Thursday, April 5, 2012

"Out, damned spot" (The bloodshed in Yala and Hatyai)

In my blissful ignorant days, Hatyai was just a border town where men sowed their wild oats, or made their unions legal, 
without fear of having the religious police at their hotel door or the need to get their older wives' permission. 
Before I learned about the independence struggle by the four southern provinces, I thought Sungei Kolok was a smugglers' den 
and Pengkalan Kubor was a knock-off paradise. 
Then fate presented me with knowledge about the inextricable links between Kota Bharu and Bangkok through the legend 
of Puteri Sa'adong and her cheating husband. 
As I grew older and wiser, I learned more about the history of civilisation along the Isthmus of Kra. 
About 'Seeking Langkasuka' from a passionate researcher of its history - Zubin Mohamed. 
About the beautiful Queens of Langkasuka who were named after the colours of nature and the universe - 
Hijau (Leafy Green), Biru (Sky or Ocean Blue), Unggu (Royal Purple or Violet) and Kuning (Golden or Sunny Yellow). 
Juxtaposed between the images of overt sexuality, crass consumerism and the yearning for a glorious, romantic past, 
is a region simmering with anger and discontent, rearing its head in sporadic bombings countered by violent military repressions 
(such as the Massacre at Takbai). 
The search for solutions to the on-going conflict between the Separatist Movement and the Thai Government have been the 
subject of summits and academic papers e.g. http://www.ukm.my/jebat *. 
Yet the simple and sound suggestions by a regular blogger to 'prosper thy neighbour' appear to be more realistic and attainable. 
http://syedsoutsidethebox.blogspot.com/2012/04/malay-kingdom-of-pattani.html
Patani Darussalam
The Queens of Langkasuka
Bunohan - a slice of life in a border town 
* Che Mohd Aziz Yaacob (2011) Isu dan penyelesaian: konflik pemisah di selatan Thailand (Separatist Conflict in Southern Thailand: Issues and Resolutions). Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, 38 (1). pp. 13-34. ISSN 2180-0251

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