Secession: The Malay in Thailand

A number of theories have been put forward to account for the rise of political divisiveness in the Patani region, including variations on the themes of relative deprivation (Brown 1988), religious revivalism (Chaiwat 1993), historical materialism (Forbes 1989), statism (McVey 1984), and core-periphery relation (Pitsuwan 1985; Suhrke 1989; Rumley and Minghi 1991). In reality, several related factors, including sociocultural and economic conditions, have produced an ethnic consciousness among the Malay-speaking Muslims in Thailand.1

A consciousness in a group got there through spreading ideas, and ideas spread through language. The shared language of the Thai Malay-speakers, not shared by the super-majority of Thailand's inhabitants and Thailand's government, make it alien to both. The Thai Malay-speakers have a neighboring friendly power (Malay speaking Malaysia) and an international support network (Islam) which make it powerful enough to be have been a threat.