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| Southeast Asia |
| Thai government bristles at OIC resolution |
| 2012-12-01 |
| The Thai government is upset with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) resolution that the country has made little progress in addressing unrest in the south. It's position was publicly stated by Vice Foreign Minister Jullapong Nonsrichai, who attended the OIC foreign ministers' meeting in Djibouti in mid-November as an observer. He said Thailand was disappointed with the OIC secretary office's use of the word "meager" to describe the lack of progress in efforts to resolve the conflict. Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul will send a letter to OIC's secretary-general to reaffirm the kingdom's intention to cooperate with the OIC in seeking lasting peace in the southernmost provinces. Mr Jullapong suggested the language used by the OIC could affect the kingdom's ability to work with the Islamic organisation. He said, "If the OIC wants to continue cooperating with Thailand, it should realise the fact that Thailand has made a lot of progress in the South. Otherwise we might not cooperate with it in the future." The resolution said Thailand has made little progress since the organisation and the kingdom issued a joint statement stating their intention to cooperate on the issue five years ago. The OIC also expressed its disapproval of the continued use of the emergency decree in the south and the limited progress in introducing the local Malayu language to classrooms in local schools. The organisation said the extensive military presence throughout the southern border provinces is having a negative impact on the population's everyday life. The OIC expressed concern that Thailand's increasing reliance on "undisciplined" paramilitary personnel could aggravate the ongoing conflict in the region. They called on the Thai government to hold negotiations with Muslim leaders to find a solution that would guarantee the legitimate rights of local Islamic communities. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat said the prime minister had signed an order on Wednesday appointing him to oversee security affairs in the South. The Confederation of Teachers of Southern Border Provinces announced yesterday that all 332 schools in Pattani that had been closed by the group due to security concerns are likely to reopen next week. The move came after authorities and the confederation came to an agreement on proposed security measures for teachers. The schools had been shut down after the fatal shooting of the director of a local school on Nov 22. Meanwhile, a building at Bang Maruat School in Pattani province was burned down, causing the loss of 20 desktop computers, 80 new tablet computers and other teaching equipment. Eight classrooms, a computer room and an administration office were destroyed. |
| Posted by:ryuge |