Living amid the unrest Thailand’s Deep South has never been easy. But being a woman in the areas where bombs and gun shots are not unusual, normal life is even harder.
Not only do women in the Deep South live in fear caused by the daily violence, many of them are forced to bear the heavy burden of losing fathers, husbands or male leaders of the family. While the insurgency seems to be intractable and at times seems to get worse, these women have no other choice but to remain unburnt amid the political fire.
To celebrate International Women’s Day and in recognition of women in the Deep South, Oxfam (Thailand) in collaboration with the Civic Women Network, the Foto United group, Prince of Songkla University, Museum Siam, the Unilever Foundation and Nok Air last week chose 10 female role models from Thailand’s three southernmost provinces — Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat — whose strength and self-sacrifice to regain peace and justice has been outstanding and well recognised.
Presided over by Privy Councillor Palakorn Suwannarat, the award presentation ceremony was also part of the official opening of a photo exhibition entitled “Deep South Insight: Women Across Barriers”, featuring photos from seven leading photographers telling stories of people’s ways of life in the Deep South. Curated by SEA Write laureate and founder of the Foto United group Chiranan Pitpreecha, the exhibition is displayed at Museum Siam until April 13.
Here are the 10 role models whose lives and strength deserve an applause.
Kanlaya Sopasri
When Kanlaya Sopasri lost her husband seven years ago in the Deep South violence, the financial compensation was not enough to put food on the table for herself and her four sons. There was no time for Kanlaya to grieve or mourn the loss of her husband with hungry mouths to feed and she took advantage of what she learned from a mushroom farmer. While working full-time at a rubber factory, the mother of four began to grow and sell mushrooms.
Soon Kanlaya had enough savings to purchase a piece of land which, she proudly said, was to ensure that her kids will have a secure future now that they have a place of their own.
And Kanlaya does not just keep the mushroom farming know-how to herself. She is more than willing to share it with people who are interested.
“I wish I could one day open a learning centre where women can come and learn about mushroom farming so that they will have a job, which subsequently enables them to have a better quality of life,” she said.
Duangsuda Srangamphai
“I felt biased towards people. I kept questioning why my father had to die, who killed him and why they did it. Was it because he was just an ordinary person whose life was worthless?” Duangsuda Srangamphai’s father and grandfather were murdered in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Her father was shot dead while her grandfather died in an arson attack that destroyed her house. The attack was to threaten and pressure her Buddhist family to move out of Baan Tian Ya community in Pattani province.
Carrying vengeance like an invisible knapsack, Duangsuda along with the rest of the family, who are all female, relocated to the city and struggled to make a living. Relief efforts from various organisations, friends and families of lost ones gradually widened her horizons and turned her extremely negative attitude towards life into a positive one.
Today Duangsuda runs Grabok Sieng Rawang Kon Thai Budh-Muslim, a radio programme aimed at regaining peace among the two religious groups.
Naruamol Salaeh
More than 30 years ago, Naruamol Salaeh decided to move from Bangkok to Pattani — a place where local people were all strangers. At 18, Naruamol dreamed of raising a family with her husband.
Life seemed to be beautiful, at first. Naruamol only saw white-sand beaches, lush mangroves and a healthy marine environment. Her husband was a fisherman so she learnt a lot about sea animals. During school break, she even taught her children how to collect, dry and sell red seaweed. The earnings were spent on her kids’ school fees until they graduated. But the intrusion of investors who bought all the mangroves fuelled by the expansion of factories damaged marine biology and subsequently affected the fishing industry. Naruamol and her husband lost their jobs due to the decreasing number of fish.
Naruamol soon transformed herself into an activist, working to raise environmental awareness and the importance of safeguarding coastal areas. While working on projects to improve the environment, she also became a volunteer for healthcare, tourism and social development taking care of the elderly and people with disabilities.
“Twenty years ago we local people could go anywhere without worrying about anything,” Naruamol recalled. “Today, we are worried about everything and everywhere we go because violence can happen anywhere. I, along with other women here, work hard so as to see a glimpse of reconciliation.”
Nidoh Aidaelae
Nidoh Aidaelae and her all-female farming network were on a field trip in Bangkok seven years ago. A day before they returned home, Nidoh’s telephone rang at 5am — an unusual time for her to receive a call. It was the village leader reporting that the network’s rice cracker factory was burnt down.
The night before, rumours were being spread around Yala that many places would be burnt — schools and healthcare centres. Locals gathered at places at risk of arson to protect their properties. Unfortunately, the rice cracker factory — the place least expected as a target — was burnt to the ground.
Nidoh was quick to stand up and encouraged others to do the same. “We had to stay focused. Every problem can be solved. What we needed to do was to stay calm, think carefully and be confident,” she said.
Nidoh rebuilt the network and has since worked even harder to create career opportunities for local women so that they do not have to be dependent on others.
“Women have all the powers to create peace in society and in the family,” she said. “And I will continue working for a better livelihood for women in the area and hope my work will inspire the younger generation to do the same.”
Marisa Samahae
Four gunshots were heard from somewhere near a local market in Pattani. Marisa Samahae, for some reason, was certain it was her husband who was shot.
And she was right. Her husband, a former territorial defence soldier, was shot dead, and within five hours of the shooting he was buried, according to Islamic traditions. But the pain in Marisa’s heart remained.
A teacher at Pattani’s Baan Por Ming School, Marisa’s life now only revolved around home and school. She often cried alone and ate nothing until one day her kids asked if she was well. “That’s when I told myself I had to fight for the sake of my three children,” she said.
Two years after the death of her husband, Marisa received a death threat telling her to quit her job as a teacher. This time she had a mixture of feelings — fear, depression, anxiety and paranoia. She could not sleep nor eat. She lost almost 10kg and became weak.
Finally it was her faith in God that put her back on track. Today Marisa provides relief to women who are affected by violence in the Deep South.
“We women live in the fire,” said Marisa. “Of course, it is fiery but we are not afraid. And we will fight for peace and justice as long as we live.”
Yaenah Salaemae
It has been a decade since the Tak Bai incident — violence caused by a fight between demonstrators and police officers during the Deep South insurgency that claimed 85 lives — in Narathiwat province. But for Yaenah Salaemae, it seems like yesterday.
After the incident in which 58 locals, including her son, were accused of being the cause of turmoil, Yaenah has been working as a coordinator dealing with lawyers and police officers to bail them out of the prison. She accompanied her son to court — so often the judge once asked her if she was a convict herself. Sometimes Yaenah acted as a translator in court because some of the locals could not speak Thai. Two years later, Yaenah received good news when the court withdrew the case.
Happiness was transient. A year later, Yaenah’s husband was shot dead.
The death of a loved one, however, did not stop her from working for the community. She continues to help provide relief to people affected by violence — regardless of race or religion.
Several organisations have honoured Yaenah for her dedication to society, including the Office of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, the Sanya Dharmasakti Institute for Democracy, Khon Khon Khon (Exploring Life) TV programme, and most recently, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
“It has been 10 years that I along with local people have been living in tears,” said Yaenah. “But we will not be discouraged because we know our fight will be inspiring to not just ourselves but also to other people in the community.”
Anauma Tane
Anauma Tane was forced to take charge of her family when her husband was shot dead by terrorists in front of her three children.
In 2009, Anauma along with 19 other women affected by the Deep South brutality decided to set up a network called “Nam Prik Zauquna” to produce several kinds of chilli paste. In Arabic, zauquna means “our taste”.
The group’s focus is to use local ingredients in the making of chilli paste. This not just adds value to the local treats, but also generates money for women in the neighbourhood. Their products are expected to be exported to Malaysia in the near future.
“Giving women who lost their husbands a chance to work and earn an income is like creating peace in the community,” said the founder of Nam Prik Zauquna. “Losing their husbands, these women became weak, impoverished and underprivileged. Empowering them is important so they can stand on their own.”
Sitinor Jehloh
In 2004, Sitinor Jehloh’s husband left the house early in the morning as he was hired to clear the jungle in Yala. Shortly after, Sitinor was told by a neighbour that her husband was hurt in an incident that involved attacks at nine public organisations in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces.
Three days later, Sitinor found her husband in a hospital, handcuffed to a bed. He was wounded in the shoulder and was still bleeding. Later, he was transferred to Pattani Central Prison and was accused of causing the attack.
Sitinor’s husband was sentenced to death and was sent to Bang Kwang Central Prison in Bangkok. He decided to fight in the Appeal Court. However, the court upheld the Civil Court’s ruling and the Supreme Court sentenced him to life imprisonment.
“Many times when I visited him in jail, he told me it is alright if I want to remarry,” she said. “I told him if this is how Allah designated our lives, then let it be the way it is.”
Today Sitinor works in a rubber plantation so that she can finance her children’s education.
“The moral of this story is if we do nothing wrong, there is no need to be afraid of anything. We must fight and stand strong. If justice really does exist, one day things will definitely turn out the way we hope.”
Arida Samoh
Arida Samoh first thought her father died of gallstones and diabetes. But at the funeral, while the body was washed and shrouded, someone pointed out there were several bullet wounds both on his chest and back.
That was when Arida, then a senior at Prince of Songkla University, realised her dad had been assassinated. She believed the cause was the conflict between her father who was then a local government officer and a drug trafficker in the area.
“The death of my father did not stop me from having faith in the idea of peace and security,” she admitted.
As a university student, Arida engaged in several forums where discussions on the issue of peace and security in the Deep South took place. She visited the Philippines to learn about the country’s peace process to solve the ongoing conflicts in Mindanao.
She began to learn that hers was not the only family suffering from the loss of loved ones.
Today Arida works to raise public awareness regarding the importance of peace building in Thailand’s southernmost provinces. Along the way, she hopes to discover the tool that can possibly cut the vicious cycle of violence and injustice and to end it with understanding.
“I will stand to create peace in the Deep South although the road to success might be thorny and full of many hindrances,” she said.
Som Kosaiyakanon
It took Som over a year to recover from her grief after she lost her husband to violence in Yala in 2007.
“It was the biggest, saddest loss I have ever experienced,” Som conceded.
She took a lot of medication, including sleeping pills to ease her emotional breakdown. But with support from people in the neighbourhood, she decided to accept the fact that her husband had gone forever and that she had better spend her time on something more useful than just weeping.
At that time, Som felt that people affected by the Deep South terrorism were taken advantage of especially in terms of financial compensation. She saw ordinary local people were not treated the same way as those with “connections”.
She stepped in to provide relief efforts to the locals. She gave emotional support and friendly talks, as well as helping them with career opportunities.
Today Som is the leader of the Yala group of those affected by violence in the province. She is also a member of the subcommittee that provides relief and assistance to victims of the Deep South violence.
