He also called for the Thai government to hold a peace dialogue in Thailand to truly restore peace in the region.

In an exclusive interview with NOW26 digital TV station, the 76-year-old Thai-Malay scholar who also represents “those with a different view from Thai state” recalled his decades in the movement and said separatism was obsolete nowadays and violence wouldn’t yield any benefit but wasteful deaths.

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU COME TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT?

I joined in at the age of 19 when I was in Saudi Arabia. There were anti-state organisations and, being from the deep South, it was automatic for us to join such groups … At first, I didn’t agree as I had not heard much about the movement but I must get along with deep South friends, all of whom were with such groups.

I didn’t want to [join] but I was invited. They said we were from Patani, a land with its own freedom but became under Thailand, so we must take it back. That wasn’t enough for me until they added we must take back Muslim people’s land. Right or wrong, we must join to survive … If we wanted any help, the organisation would help us.

AT WHICH POINT DID YOU FULLY EMBRACE THE ORGANISATION?

It was from my experience in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. As a minority person who can speak Thai, the Thai Consulate asked me to translate from Thai to Malayu for fellow students. One day, the consular-general, upon hearing my introduction, that my name was Wan Kadir Jeh Man, pointed a finger at me and said, ‘It isn’t Thai.’ I pondered and agreed. I used to think I was [Thai] and Thai people hadn’t done anything bad but had been helpful to me. When I was told that I wasn’t Thai, it was the turning point.

AT WHICH POINT DID YOU BECOME A LEADING MEMBER OF BERSATU?

I’m a highly educated man who has been to Mecca and Egypt and the United States. Upon returning [to Thailand], I, being recognised for my English, Thai, Malayu and Arabic efficiency, was appointed as the head of BIPP (Islamic Liberation Front of Patani). I had all groups discuss [the situation] and we agreed to join as one under the Bersatu, which I served as chairman.

WHAT IS THE VIEW OF EACH ORGANISATION?

They are similar in terms of the wish to fight the Thai state, especially officers who were wrong and unfair in arresting the innocent. We perceive things differently from the state and we believed the officers were releasing the guilty people and arresting the innocent ones.

IN CONCLUSION, WHO CAUSED THE DEEP SOUTH UNREST?

The current unrest is not only from anti-Thai state groups but also other groups. We cannot simply generalise that it came from separatists, as that would be rather inaccurate.

WHICH GROUP IS BEHIND THE CURRENT MOVEMENT IN THE DEEP SOUTH?

Previously there were 13 groups, then there is this 14th group with no name … Actually, the people who want to fight against the state won’t make announcements because they just want to do it and don’t want recognition because they are afraid … When an attack occurs, media and officers would point fingers at this group or that group, which we know it is not correct … Thai officers’ misinformation was seemingly aimed for certain goals, as they would raise only one group to blame.

WHO ARE IN THIS UNNAMED GROUP?

They are those who disagreed with and had a low opinion of their original groups. They set up a new group to do things seriously and anonymously while remaining elusive … I think they are better and of higher spirit than my group.

THIS UNNAMED GROUP IS BEHIND THE UNREST?

As far as we know, they have more extreme ideas, so they left the [original] groups and such ideas drove them to launch attacks.

THE FIGHTING HAS NOW COME TO A PEACE DIALOGUE. IS THIS THE RIGHT DIRECTION?

Talks have been held for years. During my time, we were called into dozens of such talks that were unsuccessful because we were forced, not because we wanted to solve the problem … Many insurgents also came to see who showed up to talk with Thais, how and what they talked about, so such talks didn’t work.

HOW ARE THE CURRENT TALKS, IN YOUR VIEW?

It still feels forced … Thai representatives in the talks must show us that they really want to solve the problem … The other good solution is to shift the venue to Thailand where the problem occurred. Everyone says the deep South unrest is a domestic issue, then why do we have to solve it in another country across the border from the Sungai Kolok River. If the talks occurred in Thailand, those in the other country will return to visit their homes and relatives after seeing the leading members joining the talks don’t get arrested … Talks outside Thailand are also with the unarmed living abroad, so how can that solve the violence here? It’s common sense. How can those people order the armed people in the battlefield within Thailand?

FROM YOUR LONG EXPERIENCE OF FIGHTING, CAN LIBERATION ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

It’s impossible. It’s a false dream. Since I returned and saw the conditions here, I think we should fight but in terms of development and the economy – not by bombs, which is wrong … Fighting by guns wouldn’t be of use and only leads to punishments. We die nearly every week wastefully. Anyone who studied history and separatists who fought would know within five years if a battle could be won and we have fought for decades … Why fight something we can’t win? This is the time to join and work together globally. Separatism is obsolete now and wouldn’t get any support … Peace dialogue is good but it must aim to solve the problem and be directed at those who launched attacks or created the problem. If we don’t know who they are, we must find out first and then talk to them.

WILL THE TALKS WITH MARA PATANI BE A SUCCESS?

I cannot say, as I don’t know people at MARA Patani … We have to talk with the problem creators or those with guns. Talking with the unarmed won’t solve the problem and it is a waste of time.

IS THE GROUP WITH A FLAG SIMILAR TO PULO [PATANI UNITED LIBERATION ORGANISATION] THAT EMERGED IN LATE OCTOBER THIS NEW GROUP?

It’s a new group but we shouldn’t give importance [to it] as there were only a few members … You have to talk with the people in Bannang Sata, Yaha, Bacho and so on. Bear in mind that talks require steps and do not think that talking with only one group will solve the problem.