Islamist insurgency in Southern Thailand
Thailand, the Southeast Asian country, is a Buddhist heartland. More than 93 per cent of the country practices Buddhism. The nation has a remarkable, deep-rooted and historically imbibed culture aligning with Buddhism that resonates its civilisational legacy dating back to centuries. However, a radical Islamic insurgency in the Southern region is threatening this very civilisational, cultural and spiritual soul of Thailand.
Narathiwat, a Southern Thailand province and is comparatively a Muslim dominated region. The radical Islamist elements here are demanding a separate state from Thailand by merging and taking out the Muslim-majority provinces of the country. To fulfill their agenda, the radical insurgents are killing security personnel and are specifically targeting Buddhist homes in Narathiwat. They are inhumanly targeting the Buddhist establishments, thus causing threat to the spiritual and civilisational fabric of Thailand beyond evoking steep sovereignty and security crisis.
The act of the radical Islamist elements is deemed as a clear attempt of civilisational erosion. Over the past week, insurgency has led to severe wounds among three civilians and extensive government property damage. According to the sources, more than 51 properties have been damaged or burnt by the radical Islamists including Buddhist homes, government offices and vehicles. The notorious and inhuman misadventures of the Islamists were hard to control and firefighters hustled to extinguish the rigorously burning flames.
Thailand military reiterated that multiple coordinated acts across various locations aimed to create unrest, especially in the border regions of the southern province. According to sources, apart from Narathiwat, targeted attacks have also been witnessed in neighbouring Yala and Pattani provinces. Even part of a railway route suspended its operations temporarily in Narathiwat after officials found damage on the tracks caused by a disruptive bombing incident. Even telecommunication towers were set on fire.
The radical Islamists are illicitly stimulating the insurgency in Southern Thailand for more than two decades and have been attacking locals, security officials and properties. The Islamist insurgency has killed more than 7,000 people in the Buddhist-majority country. For example, in July five soldiers were killed in a bomb attack. The insurgents are demanding disproportionate domination of the Muslim identity in Buddhist land. And to achieve their irrational goals they are embarking on extreme violent acts and are behaving inhumanely.
The Barisan Revolusi Nasional is the radical Islamist insurgency group who are leading and fuelling anti-sovereign violent actions in Southern Thailand. The attempts of peace talks between Barisan insurgents and the Thai government have repeatedly failed without achieving a concrete solution. Their demand for a Muslim majority separate province and the idea of domination in a Buddhist landscape is replicated via violence, targeted attacks, erosion of Buddhist identity and other illicit means.
