eight o’clock.

 

18.36 – 18.40 Thai national anthem, SUBTITLES: Thailand embraces in its bosom all people of Thai blood,

18.41 – 18.45 Thai national anthem, SUBTITLES: Every inch of Thailand belongs to the Thais.

18.46 – 18.50 Thai national anthem, SUBTITLES: It has long maintained its sovereignty,

18.51 – 18.55 Thai national anthem, SUBTITLES: Because the Thais have always been united.

18.56 – 19.00 Thai national anthem, SUBTITLES: The Thai people are peace-loving, but they are no cowards at war.

19.01 – 19.05 Thai national anthem, SUBTITLES: Nor shall they suffer tyranny.

19.06 – 19.10 Thai national anthem, SUBTITLES: All Thais are ready to give up every drop of blood,

19.11 – 19.16 Thai national anthem, SUBTITLES: For the nation’s safety, freedom and progress.

 

19.23 – 19.24 Screen Text, END CREDITS: Special thanks to, Yada Chuaychamnak

19.25 – 19.26 Screen Text, END CREDITS: Special thanks to, Don Pathan

19.27 – 19.28 Screen Text, END CREDITS: Special thanks to, Shintaro Hara & Rozee Haree

19.29 – 19.30 Screen Text, END CREDITS: Special thanks to, Malika Panorat & Duncan Forgan

19.31 – 19.32 Screen Text, END CREDITS: Special thanks to, Joanna Apps

19.33 – 19.34 Screen Text, END CREDITS: A film by Timothy France & Alastair Graham

19.35 – 19.36 Screen Text, END CREDITS: In association with ftwoConsulting