Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BANGKOK3407
2008-11-19 08:08:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bangkok
Cable title:  

SOUTHERN VIOLENCE: NOT IN SATUN

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PINR PREL PTER TH 
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5106
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RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
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RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6522
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 003407 

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TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL PTER TH
SUBJECT: SOUTHERN VIOLENCE: NOT IN SATUN

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Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION JAMES F. ENTWISTLE, REASON 1.4 (
B) AND (D)


Summary and comment:
--------------------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 003407

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SUBJECT: SOUTHERN VIOLENCE: NOT IN SATUN

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Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION JAMES F. ENTWISTLE, REASON 1.4 (
B) AND (D)


Summary and comment:
--------------


1. (C) In early October, we traveled to Satun province in
southern Thailand to assess the security environment in
relation to the rest of the deep south. The vice governor
in charge of security affairs, the provincial chief of
police, and local Muslim leaders all described a province
separated by history, language differences, and geographical
boundaries from the rest of the deep south and the violence
associated with it. They also described a robust system used
by local officials to resolve local grievances and to monitor
the movement of outsiders to ensure those entering the
province were not connected to insurgent elements. While
portraying the province as prosperous and peaceful, the
officials admitted that insurgents had attempted to make
inroads into the area, but had been rebuffed by the local
population. One senior official acknowledged that contraband
and illegal immigrants easily enter and exit Satun given the
amount of boat traffic passing through its small port, along
with the easy access to Malaysia from Satun.


2. (C) Comment: There has been little, if any, insurgency
related violence in Satun since the violence in the deep
south began to spike in early 2004; the insurgency has left
Satun physically untouched. Historical and cultural
differences have set Satun apart from the provinces
historically associated with the Sultanate of Pattani
(Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and some districts in Songkhla);
Satun's population has more in common with Andaman Sea
provinces to the north such as Trang, Krabi, Nakhon Si
Thammarat, and Phuket. Local residents abhor the separatist
violence and appear willing to work with security officials
who take a no nonsense approach to individuals they suspect
of trying to involve Satun in the unrest. Regardless,
Satun,s proximity to the violence, provincial officials'
tendency to overlook activities that do not appear to be

upsetting the peace, and easy transportation links to
Malaysia and Indonesia give Satun the appearance of an
inviting potential safe haven for insurgents looking for a
little respite from the heat of the fight next door.


3. (SBU) Comment Continued: Based on this assessment, Post
has decided to lift official travel restrictions to Satun
province, and is in the process of amending the Consular
Information Sheet to reflect our current analysis of the
security environment in that provinces. End summary and
comment.

The Deep South's Peaceful Province
--------------


4. (SBU) In Early October we traveled to Satun province in
Thailand's deep south to assess the security environment in
relation to the violence prone neighboring provinces of
Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat. Satun province has
not been affected in any large measure by the violence
gripping the rest of the deep south. While traveling in
Satun we observed no security check points or road blocks
common to the provinces affected by the insurgency, and no
visible military or paramilitary presence. The physical
infrastructure appeared to be in good shape, with roads,
bridges, and the port facility comparable or better than
those in the other three southern-most provinces.

Separated by History, Geography
--------------


5. (SBU) Our initial meeting was with Major General Seri
Wilailak, commander of the Satun provincial police, and Vice
Governor (now Governor) Chasuk Manichayangkun. Seri told us
that the real reason Satun was unaffected by the insurgency
was history. Historically Satun was always on the periphery,
and never the center of a state; before Satun was
incorporated into Thailand, it had been part of the Sultanate

BANGKOK 00003407 002.2 OF 003


of Kedah, in what is now Malaysia. Kedah was the center of
power, Satun a minor outpost. Although Satun eventually
became a minor sultanate itself, the residents continued to
look to Kedah for guidance. When Thailand incorporated
Satun, the Sultan of Satun was successfully co-opted by the
Thais and retained some power in the province; the population
did not feel like they were being forcibly assimilated into
the Thai cultural zone. In contrast, emphasized Seri, the
Sultanate of Pattani had seen itself to be a power in its own
right, and its leaders could not be co-opted by the central
Thai government.


6. (SBU) Seri cited other reasons for the lack of historical
ties to the Sultanate of Patani, such as geographical
boundaries. The people of Satun tended to travel more along
north-south routes, not east-west. Few people in Satun
speak Yawi, the language of the rest of the deep south.
There are few, if any, pondoks; locals send their kids to
public schools.

Neighborhood Watch
--------------


7. (SBU) Seri acknowledged that militants from the other
three provinces in the extreme south have on several
occasions attempted to involve Satun in the violence. He
said the first time he was aware of was two or three years
ago when a group of "religious teachers" entered the province
and began to use extremist rhetoric in their preaching
against the Thai state. He said residents quickly reported
to the police that the teachers were trying to recruit young
people into the separatist struggle; the teachers were
detained and "sent back to the deep south." He said there
had been other more recent approaches as well, with
extremists usually posing as merchants or business men while
trying to recruit local youth into separatist groups.
According to Seri, officials and residents in Satun cooperate
extensively to keep Satun out of the violence. He said every
month there is a meeting between the police, the provincial
administration, the Ministry of Interior, and local officials
to discuss developments in the province, and report on the
activities of new comers. Anyone intent on causing trouble
is quickly identified and expelled from the area.

Economics: Malaysia, Indonesia, and Beyond
--------------


8. (SBU) Chasuk Manichayangkun, now Governor of Satun, is
primarily focused on economic development and is putting most
his energy into developing the tourism sector. He told us 74
percent of the 280,000 people in Satun are Muslim, and that
most of the province's residents were born there. He
believed that Satun is economically more prosperous than the
rest of the deep south, and that this prosperity was helping
to keep the insurgency at-bay. (Note: Chasuk could
substantiate this assertion about Satun,s economic
prosperity, and statistics appear to run counter to his
belief. According to Thailand in Figures for 2008, Satun
ranked 58 out of the 76 provinces for Gross Provincial
Product, while Songkhla ranked 9, Yala 45, Pattani 53, and
Narathiwat 38. End note.)


9. (SBU) Chasuk said he had big plans for the province and
described a project, recently funded by the Ministry of
Interior, to build an expanded tourist port. He said plans
were also on the table for a deep water cargo port; Satun was
a major gateway to Malaysia and could also provide easy
access to points in Indonesia. He boasted that some 700,000
tourists passed through Satun last year on the way to
Langkawi in Malaysia and other near-by islands. He admitted
that Satun had a problem with illegal immigrants and,
acknowledging the heavy boat traffic running through the
provinces small port, said provincial officials really do not
know who was on the boats. He believed they were a mix of
nationalities, some legal and some not, mostly associated
with the fishing industry. According to Chasuk, provincial
authorities have a tendency to leave them alone as long as
they did not cause trouble. Regarding cooperation with
Malaysia on border enforcement, he said they have no formal

BANGKOK 00003407 003.2 OF 003


agreement in place, but the police had a very good informal
working arrangement with their Malaysian counterparts.

Religious Harmony
--------------


10. (SBU) Ibrahim Adam, the chairman of the Satun Islamic
Committee, told us that that Islam was not a dividing force
in Satun, as it could be in the rest of the deep south. He
said that although the majority of Satun's residents were
Malay-Muslims, the Islam they practiced lacked the
nationalist streak that ethnic Malay-Muslims in the other
southern provinces used to define themselves. According to
Ibrahim, a continuing dialogue between Buddhists, Muslims,
and Christians in Satun kept friction down between the
groups. They manage to settle disputes before they manifest
themselves as "problems." Ibrahim said that, generally
speaking, Satun residents had no issues with the central
government. When problems arose, he said, it was seldom
about a particular policy, but usually about government
officials who abused their positions or have negative
attitudes about Muslims and the South.
JOHN