Education and Civil Society in the Deep South: Bitterness

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BANGKOK 004822 SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS EAP/PD, ECA, EAP/MLS, S/CT PACOM FOR FPA SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL PHUM PGOV KPAO TH SUBJECT: Education and Civil Society in the Deep South: Bitterness and Distrust Towards the RTG ¶1. (SBU) Summary: During an August 28-29, 2007 trip to the three southernmost provinces of Thailand - Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala - PAO, AIO, ARSO and two locally-employed Thai staff (LES),visiting rural educational institutions to deliver educational resources and materials about the United States, got a first-hand look at the clear shortage of adequate teaching materials and qualified teachers. Throughout our visit, educators and civil society activists expressed concern about the negative impact the continuing violence was having on education, the economy, and the fabric of local society. Our ethnic-Malay Muslim interlocutors directed bitter disappointment about the overall decline in their communities to the RTG and its perceived inability or unwillingness to provide adequate support; an ethnic-Thai Buddhist RTG employee in Yala defended the government's record. Local activists seek to provide social and community services through their own initiatives, with varying degrees of success. End summary. A Road Less Traveled Leads to a School Less Fortunate -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On August 28, PAO, AIO, ARSO and two locally-employed Thai staff (LES) visited an elementary school in the district of Muang in the outskirts of Narathiwat. The predominantly ethnic-Malay Muslim area around the school, which has a total population of 1,139 people -- mostly farmers who use public land for cultivation and have a per capita income of 28,000 baht a year (approximately USD 860, compared to a national average of USD 3155) -- has few private resources to support the education of its children. The Baan Toh-Nor primary school provides free primary school education to more than 170 pupils from three neighboring villages. ¶3. (SBU) Security concerns, as well as Baan Toh-Nor school's extremely basic infrastructure and dearth of resources, were evident upon our arrival. PAO and team were greeted on a dusty, rural road by a "Welcome to Baan Toh-Nor School" banner on one side of the entrance and a mounted M1 machine gun flanked by several security guards, on the other. (Note: We asked and were told that this was protection for our visit, not standard practice. End note). Led onto the grounds by a handful of heavily-armed soldiers, we met the School Director, Mr. Jit Linen, who escorted us past a line of colorfully-dressed ethnic-Malay Muslim school children who "wai-ed" (bowed in traditional Thai fashion) to honor their Western guests. PAO was seated at the place of honor in a makeshift, open-air VIP "room," -- outside, under the trees, on a red leather couch -- next to an Imam who also served as the Islamic studies teacher. A graduate of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, he spoke fluent Arabic with the PAO (also an Arabic speaker). The teachers, students, and perhaps some parents were seated behind us. A military policeman -- the school's "regular" security -- dressed in fatigues and carrying an M-16, milled throughout the crowd; later, during lunch, he was seen clapping, singing, and amusing the children. ¶4. (SBU) After welcoming us, Jit stood in front of our donated materials, including a refurbished computer and bookshelves, and read a speech in Thai. He talked about the institution's development from a private Islamic studies school (pondok) founded in 1947 to hybrid government-pondok school that registered with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and, consequently, followed the standard MOE curriculum along with 2-3 hours a week of Islamic studies. He noted that the school first received financial support from the RTG in 1976 to build a new four-room school building. PAO responded, also in Thai, citing American interest in supporting education and English language teaching in their community and throughout Thailand. ¶5. (SBU) During lunch, PAO and team met with administrators and teachers and toured the modest school building. The science lab contained little more than dusty beakers and test tubes. Moreover, despite the inclusion of two-three hours of English language instruction a week in the curriculum, it was clear that no one -- not even the two English teachers we met -- spoke or understood much English. Repeated requests to see an English language textbook went unanswered, leading us to wonder whether any such texts existed. Faith-Based English Language Lessons -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The next day, PAO and team traveled to Pattani and visited another hybrid government-pondok primary school. Located just off a paved road, the Jariya Islam Suksa primary school had significantly better infrastructure than Ban Toh-Nor and the classroom walls were decorated colorfully with simple Arabic words and with ABCs. Although the school had been burned to the ground 10 years earlier and only four years ago had nearly been closed by local villagers -- apparently due to rumors it would receive support from the RTG -- BANGKOK 00004822 002 OF 004 there were no soldiers or other security present. We were greeted by the founders of the school, a married Muslim couple, who had met in Bangkok as students at Ramkamhaeng University. The ethnic-Thai wife, who hailed from Bangkok and spoke only Thai, had converted from Buddhism to Islam after taking a university course on comparative religion. ¶7. (SBU) Like Baan Toh-Nor, Jariya Islam Suksa is an Islamic school registered with the MOE and, as a result, receives about 60% of its funding from the RTG. The rest of Jariya's funding comes from the sale of educational books, fees collected for speaking engagements by its director who is pursuing her master's in Islamic Studies, as well as private loans. The school's 25 teachers, mostly young and female, provided instruction on subjects ranging from science to math and Islam to English. When asked, the directors took great pleasure in showing us the school's English language teaching materials, bringing over a stack of the series "ABC for Zikrullah," an Islamic-focused textbook in which "A is for Allah" and "L is for La-ilaha-ila-Allah" ("there is no god but God"). Elite Exception that Highlights the Rule -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The visits to these two schools stood in stark contrast to the more affluent and professional private Islamic schools in the south, including Thailand's largest and most prestigious private Islamic school, Attarkiah Islamiah school (K-12) in Narathiwat, which PAO visited in December 2006. We heard about the school again on the trip during a chance airport meeting with Phaison Toryib, an ethnic-Malay Muslim National Legislative Assembly (NLA) member from Narathiwat, who is the school's manager and son of its founder. Attarkiah Islamiah, which receives private and foreign support (including Asia Foundation via USAID funding) as well as support from the RTG, admits students based on an entrance exam, drawing the most talented and often affluent, ethnic-Malay Muslim students from the three provinces. Phaisan spoke (in excellent English) about the importance of education in his household, noting proudly that his children learn and speak Thai, English, Arabic, and Malayu. Paisan added that although some foreign teachers at the school had left, a British couple remained. Yes to the Constitution, No to Separation -------------- ¶9. (SBU) At a child care center located at a mosque on the road from Pattani to Yala, PAO was greeted by young children and the center's director, an elderly gentleman who spoke passable English and reminisced about a visit to New York several years earlier. He recalled a computer donation by a former PAO about a decade ago, and requested assistance from us as well. He said that the 200 baht/month per child, paid by the parents to place their children in the center, barely covered costs. He spoke about the violence and blamed the Thai government for providing neither security nor support to the local people. The director also asserted that the people in the deep South did not want to separate from Thailand, noting that "nearly 80% of people in the South voted yes to the August 19 constitutional referendum." In the same breath, he complained about the continued presence of the RTG military and spoke of the need for "pens, not guns." Economic Woes Weigh on the Minds of Many -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Throughout the visit, many of our interlocutors complained about the troubled economic situation. An academic from Narathiwat reminisced about the once bustling shops and open markets that are now empty, and told how the price of longgon, a popular local fruit, dropped from a high of 90 baht/kg some ten years ago to 30 baht/kg to less than 4 baht/kg this year. The initial price drop was due to an oversupply driven by over-planting, but the most recent dive was the result of tourists and exporters having been driven out by the violence, he said. ¶11. (SBU) A local farmer turned-civil society leader in Narathiwat, Hama Mayanu (please protect),is a force behind the development of a 60-member women's embroidery cooperative that produces women's hijabs (Islamic scarves) for export to Malaysia and Japan. The women received 50 baht for each scarf, while the Malaysian investor, who provided the material, took 500 baht, Hama said. When asked why they did not try to develop the business locally, Hama said they did not have the international contacts and that the women needed more training to produce scarves of international quality. Asked if the RTG provided any assistance, he complained that a recent visit by district authorities had been fruitless and that their application process is too cumbersome. BANGKOK 00004822 003 OF 004 Two Views of Community Life, Both Agree Affluent Leaving -------------- -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Several ethnic-Malay Muslim interlocutors also focused on the dissolution of the social fabric of communities in the deep South. Our academic contact from Narathiwat was particularly troubled by the number of people, who had the money to do so, leaving the once tight-knit community. Since Thais in general and particularly those in the South "feel a deep connection to their land," he explained, the situation would have to be particularly hopeless for people to leave. He told PAO and team that he would never abandon Narathiwat and "hoped to die there." Referring to how the violence had changed social customs, he said that when someone dies (or is killed) in the evening hours, family and mourners no longer rush to the family's side due to security concerns. Rather, they wait until the next morning to visit. As for the Thai government, when asked about its role, he had only bitterness: "RTG gives money to the dead man's family. That's all they do." ¶13. (SBU) In contrast, an ethnic-Thai Buddhist contact in Yala defended the RTG's actions in the deep South, stating that Thai security forces were implementing a number of "secret" programs that helped stem the violence, but received no credit because such programs could not be publicized. While she held ethnic-Malay Muslims responsible for the violence, she said "the RTG had to tread carefully because if they acted on the basis of 'an eye for an eye,' it would bring heavy international criticism for violating human rights." She also asserted that ethnic-Thai Buddhists and ethnic-Malay Muslims in her community coexisted peacefully as they have done for decades, and cooperated together in a neighborhood protection program. Nonetheless, she acknowledged that many wealthy ethnic-Malay Muslim families had left Yala for Hat Yai, which has spurred a housing boom there. (Note: AIO noted at least three new luxury housing complexes being built on the main road between Yala and Hat Yai. End note.) Although she had the right to leave after her two-year contractual obligation, this RTG employee planned to stay because she felt that "her work was not yet done." Civil Society Takes an Active Role -------------- ¶14. (SBU) A dynamic and prominent academic who is a former director of the American Studies program at Prince of Songkla University in Pattani, Dr. Arin Sa-idi (please protect) leads a women's network, The Friends of Thai Muslim Women (FTMW),which seeks to fill the void in the provision of social services. The FTMW is a group of local women, all involved in their own professions, who get together to work as volunteers on special projects. Several women, including one who ran an orphanage for Muslims, briefed us on their work. For example, the FTMW received a grant from the Asia Foundation to work on Trafficking in Persons (TIP),as the deep South is a transit point for the transport of women from northern Thailand to Malaysia. Another key initiative they launched was to help women and children deal with effects of the unrest, including providing widows of victims of the violence with skills to support their families. Dr. Arin also bemoaned Thai reporting of casualties that stresses ethnic-Thai Buddhist victims, neglecting that most attacks have been against ethnic-Malay Muslims. In addition, the group informed PAO that the FTMW recently submitted a proposal for support to the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SPBAC). One of the women, admitting that one of her best friends was a member of the SPBAC, said she would be lobbying her to get support for the proposal. PAO donated a refurbished computer and Muslim Life in American materials to FTMW to be kept at the orphanage and shared with local women activists. Comment -------------- ¶15. (SBU) While Thailand's educational system faces significant problems throughout the country and English teaching is notably weak, the violence that pervades the South, often targeted intentionally at teachers, has made teaching and learning almost impossible. All our interlocutors throughout the two-day visit spoke about the current situation in the school system in the deep South as a crisis, and expressed fear that this generation of children would be left without an education. Although there are some good private Islamic high schools in the deep South, the vast majority of educational institutions are extremely poor, under-resourced, and suffer from a dearth of qualified teachers and teacher training. The violence, which is draining the affluent and educated local populace while keeping Western visitors and teachers at bay, seems to be leaving the poor and uneducated with nowhere to turn, other than to their faith and religion. BANGKOK 00004822 004 OF 004 ¶16. (SBU) Civil society activists are trying to stem the unraveling of once tight communities through social and economic programs. However, with meager financial resources, a shortage of educated activists able to tap external donors, the lack of Westerners and most others willing to visit the region, and the apparent emigration of well-off local ethnic-Malay Muslims as well as ethnic-Thai Buddhists, the situation appears bleak. Even if the RTG is able to stem the violence in the foreseeable future, much work is needed to ensure that the next generation in the deep South is provided the knowledge and skills required for them to become productive members of society. ¶17. (SBU) Notably, all our ethnic-Malay Muslim contacts blamed the RTG for the current problems and no one mentioned the insurgents in any capacity, leaving the violence without an actor. At the same time, we were often "waii-ed" (bowed to, in Thai tradition) and all who spoke Thai -- and many of them did -- did so willingly and without any sense of political import. ¶18. (SBU) Post appreciates ECA and EAP/PD assistance that will enable us to provide English language materials and additional English Access Microscholarship funds to support local schools and institutions in the deep South. This visit demonstrated how much access to these materials and English language teaching is needed and laid the groundwork for an upcoming RELO visit, if the security situation permits, in which he will determine how these resources can be best allocated and utilized. End comment. BOYCE