US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK2603

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 002603 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, INR. US PACOM FOR FPA (HUSO). 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, TH, Southern Thailand 
SUBJECT: THAILAND: THREATENING LEAFLETS IN THE SOUTH 
 
REF: BANGKOK 2351 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert J. Clarke. Reason 1.4(d) 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY: During a March 28-29 visit by Poloff to the 
far southern province of Pattani, Vice Governor Chanvit 
Vasayangkura provided a collection of leaflets which had been 
dropped by extremists at different locations throughout the 
province over the past several months.  The leaflets, 
letters, and drawings are full of threats, warnings and 
conspiracy.  Most of the literature explicitly threatens 
local Thai Buddhists or warns local Muslims against working 
with authorities.  The leaflets provide a troubling glimpse 
into a region that is full of fear and uncertainty.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
2.  (C)  On March 28-29 Poloff accompanied Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee Staffdel Januzzi on a visit to the far 
southern provinces of Narathiwat, Songkhla and Pattani 
(reftel).  During the visit, Pattani Vice Governor Chanvit 
Vasayangkura provided Poloff with a package of threatening or 
manipulative leaflets which unknown extremists had dropped in 
various locations throughout the province over the past 
several months.  The literature, mostly in the form of 
handwritten or computer generated leaflets, had been 
collected by provincial security forces. 
 
THREATS AGAINST BUDDHISTS - "LEAVE OUR LAND" 
 
3.  (SBU)  Several of the leaflets are direct threats against 
local Buddhists.  A leaflet, apparently produced on a word 
processor, warns in Thai; "Hey, Thai Buddhist! If you 
continue to live on our land, we will hunt all of you down. 
Leave our land, otherwise, you will get nothing but bullets." 
 Other handwritten notes warn in Thai that non-Muslims should 
"...take extra care of yourselves because death is 
approaching," while another scrawled note warns that a local 
school "will soon be torched." 
 
WARNINGS TO MUSLIMS - "DO NOT COOPERATE WITH THE SIAMESE" 
 
4.  (SBU)  Many of the propaganda documents are clearly 
attempts to intimidate local Muslims into not cooperating 
with government officials.  A leaflet in Thai and the Malay 
"Yawi" dialect tells Muslims "not to go near (infidel) 
soldiers and police...or cooperate with them, otherwise, your 
safety will be at risk."  Other leaflets warn Muslims they 
face death if they cooperate with "Siamese infidel soldiers, 
police, defense volunteers, schoolteachers, and government 
officials."  Other leaflets warn informers cooperating with 
Thai security forces that "your life and property will be in 
danger."  A handwritten letter from a group calling itself 
the "Mujahidin Islam Pattani" says that as part of their 
struggle "against the old Buddhist enemy" they will kill 
Muslims who are informers or who work as village or district 
chiefs. 
 
SPREADING A SEPARATIST MESSAGE 
 
6. (SBU)  A number of the leaflets appear to be focused on 
encouraging separatist sympathies.  A typewritten letter in 
Thai and Yawi from "Beryuwant" (warriors) urges Muslims to 
resign from their government jobs and join the separatist 
movement,saying:    "Our land has long been under the Siamese 
rule. Now we have risen up to bring it back."  Another urges 
Muslims to "join hands to drive (the Siamese) out of our 
land." 
 
7.  (C)  COMMENT:  The various leaflets found in Pattani need 
to be kept in context -- their obvious purpose is to 
manipulate and intimidate -- and it only takes a few people 
and minimal funding to produce the cheap handouts.  That 
said, the leaflets do provide an interesting and troubling 
glimpse into the realities of life in southern Thailand.  We 
have found from our regular visits to the region that many 
people in the far south do live in fear and suspicion of 
their neighbors or government officials.  Secondly, Emboffs 
have heard numerous accounts of the growing tension between 
the Buddhist and Muslim communities in the south and seen 
indications of an ongoing exodus of non-Muslims from the 
region (reftel).  The pamphleteers are obviously aware of 
these disturbing trends, and bent on encouraging them.  END 
COMMENT 
BOYCE