Mass praying for peace in Pattani ahead of the onset of Ramadan
Ramadan or the holy month of fasting for Muslims throughout the world is approaching. In the three southernmost provinces where Muslims are predominant, several interesting movements have taken place by the Muslim clerics and the Thai security before the Ramadan which was speculated to start on June 18 in most places.
On Monday June 8, about 15,000 Muslim religious leaders and lay people from Yala, Pattani, Songkhla and Yala converged at the central masjid in Pattani for a mass prayer for peace in the restive region.
The mass praying was the joint effort of several organistions, including the Islamic committee of the southern border provinces, the ulema council (the council of scholars of Muslim religious law), the association of Pondok schools in five southern border provinces and the federation of private Islamic religious schools.
Besides the mass praying for peace, the Islamic committee of the southern border provinces also pleaded with all Muslims to strictly observe the fasting in faith, to read the Koran and to strictly observe other religious practices. More importantly, all Muslims were told to take good care of their families and their loved ones in accordance with the Muslim norm and culture and to refrain from all sins during the fasting month.
Lt-Gen Prakarn Cholayuth, commander of the south-based Fourth Army Region which is responsible for security in the Deep South, expressed his well wishes to the Muslims for the month of Ramadan.
Timing with the fasting month, the Fourth Army Region has launched a programme called “Bringing people back home” aimed to encourage misguided militants to return home to observe the Ramadan and to supplement the peace process.
The militants that the army have wanted to come home during the Ramadan are divided into three groups. The first are militants who have been slapped with arrest warrants issued by virtue of the Criminal Procedure Code. The second concerns militants face arrest warrants issued by virtue of the emergency law and the third group who do not face arrest.
As for the first group of militants, they will be give bail once they show up to report themselves to authorities concerned. For the second group, arrest warrants have been withdrawn against some 700 suspected militants. For the third group, they will walk free once they report themselves to the authorities.
For all the three groups, they will have to go through attitude adjustment and occupational training so that they will have a means to make a living once they are set free.