Call to elect governors in South

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung has proposed that the governors of the three southern border provinces be elected to better deal with the southern unrest.

Published: 08/09/2012 at 12:00 AM
Writer: Post Reporters

Mr Chalerm yesterday called for a special form of government for Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat.

The governors of the three southern provinces would be elected and have some degree of autonomy - like the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Pattaya City - but would still come under the control of central government.

Mr Chalerm said this new form of government would not lead to secession in the southern region.

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He said he would have to discuss the idea with Pheu Thai Party members and MPs before putting it to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Pattani provincial police chief Phichet Pitisettthaphan voiced support for the idea. He suggested provincial police chiefs and military unit commanders also come under the administration.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa, who oversees national security, is less keen on the election of the governors.He said he prefers the existing system, that the governors in the five southern-most provinces be allowed to select their district chiefs who would also be agreed upon by the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre.

Artef Sokho, coordinator of the Pattani-based Youth for Peace and Development Academy, said electing the governors was a good idea but would not end the violence.

"The government does not deal with the core issue of negotiations or talks. It's time the negotiations were in the open and understood and welcomed across society," he said.

"Security officials say they don't know who to talk to while the insurgents are not sure if the people they talk to can deliver anything," said Mr Artef.

Intelligence sources in Pattani said the governor proposal would simply increase the desire among certain politicians for power.

"The grass roots do not really care about elections. Let see whether those involved in the insurgency would be voted in as a governor," a source said.

Abdul Aziz Tade-in, an adviser to the Young Muslim Association of Thailand, said the idea was interesting and worth considering but more details on the proposal are needed, especially on the scope of authority of the elected governor.

Gen Yutthasak also talked about reports of large-scale land buying in the deep South believed to be financed from overseas. He said 39 deals had been struck to buy 2,600 rai in the three southern provinces, with Pattani accounting for the most land plots sold.

He believed the land buying was intended to expel local people or to launder money acquired by drug gangs.

Her Majesty the Queen has raised concerns over reported land grabbing in the restive region.

Gen Yutthasak said he had raised the issue with army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha who has advised the prime minister on the matter. He said the government will allocate a budget of about 1.2 billion baht for land mortgages for residents or to buy their plots to ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands.

He said the Anti-Money Laundering Office is monitoring suspicious financial movements in bank accounts of people believed to be linked to the land buying.

Meanwhile, Suhaimee Makae, the toh imam of Khao Tanyong mosque in Narathiwat's Muang district, said it was impossible for foreign countries to invest such huge amounts of money to buy land in Thailand because there are legal limits on land ownership.

Col Pramote Prom-in, deputy spokesman of the southern Internal Security Operations Command, said army personnel had been sent to survey land plots in the three southern provinces and found no suspicious mass buying.

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Discussion 1 : 09/09/2012 at 01:23 PM: D21: The British solution to Ireland. How well did that go?
Discussion 2 : 09/09/2012 at 10:04 AM: How about a government project to shift 20 Million people from Issan and the rest of the country to migrate to the south and start to build a thriving Buddhist community, essentially outnumbering the Malay residents 15 to 1. This would cause the small minority of separatists to give up and most likely flee back to Malaysia. Would also even up the lopsided voting power of Issan. This shouldn't cost too much and would have many benefits.
Discussion 3 : 09/09/2012 at 02:14 AM: The Dems will oppose the idea. "Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has told parliament that the government disagreed with the idea of establishing autonomous areas in lower South, as it was not a solution to the problem." - BangkokPost, November 5, 2009
Discussion 4 : 08/09/2012 at 06:03 PM: Interesting that the number of "dislikes" against calls for all governors to be elected, is wildly disproportionate to the number of comments against full democracy. In fact, there are NO comments stating that governors should not be elected. Is that because those who hold those views are struggling to find a way (that will be even a little bit palatable) to say that they are against democracy? Or is there only one who is doing his usual stacking of numbers?
Discussion 5 : 08/09/2012 at 05:37 PM: Gen.Prayuth assures Thais that the Kingdom will never lose the south. Now a voice or two says election of governors in the 3 provinces. What's happening in Thailand is an exact replica of what's happening in Russia. Although anti-communist forces succeeded in dismembering Yugoslavia and USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, remember?), Russia still has an insurgency problem in the remaining Muslim Caucuses, Chechnya and what not. But only a fool will think Russia will grant independence to Muslim-populated states. The same with China and the Zinjiang (Turkic Uighurs) problem. Likewise in Tibet. The same with India in Kashmir. The same with the Philippines in it's far south.
Discussion 6 : 08/09/2012 at 03:30 PM: Too little, too late.
Discussion 7 : 08/09/2012 at 01:43 PM: D1: "When hate is the motivating force of any group, traditional negotiations with the enemy is fruitless" To believe in the idea that "the enemy" consists of some evil and inhuman group that can only be dealt with by killing them is to start to become exactly what you are fighting against. Humans are always complex, flawed and have a mixture of reasons for what they do. While it is not easy or comfortable to try to understand those who commit terrible acts, a refusal to do this condemns many innocent people to a hopeless future. We have tried for many years using military force and it has failed badly, so now it must be time to find genuine alternatives.
Discussion 8 : 08/09/2012 at 01:07 PM: bikeme Dis #11 , What part of "corrupt to the core" , don`t you get ?
Discussion 9 : 08/09/2012 at 12:52 PM: Yes, this is the way forward. Elected governors for the South first where the need is most urgent. Then as will be necessary for consistency, extend to the whole country. If we wait to rid ourselves of corruption first, the day will never come. Once an election system is in place we can fight against corruption in the three provinces, ultimately in the 77 provinces.
Discussion 10 : 08/09/2012 at 12:41 PM: When I read this article, my first thought was for the direct election of ALL provincial governors. When I read the comments of others, I guess I was not alone in my thinking.
Discussion 11 : 08/09/2012 at 12:23 PM: Elected officials may be a good idea if they are truly free elections. That means free of corruption, free of threats and intimidation, free to vote as a person truly desires to vote, and free campaign and be elected by a majority vote. Unfortunately, the political atmosphere in the South may not allow free elections. If the terrorist groups are willing to kill almost anybody that they don't like, just imagine what they will do in order to get elected.
Discussion 12 : 08/09/2012 at 11:57 AM: It is interesting how many dis-like votes there are for the comments suggesting all governors be elected. Are there that many in the peanut gallery that don't want a truly democratic Thailand? Or is it simply one party's supporters wanting their party to totally dominate all aspects of the country?
Discussion 13 : 08/09/2012 at 11:38 AM: Finally some one is listening to all the arm chair critics on the Bangkok Post forum. Man, third world debt, starvation in Africa, pah!, Southern insurgency, too easy.
Discussion 14 : 08/09/2012 at 10:39 AM: All governors, all district chiefs, all MPs and all Senators should be elected. Until such time Thailand will never be a democracy.
Discussion 15 : 08/09/2012 at 10:00 AM: Dear DPM, All Provinces should have elected Governors and elected local representatives.
Discussion 16 : 08/09/2012 at 09:42 AM: to begin with each province is already controlled by it own people,the rich and the powerful, so why the need to offically reconigse,deep south crisis is another ball game their dealing with terrorist,insurgents to give control to locals is like leading the lamb to the slaughter house,no the regime does not whitewash its resposibility and sit back and monitor,they have to military secure the area ,if they are incappable,then bring in experts ?
Discussion 17 : 08/09/2012 at 09:15 AM: d3&5, the Army will never allow such changes, they would lose too much of their grip on the country and it's money and power
Discussion 18 : 08/09/2012 at 08:32 AM: Yes, elected Governors and administrators in all provinces is the way forward, these positions should not be for sale as today ,but be elected by the local people.....beside from this justice to the southern people must be ensured and the military should go back to their barracks. Instead of the military a paramilitary ranger organization(Yep, same as the one used in combatting the communists...our men in Black), preferably manned with locals should be formed to take care of security along the border, Police should be in charge of day to day security for the citizens.
Discussion 19 : 08/09/2012 at 06:58 AM: Thaksin was dead set against this before. He must have changed his mind. It is the logical answer to the problems of the south.
Discussion 20 : 08/09/2012 at 06:51 AM: Why limit elected governors to the three southern provinces (plus BKK and Pattaya) - why not throughout the Kingdom as a further step towards improved representative democracy and accountability? I understand BKK and the incumbent government wishes to retain control (through the Interior Ministry) - but is not the BK centric administration of Thailand part of the problem?
Discussion 21 : 08/09/2012 at 06:03 AM: Why not all of Thailand like the USA, instead of BKK and Pattaya? I can't think of anything more democratic than this.
Discussion 22 : 08/09/2012 at 05:23 AM: When hate is the motivating force of any group, traditional negotiations with the enemy is fruitless. There is often no logic in the positions that these modern extremists take except death to the enemy and total capitulation, no compromise. It's as though they live to fight and kill and human life has no value. They pick as an end game, demands that are totally unrealistic, almost as a way to assure that the warfare continues. If they are to be irradiated, the local population has to finally see that the government and the average citizen have the insurgents as a common enemy. Only then will they make the necessary steps to take the fight to the extremists in an overwhelming way.

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