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RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHBK #4822/01 2491009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061009Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9485
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

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