Inside the Thai Insurgency Since 2004, an estimated 1,700 people have been killed in the conflict between Muslim separatists and the government in Thailand's south. In a rare interview, an insurgent leader talks to TIME about his group, his goals and a new opportunity for peace BY PARVAIZ BUKHARI http://www.time.com/time/asia/news/printout/0,9788,1547977,00.html To his family, Pak Abu (not his real name) is a part-time farmer and a respected local ulama, or Islamic cleric, living in Thailand's embattled southern region. He looks the part-an unassuming Muslim in his late 40s with a white skullcap, trim goatee and an easy smile. His own wife, Pak Abu says, doesn't know that he is the Head of Internal Affairs for PULO Bersatu, a group that he claims is behind some of the most violent surges in an ongoing conflict with the Thai army which has killed an estimated 1,700 people since January 2004. The battle has been disturbingly anonymous: insurgent groups rarely step forward to take credit for their campaign of bombings and assassinations or issue communiques through the media. Thai authorities admit that the identity of the forces they are fighting remain a mystery-they have blamed the violence on perpetrators ranging from bandits to militants. But in a rare interview in Sungai Kolok near the Thai-Malaysian border, Pak Abu-or Mori, as he is widely known among insurgent groups-talked to TIME about his group and its activities, and elaborated on his goal of creating a separate Muslim state in southern Thailand. PULO Bersatu, Pak Abu says, is part of Bersatu, an umbrella body of insurgent groups active in southern Thailand, bound together by a common objective-to eliminate what they view as the Thai occupation of their homeland, and eventually to recreate the former Muslim kingdom of Pattani (now the Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat) annexed by Siam in 1902. The conflict, which has raged sporadically since the 1960s, has reignited in recent years. On Sept. 16, a shopping mall bombing in Hat Yai claimed five lives, including a Malaysian and a Canadian, the first foreigners killed. In August, 22 near-simultaneous bombs exploded near banks in Yala, killing one and injuring 29. Pak Abu denies that his group was responsible for the Hat Yai blast, but claims that Bersatu was behind the Yala bombings-noting smugly that the sophisticated attacks were conducted under the nose of a 20,000-strong Thai army presence on maximum alert. "They don't even know who is behind the fighting," he says of the Thai troops. "They don't know how many groups are operating. They can't infiltrate the groups." Pak Abu says that alienation and dissatisfaction with the Thai government's stance in the south has been growing since the notorious Tak Bai incident of Oct. 25, 2004, when some 80 people detained by government troops suffocated to death after being crammed into the back of overcrowded army trucks. While there's no way to tell exactly how numerous the insurgents are, recent attacks seem to indicate that they are growing more skilled-and better equipped. "We buy [weapons] from Cambodia and Burma on the quiet," Pak Pak Abu says. "We also buy from corrupt Thai army officials. Most of our weapons come from Muslims who have retired or left the Thai army. This is our principle-the enemy's weapons are our weapons. So we snatch and steal from the Thai army." Pak Abu also claims credit for the daring raid on a government armory in January 2004, which marked the renewal of what was, up till then, a dormant conflict. "We took more than 400 weapons," he says. "This was our biggest success." Most of the group's training happens in the jungles of southern Thailand, but Pak Abu says that some members also receive training in other countries. "Our people have gone to Indonesia, Pakistan and some Arab countries for weapons training," although he refuses to say how many or where. "I can't reveal details. I have to protect our friends." Despite the obvious inference that Bersatu uses training camps sponsored by regional and international terror groups like Jemaah Islamiah and al-Qaeda, he denies that Bersatu has any direct links with such organizations-although he admits Bersatu has friends in various places. "People from these groups symphathize with our struggle. Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia also offer assistance, but it goes to the religious schools and imams. They are afraid to be linked with us as an organization." Pak Abu believes that Osama bin Laden has no intentions of helping what he calls "our struggle for independence," but holds the al-Qaeda leader in high esteem. "He is fighting to safeguard the Muslim community. He is fighting against America because it is more evil than any other power that exists. Osama has no choice but to resort to terrorism. He is demanding rights that the world does not dare ask." Almost regretfully, Pak Abu admits that he has never heard Osama mention Pattani in his prayers. Despite his affinity for bin Laden as well as the Taliban, Pak Abu's goals are relatively secular: instead of a modern-day caliphate, he envisions a Palestinian model for southern Thailand, although perhaps one less isolated. If the idea of a separate state for Pattani Muslims proves too lofty, Pak Abu doesn't discount the possibility of merging with Malaysia, "because we are the same-one race, one religion." Malaysians-especially their former Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad-have been critical of Bangkok's hard line on the insurgency under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. But on Wednesday Surayud Chulanont, named as interim Prime Minister following the Sept. 19 coup that ousted Thaksin, visited Kuala Lumpur on a fence-mending trip widely seen as an overture toward settling the southern Thailand issue. Surayud noted in a press conference that he was open to solving the southern Thailand problem by peaceful means and that he would be willing to talk to Muslim leaders in the south. For his part, Pak Abu is hopeful that the government installed by the military junta led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin will be able to resolve the crisis. "[Sonthi's] officers have met separatist leaders many times in the past, but not as government representatives," he says of the coup leader. "After the Yala bomb blasts, Sonthi announced he was willing to negotiate with separatist groups in southern Thailand. We are fairly certain he will keep his word. Sonthi is a Muslim, therefore we believe we can negotiate a fair deal with him." Pak Abu says all the rebel groups under Bersatu are for a negotiated political settlement: "We are still in the midst of working out our modus operandi, [but] we are willing to negotiate with any representative of the Thai government as long as he is sincere." Copyright C 2006 Time Inc. All rights reserved. (F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with "Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. 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