http://www.indonesia.faithfreedom.org/f ... php?t=2477
Muslims Chronology in Thailand
1990
March: Thai police arrested a Muslim suspected of involvement in the murder of three Saudi diplomats in Bangkok in early February.
The event is likely to affect Saudi-Thai relations: about 140,000 Thais who work in Saudi Arabia remit about $500 million annually. Also, about 120 Thai Muslim students study at Saudi Universities.
June: Libya has denied backing Muslims in southern Thailand. The denial was conveyed to a Thai Ambassador attached to the Foreign Ministry by a Libyan envoy based in Manila. Although Thailand and Libya established diplomatic relations back in 1977, they have not yet set up permanent embassies in their respective capitals. Libya categorically denied reports of training Thai Muslims in sabotage tactics. Libya stated that it granted scholarships and job training to a large number of Thai Muslims, but it was not aware if some of them were bad elements.
1991
February: In predominantly Buddhist Thailand, some leaders of the minority Muslims who mainly live near the southern border with Malaysia, have denounced Saddam Hussein's action in Kuwait. However, in a split among the ranks, some Muslims endorsed Iraq's `holy war', defying the leaders. Gradually a Muslim backlash has developed against the Gulf war. On February 3, the Bangkok Post wrote the following editorial: "Much against Thais' wishes, it now looks like this country has become embroiled in the Gulf war -albeit in an indirect manner....To avoid complication, the central government in Bangkok should open a serious dialogue with the Thai Muslim population in the South to assure them that Thailand is not - and does not want to be - a direct party to the Gulf conflict" (02/03/91).
July: A Malaysian plan to erect a wall along its border with Thailand has strained relations between the two states. Of the four Malaysian states along the 515-km border with Thailand, only the northern Malaysian state of Kelantan does not have border fencing. The proposed wall would cover about 100km of frontier between Thailand and Kelantan. Kelantan's Parti Islam state has reportedly been giving shelter to rebel Thai Muslims.
December: For the first time, the new Thai Constitution recognizes the right of minorities to practice and propagate their languages. It also provides support for the administration of Islamic affairs and the teaching of minority languages. In the past, Thai Muslims had to contend with the rigidly assimilationist policies of successive Thai governments. Muslim minorities form a large majority in the four southern provinces: Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Satun.
1992
September: For the first time in Thai politics, four Muslims were elected to the national Parliament under the general elections that resulted in the formation of a coalition government. In the Democratic Party-led new government, headed by Chuan Leekpai, an ethnic Chinese, the Deputy Foreign Minister and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament were chosen from the Muslim community.
December: The police suspect that Thai Muslims were behind a bomb blast in a Bangkok bus terminal. Investigators found a piece of paper with a message in Jawi, a script used by Thai Muslims in the south.
1993
July: Malaysia's Prime Minister paid an official visit to Thailand. Mahathir Mohamad assured his Thai hosts that the "Malaysian government never supported the gangs of bandits or terrorist movements operating inside Thailand".
September: The Thai military has blamed rebel Muslims for three attacks involving arson at schools, the ambushing of trains and buses and the fire-bombing of a Buddhist temple in provinces bordering Muslim-dominated Malaysia. The regional commander of the Fourth Army based in southern Thailand says "We are fairly certain the PULO (Pattani United Liberation Organization) and the BRN (National Revolutionary Force) were responsible for the violence"(IPS, 09/03/93). However, Thai political analysts and observers reject such claims. Their rejection is reinforced by a muted and unusually restrained response to the crisis on the part of the military.
1994
April: A bomb blast at a railway station in southern Thailand killed three people and seriously injured more than a dozen. Most of the victims were women and girls standing near a noodle stall.
Update 02/24/96
September: A senior member of the PULO has been arrested by police forces. Da-o Krongpinang is reported to be behind most of the major sabotage incidents in the south (BBC, 09/21/94).
September 29: A brief gunbattle with Thai soldiers has resulted in the deaths of at least three members of the Barison Revolution National movement. The BRN is a faction of the umbrella Pattani United Liberation Organization (Reuters, 09/29/94).
October: A construction company was damaged by rapid gunfire by a group of men claiming to be members of the Pattani United Liberation Organization. A letter was left at the scene demanding a two million baht protection fee (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 10/04/94).
October 14: Officials in Thailand's southern border areas will set up a special task force to suppress bandit groups that are demanding protection money from business firms. The officials believe that influential groups (who were not named) are colluding with local officials in making these threats while using the name of the PULO (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 10/14/94).
Meanwhile, provincial officials are restructuring a program intended to help former members of the Muslim separatist movement. The focus of the project was on allotting land to the rebels. However, now, legal assistance, welfare services, and special skills training will be emphasized. It is estimated that about 300 rebels have taken advantage of the government project (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 10/14/94).
October 21: A former leader of Thailand's small Shi'ite community has been jailed for 31 years on charges of sedition and insulting the Thai monarch. The charges against Sorayuth Sakunasantisart stem from disturbances in southern Thailand in 1990. Sorayuth is alleged to have led a campaign in the province of Pattani to protest government plans to designate a local mosque as a historical site and tourist attraction (Reuters, 10/21/94).
1995
January: Security for Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and other national VIPS has been increased following an apparent sabotage attempt in Hat Yai. Two suspected saboteurs died when a home-made bomb they were carrying accidently went off. Police have discovered further explosives at the house of one of the victims (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 01/05/95).
January 9: There is still much confusion over which organization was responsible for the bomb blast at Hat Yai on January 5. The Special Branch claims that the PULO was responsible for the blast while other officials believe it was the work of Shi'ite Muslims who were seeking revenge for the imprisonment of their leader, Sorayuth Sakunasantisart (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 01/09/95).
January 11: Thai army intelligence reports claim that a new dissident group known as the New PULO was formed in 1993. The leader of this new organization is reported to be Ar-rong Moo-reng. The government blames the New PULO for the torching of more than thirty schools in Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat in August, 1993 (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 01/11/95).
January 16: The Malaysian government has warned Thai Muslim separatists living in Malaysia to halt terrorist activities against Thailand or face expulsion. Malaysia has been known as the safe haven for groups such as the PULO and the BRN (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 01/16/95).
January 22: The Consul-General of Kota Baru, Malaysia indicates that increasing numbers of southern Muslims are joining the PULO in order to obtain privileges in Malaysia. PULO membership cards reportedly enable Thai Muslims to work in Malaysia without fear of arrest by Malaysian authorities (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 01/22/95).
February: A bomb planted near the provincial governor's residence in Yala was defused yesterday. A letter left at the scene stated that the PULO was concerned over the government's response to an incident at Yala Teacher College last year when female Muslim students wearing the hijab (traditional Muslim dress) were barred from attending classes. The government conducted an investigation but did not remove the teacher involved despite the recommendations of local officials. Yala religious leaders do not believe that the PULO was behind the bombing attempt and instead attribute it to other forces who are seeking to create tension in the area (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 02/01/95).
February 19: A government soldier was injured during a clash between a government patrol and members of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional in Yala (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 02/19/95).
March: Reports indicate that the Thai military will be providing anti-insurgency advice to the Burmese junta. Relations between the two countries have been improving despite frictions over cross-border incursions by the Burmese army fighting the Karen rebels (UPI, 03/03/95).
March 26: Security measures have been increased in Thailand's five southern provinces in order to counter possible subversive activities by Muslim separatists. A highly-placed source (who was not named) states that the BRN has declared its intention to form independent Islamic states in the areas of Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and Satun. The BRN is also alleged to have set up a Muslim Commando Unit to conduct non-violent separatism in both rural and urban areas (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 03/26/95).
April: A high-level Border Patrol Police source alleges that the PULO is planning to sabotage religious and other important places in Bangkok. Security measures have been increased in preparation for any possible attacks (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 04/05/95).
April 14: Old tires were burned on fourteen bridges and roads in Thailand's southern provinces and officials believe that a new Muslim separatist organization is responsible. The organization, the Tantra Jihad Islam (TJI) claimed responsibility for the attack. The TJI is reported to have begun its campaign in January when its men attacked a police station. Officials state that the TJI is a loose organization comprised of disgruntled members of the PULO and the BRN. The PULO and the BRN are reported to be less active due to defections and government suppression (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 04/14/95).
May: Three members of the Border Patrol Police in Yala province were seriously injured when they stepped on a landmine. Police believe that the mine was planted by the BRN (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 05/20/95).
June: A clash between government forces and Muslim separatists in Yala resulted in the death of one soldier. It is not known if the rebels were members of the PULO or the BRN, both of which are known to be active in the area (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 06/28/95).
July: Snap elections were held on July 2 following splits within Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai's five-party coalition government. The Chart Thai emerged as the single largest party, winning 92/391 seats. Banharn Silparcha was appointed Prime Minister; he heads a seven-member coalition called the Thai Development Front (Reuter Textline: Business Monitor, 12/22/95).
August: A military unit was reportedly attacked by members of the BRN in Yala. One soldier was wounded (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 08/02/95).
August 8: The PULO has reportedly asked Thai Prime Minister Banharm Silpaarcha to resume talks to settle the separatist issue in the southern provinces. Talks between the two sides were suspended in late 1992. Some government officials question whether the request, in the form of a letter, is really from the PULO (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 08/08/95).
October: During the past month, several Muslim separatist groups are reported to have demanded protection fees from local businesses in the southern provinces (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 10/31/95).
December: Members of the PULO are alleged to have attacked an army outpost in Pattani province. There were no casualties (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 12/20/95).
December 23: An arson attack at a school in Yala has been blamed on the PULO; however, a top army officer says that such a claim is premature. In August of 1993, 30 southern schools were simultaneously torched. It is still not clear who was responsible for that incident. The New PULO, the TJI, and other elements that are seeking to destabilize the southern areas are the prime suspects (Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 12/23/95; Reuter Textline: Bangkok Post, 01/07/96).
1996
June 9, 1996: Thailand began a national celebration of the 50th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej=s reign. The king is considered by many to be a unifying force in the country and essential to keeping the peace in the country and facilitating Thailand=s process of democratization. (AFP)
August 1996: Days after police defused a 15-kilogram bomb in Yala, another bomb exploded at a school in Narthiwat. Those who claimed responsibility for the bombs pledged allegiance to the Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO). Despite pledges from the Thai army that security would be heightened in the southern provinces, the Muslim residents of this region expressed great concern over the events. (South China Morning Post, August 14)
1997
April 3, 1997: Thai paramilitary forces killed four members of the separatist National Revolutionary Front (BRN) in Narathiwat. Officials and members of the press in Thailand referred to the rebels as communists rather separatists. (AFP, April 24)
April 24, 1997: Approximately 10 rebels claiming to represent a new Muslim separatist faction in southern Thailand executed 4 workers at a rubber planatation in Yala and took a fifth female worker hostage. Later reports indicated that the rebels were members of the PULO. (AFP, April 24, May 4)
May 4, 1997: Border patrol police in Yala killed two PULO members during a clash with a group a rebels. About 15 guerillas had seized food and supplies from local villages prior to the deadly clash. (AFP)
October 1997: The King signed into law a new constitution which guaranteed "the most sweeping free press laws in Asia," according to an organization for journalists' rights and protection. (AFP, March 26, 1998)
October 16, 1997: Leading Thai Moslems elected former Bangkok parliamentarian Sawasdi Sumalayasak to be the Advisor to the Thai King on Islamic Religious Affairs. (AFP)
November 12, 1997: Officials for the country's Interior Department announced that security had been enhanced in southern Thailand following the resumption of local bombings by Muslim separatist groups. (AFP)
December 1997: A series of small bombs exploded throughout southern Thailand, including one bomb on a major bridge and one near a police station. No person or group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, and officials blamed "miscreant teenagers" and "drug traffickers" for the bombings. Local residents, however, suspected that bands of Muslim separatists were responsible for the incidents. The Prime Minister called for heightened security in the area and increased intelligence gathering. (AFP, December 15)
December 30, 1997: A bomb exploded at a school fair being held in the province of Yala and left 3 teenagers dead and another 12 people injured. Police suspect that the blast was retaliation for the arrest earlier in the week of four men associated with the PULO. The Minister of the Interior called for security in the region to be taken over by the military rather than local forces. (AFP)
1998
January 1, 1998: Police killed one terrorist after he and a colleague had thrown a hand grenade at a police post in Narithwat. (AFP)
January 4, 1998: During a meeting in Malaysia, the Thai foreign minister warned that the international economic development zone in southern Thailand could be jeoparized by suspected Muslim separatist violence. (AFP)
January 16, 1998: The Thai army launched a large-scale security operation in the Muslim-dominated provinces of the country, incorporating both military and police officials. (AFP)
January 18, 1998: Thai Muslim leader Sawasdi Sumalayasak visited with local Muslim chiefs in the country's southern provinces in an effort to ease simmering ethnic tensions ignited by recent bombings. Sawasdi Sumalayasak called on Muslims to work together and with Thai officials to insure security in the region. (AFP)
January 22, 1998: Officials arrested three men, allegedly connected to the PULO, as suspects in the recent terrorist attacks in southern Thailand. The three men confessed to a series of attacks and encouraged PULO members to end the campaign of violence. A fourth suspected leader was arrested three days later. (AFP, January 22, January 23, January 25)
January 24, 1998: A village leader in Narthiwat was shot six times as he approached a mosque. Authorities believe that the attack was carried out in retaliation for the apprehension of separatist terrorists earlier in the week, as the victim was an alleged PULO informant. (AFP)
February 8, 1998: In an effort to ease ethnic tensions in southern Thailand, the country's police chief met with Muslim leaders and assured them that corrupt officers in the southern provinces would be removed from duty. Some Muslim leaders allege that recent terrorist attacks in the region were in retaliation for corrupt and discriminatory police behavior and were not part of a Muslim separatist movement. (AFP)
February 14, 1998: Two police officers in Yala suffered injuries during a grenade attack on their car. The assailants escaped, nobody claimed immediately responsibility for the attack. (AFP)
February 16, 1998: A gang of men armed with AK47s attacked seven Thai police officers in Yala. Authorities arrested three Muslims suspected to be involved in the attack the following day. (AFP)
February 22, 1998: Suspected leaders of the Muslim separatist group PULO in southern Thailand are believed to have escaped to Malaysia, en route to European and Middle East destinations. (AFP)
March 9, 1998: Reports indicate that separatist terrorists in hiding in Malaysia told Thai Muslims in Malaysia that they would be subject to arrest if they returned to Thailand, spreading concern and confusion among the Thai communities. (Bangkok Post)
March 10, 1998: In anticipation of the expiration of an offered amnesty offer, fifty Moslem separatists--not suspected of specific terrorist acts--from PULO and BRN surrendered to Thai authorities, but the Thai interior minister noted that over 100 rebels remained at large. (AFP, March 12)
March 15, 1998: A bomb exploded near a busy market in the province of Pattani, leaving 5 women and a 2 year-old girl wounded. No one claimed responsibility for the explosion at the time of its detonation. (AFP)
March 23, 1998: A delegation of Islamic diplomats expressed optimism that a peaceful resolution would be reached in southern Thailand after the officials toured the provinces. Leaders from the region offered their support for a peace plan between the Muslim separatists and officials in Bangkok. (AFP)
April 4, 1998: Reports indicate that Thai Rangers shot and killed a separatist guerilla in the mountainous region of Narathiwat during a firefight. (AFP)
June 13, 1998: Three BRN gunmen executed a 24 year-old they suspected to be a government informant in southern Narathiwat. (AFP)
June 15, 1998: A gunfight broke out between police in Narathiwat and suspected Moslem separatist rebels. It was unclear whether the rebels were members of BRN or of PULO. (AFP)
December 8, 1998: On approaching the fiftieth anniversary of the UN's Declaration on Human Rights, analysts praised Thailand, relative to its regional neighbors, for its progress on ensuring and respecting the rights of all people. (AFP)
1999
January 28, 1999: The state-run Thai Government Savings Bank announced plans to open additional Muslim bank counters in the south of the country after pilot projects proved to be a success. The policies of the Islamic counters reflect Muslim principles; for instance, the bank is "interest free," providing customers instead with periodic dividends. (AFP)
July 1999: After months of troubles, a European ratings agency announced that all six of Thailand's major banks were "on the road to full rehabilitation." (AFP, July 1)