SPOTLIGHT
Insurgent movements plague the southern regions of both Thailand and Turkey, writes Thanida Tansubhapol in Istanbul
Thailand and Turkey are about 7,500 kilometres apart, and there are many differences between the two countries. But one thing they have in common is a problem with separatist movements, and both movements are in the southern part of the two nations.
In Thailand, separatist violence has been going on for decades. The flare-ups were originally limited to Pattani province in the early days, but later spread to neighbouring areas.
The unrest in the south of Thailand took a turn for the worse after a cache of weapons was stolen from an army base in Narathiwat in January, 2004, and has continued until today, with successive governments proving incapable of stopping it.
In Turkey, fighting between government forces and the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in the southeast part of the country has also been carrying on for years. The PKK wants an independent Kurdistan, encompassing parts of southeast Turkey, northeast Iraq, northeast Syria and northwest Iran.
The Kurds are a large minority in the Middle East, numbering about 25-30 million, with half that number residing in Turkey and making up about 20% of the Turkish population.
Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal, better known as Ataturk, enacted a constitution 70 years ago which denied the existence of distinct cultural sub-groups in Turkey. As a result, any expression by the Kurds, as well as other minorities in Turkey, of their unique ethnic identity has been harshly repressed.
These days, any talk of Kurdish nationalism is deemed as separatism.
This disparity and repression led to the formation of an armed separatist movement, the PKK, in 1984.
The war between the government and the PKK escalated dramatically in the early 1990s. Between 1984 and 1991, an estimated 2,500 people were killed. The figure shot up to 20,000 over the next four years. About 3,000 villages have been destroyed by the military in an effort to root out PKK sympathisers, creating more than two million refugees.
The separatist problem has long been covered by the Turkish media, which is also interested in similar problems elsewhere, including Thailand.
The unrest in the three southern border provinces of Thailand has been regularly covered by the Turkish media, such as the IHA news agency. Their coverage has given Turkish people a better understanding of the Thai government's handling of the southern violence.
Turkey, as the present secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, has also pushed the body to support Thailand in using non-violent means to deal with the unrest. "Each country may have a different formula to fight terrorism, but I see such fighting has not led to real democracy," Baris Soydan, the managing editor of the Sabah newspaper based in Istanbul, told a group of Thai reporters who recently visited Turkey under a media exchange programme.
The trip was one of the activities organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Thailand-Turkey diplomatic relations this year.
In addition to the separatism problems in both countries, other news which caught Turkish people's attention included the mass rallies to oust then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006, the refugee problems in the border district of Mae Sot in Tak province, and the anti-drugs campaign.
The Sept 19, 2006, coup d'etat made world headlines, but for the Turkish media it was no big surprise because Turkey has also had similar coups in the past.
"I don't think coups or fighting can solve any problems," said Mr Soydan. "Like the Thai army, the Turkish army is also powerful. But I don't like them to be involved in politics. It's not good."
He was referring to the 1980 coup in Turkey which was also supported by the people. That's why he was not surprised to see Thai people giving flowers and refreshments to the soldiers taking part in the bloodless coup that ousted the Thaksin administration almost two years ago.
Like the Thai media, Turkish reporters enjoy a certain level of media freedom. But there are still limitations when covering national security issues.
According to Salih Melek, Turkey's director-general of press and information for the Prime Minister's Office, the Turkish press enjoyed greater freedom after 1990, when the government became more open to privately-owned news agencies.
Before that time, he said, all television and radio stations were owned by the state.
"The media here is the 'fourth power' after the sectors of legislation, administration and jurisdiction. They have freedom to say anything. Nobody can censor the press, as we try to adjust ourselves to the EU standards [in preparation for joining the EU]," said Mr Melek.
However, what makes Turkish media crews different from their Thai counterparts is the privileges of the press.
The Turkish and foreign press can enjoy watching any events they want and park their cars and use buses free of charge. They can also buy air tickets at a 50% discount with their press cards. But press card holders must not have committed any offences.
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