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| Southeast Asia |
| End Of Malaysia-Thailand Row In Sight |
| 2005-10-24 |
| BANGKOK, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- Grieving over the death of someone close or special can bring families, friends and even conflicting parties together. As Malaysians from all folks of life joined Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his family to mourn the passing of his wife on Thursday, Malaysia and Thailand at loggerheads for months set aside their differences on that day. Unlike days earlier when diplomatic channel seems to be the last resort to end the spat, [Thailand's] Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra sent his deputy Surakiart Sathirathai to attend Endon's funeral in Putrajaya. In fact, that gesture eclipsed days or even months of counter accusations over the problem in the violence-stricken southern provinces of Thailand, straining their otherwise excellent ties. Surakiart, Thailand's candidate for the United Nations secretary-general post, met Abdullah, his counterpart Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar during the brief visit. Although nothing concrete can be expected from such an event, it is expected to go a long way in normalising the strained ties partly over the 131 Thai Muslims from Narathiwat who fled to Kelantan in August. The incident happened a day after an imam was killed in Ban Lahan of the Sungai Padi district. Officials, who went to investigate the shooting, [were] blocked by angry villages who blamed the authorities for the murder. Insurgents out to form an independent Muslim state were blamed for the violence in the south although some officials, including Thaksin, believed it was partly launched by drug syndicates. When the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) entered the fray, Malaysia-Thailand ties soured. The Thais were furious when [Malaysian Foreign Minister] Syed Hamid said Malaysia was only willing to send back the villagers if the Thai Government could guarantee their human rights and later questioned their maturity over Thailand's protest on the boycott of Thai goods in Malaysia by non- governmental organisations. The plight of the 131 Thai Muslims remain a sticky issue but after two months, the UNHCR has not made any decision. But if the rather calm atmosphere and events in the past few days are an indication, an end to the diplomatic row maybe in the offing. Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow said due to the sensitivity of the issue, UNHCR preferred to let both countries settle the problem through negotiations. Seen as a confidence-building process, the three-day visit by the Thai team... comprising officials from the foreign ministry and south provinces, would enable them to meet the refugees and try to persuade them to return to their homeland. Kantathi said the Thai Government was even willing to resettle them in any part of the country if the villagers were scared to return to their homes. Prime Minister Thaksin, who blasted the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) for its statement which he said was an interference in [Thailand's] domestic affairs, said he would meet Abdullah on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Busan, South Korea, next month. Many observers and diplomats here felt the two nations should bury their "ego" and look at mutual interests, cooperate with each other and try to solve problems through the diplomatic channel and not through the media as both could end up losing. Although the Thai Government had repeatedly said Malaysia was not involved in the southern unrest, comments by some politicians have exaggerated the situation to the extent that people on the street are believing that their neighbours have some hand in the conflict. Both countries have more to lose if the current row is left unchecked. Tourists, especially from Malaysia and investors, are scared of going into the south and soon, even international travelers could start leaving out this region out of their travel itinerary. "Don't forget, people in the West see this as a whole. The Bali bombing and Muslims separatists in Thailand can scare them off...eventually tourists and even investors will opt for countries like Vietnam and China, not Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia," said a western journalist based here. Furthermore, a more pressing problem of bird flu is on the way and needs the speedy cooperation of governments in the region as its presence last year almost crippled agriculture and tourism sectors in the region. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #2 Never trust what is reported by Bernama, Always important to know how to read reports. Thanks for the perspective! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-10-24 12:48 |
| #1 Never trust what is reported by Bernama, it mutilates real news. |
| Posted by: denizen 2005-10-24 05:27 |