Southern radicals say peace push is merely a diversion

Southern radicals say peace push is merely a diversion

SPECIAL REPORT: A BRN wing says the separatist movement is gathering pace by recruiting intellectuals

Holding peace talks is just a side strategy while revolutionary warfare remains the ideal goal for the clandestine Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Coordinate (BRN-C) movement, which has become more radical in confronting and making demands to the state. Achara Ashayagachat spoke to former militants and members of the movement in Yala.

After decades of keeping a low profile, the BRN-C (initially a political front of the BRN) has since the 1990s changed its strategy by strengthening its military power and recruiting more educated members to communicate with non-Malay Muslims and the international community.

Securing local support, chasing away non-cooperative elements and attacking hard targets _ particularly the state's armed and administrative personnel _ were parts of the strategy long before the peace dialogue between the BRN and the government's National Security Council (NSC) began early this year, said Adinan, 34, a political member of the movement.

Teh, 33, said in a separate interview that the state was unlikely to meet success in suppressing the insurgency warfare waged by the BRN-C, an adaptive movement from the former rigid structure of BRN separatists, since the BRN-C has recruited more intellectuals to medium and upper command positions.

"What the BRN-C has planned is nearly achieved. They aimed at putting out independence flags in 2007, but could not achieve it," said Teh, who has carried out some of the attacks himself.

"From 2007-2010 there was thus a spate of attacks here and there."

Thailand realised the plan after interrogations and documents in the post-Krue Se crackdown unveiled a systematic and long-term indoctrination of nationalist separatists through religious institutions in the Malay Muslim-dominated region.

Earlier, documents seized from Cho Ai-Rong (Narathiwat) and Yaring (Pattani) ponoh schools also confirmed the BRN-C structure and their grand plan.

Teh said it could take several years for an individual or a group of youths were persuaded and trained before they could be assigned to carry out different tasks according to their personality and ability.

These missions included carrying out military operations, ulama (teachings), recruiting youths and conducting economic affairs.

"We need to do the shooting or burning, otherwise we will be sidelined as ineffective, or reassigned," said Teh, who began taking part in militant activities in 2001.

He said he was removed from the movement in 2007 when an arrest warrant was issued for him under the Emergency Decree.

The attacks were not always smooth, he said. Field strategies were always modified for safety and security of other layers of contacts.

Normally, three to five people at the commanding level in sub-districts would prepare the attack plans, which would then be carried out by lower-level operatives, he said.

Other teams would coordinate the surveillance, hide weapons and assist with the escape, said Yeh, 40, who is from Narathiwat's Bacho district but was later stationed in Yala's Raman district.

Sometimes there were communication problems and at times militants needed to be expelled for the sake of the movement, Yeh said.

He said he regretted being sidelined by the movement after he was exposed, but added that he feels no anger and is proud about serving the movement. (Yeh is currently being tried by the courts).

Yeh said the movement is cyclical and the people who join understand what they are getting themselves into.

They know their fate, he said.

"We have to accept the impact on ourselves if we knocked down targets in our own territories to accelerate the area-seizure," he said. "In a way, this strategy exposed our own ground to authorities and their retaliation has made it more difficult for us to hide or operate again in the long run."

Adinan, a BRN political member, said the movement has proven that it is dynamic by exploiting the peace dialogue to upgrade the status of the movement while maintaining the ultimate goal of establishing a Patani state.

Some BRN sympathisers who used to advocate independence have shifted their expectations, he said.

Many now are willing to accept autonomous rule for Pattani, but the BRN-C movement considered this as optional or alternative goal, Adinan said.

"The old faction members such as Hasan Taib have also learned to adapt their communication with the masses and younger people with YouTube statements to [encourage them to] despise the Siamese invaders," he said.

Adinan admitted that no one yet knew what the Dewan Pimpinan Parti (DPP), which is the BRN's executive council, would do.

"We might see a strategy shift after sizeable numbers of the current leadership are replaced by a younger generation," the BRN urban activist said.

"The Asean Community is a decisive element that will push the movement to change tactics."

Intelligence officials noted that in separatist warfare such as in southern Thailand, terrorist attacks were applied along with international campaigns for sympathy.

This has been the case with minority Malay Muslims in the Thai Buddhist state.

"It is a multi-pronged tactics including scaring away Buddhists in the region, blaming and shaming the military to try to force troops to withdraw, and creating a climate of fear among the Malay Muslims" said the source. "This is so they will cooperate when the time of referendum comes to install new leaders from the movement."

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