Plight of Rohingya refugees
It has been interesting to read the recent articles concerning the plight of the Rohingya refugees and their treatment at the hands of the Thai authorities. There is nothing new about it. A couple of years ago Thai officials were dragging the boats back out to sea and leaving the people for dead.
In fact, Thai government forces have a history of mistreatment toward Muslims. If one looks at events that have happened over the past 10 years during the Muslim insurgency in the three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, such as the storming of the 425 year-old Krue Se Mosque in 2004 and the suffocation of 78 prisoners whilst being held captive in Tak Bai, also in 2004, then one can see that Thai forces have a history of bad practice.
The deadly wave of bombings, shootings and beheadings has claimed around 6,000 lives in the past 10 years. The violence has made southern Thailand the deadliest war zone in East Asia. And yet the conflict in the south has, for years, been almost invisible on the global stage, even though Thailand is a country woven into the world economy by trade and tourism. It is rarely covered in the media in the West or the Muslim world. It is all but ignored in policy circles in Washington, most Asian capitals, and even among many policymakers in Bangkok.
And though some Muslims from southern Thailand have attempted to get international bodies to help address their grievances, including the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), they have been largely ignored.
Patrick Keedwell
Riyadh
