Patani United Liberation Organisation
Pertubuhan Pembebasan Patani Bersatu
15 September 2005
Mr. Kofi Annan
The Secretary General of
The United Nations
1st ave. and 46th street
New York, NY 10017 USA
Secretary General,
An Appeal from Patani
On the occasion of the 60 year UN commemoration today, we, the Foreign Affairs Department of the Patani United Liberation Organisation (PULO) which is struggling for the rights of the people of the five Malay southern provinces of Thailand, formerly known as the Malay Kingdom of Patani, are to complain the persistent committing of serious human rights violations, including widespread instances of extra-judicial killings and ill treatment by the Kingdom of Thailand towards the Malays, to your United Nations Security Council that we, the Malays, are being harassed, tortured and ill-treated and Thailand has not kept its obligations as its representative’s explanation before the UN Human Rights Committee on implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 29 July 2005.
As Secretary General may have noticed that the Emergency Decree on Government Administration in States of Emergency, B.E. 2548, which came into immediate effect on 16 July 2005, and on the basis of which a state of emergency was declared in five southern Malay provinces, does indeed provide for officials for the violations and no legal and disciplinary actions against them being taken. Instead, Maj-Gen. Pisan Watthanawongkhiri, one of whom held responsible for brutal cracking down the 26 October Takbai peaceful demonstration last year in Narathiwat that left more than hundred dead, was promoted full ‘General’ in Royal Thai Army and Gen. Pallop Pinmanee, who ordered to launch more than 20 rocket-propelled grenades into the Kersik Mosque in Patani on the 28 April also last year that left all 34 insiders dead, by ignoring an order to intensify negotiations, now still functioning as Deputy director of Thai National Intelligence Council.
After the decree was promulgated, 10 days later, 8 Imams who were village clerics and widely respected by the locals, had been assassinated by the Royal Thai government officials (Thai-insider/08-09-2005) and the latest was Imam Stopa Yusoh, of Lahar village in Sungai Padi District of Narathiwat province and the victim saw the gunmen whom he had known before and who were government officials (Malaysian Berita Harian/06-09-2005). Prior to this incident, 17 civilians were killed. The locals of the latter village and nearby have been protesting Thai authorities until present day and standing off by preventing government officials entering their villages. The incident also made the some of the villagers living in fear and to save their lives, 131 of them fled and crossed the border to Malaysia seeking asylum, now pending their status to be determined by the UNHCR.
Furthermore, Mr Surakiat Sathirathai, deputy Prime Minister, former Foreign Minister, is campaigning to persuade the UNHCR alongside with other cabinet members not to grant asylum status to those refugees and want them to be repatriated to where they fear of Thai persecution. In this case we request Secretary General to specially notice that Mr Sathirathai, however, is also beginning to lobby the world for his candidacy as next UN Secretary General representing a country with grave human rights violations where the Malays are being oppressed and their basic rights denied be it before or after the UN charter signing in 1945, to lead the world body is unacceptable to all.
Secretary General, we therefore appeal to the Security Council to intervene and prevent the Malays from suffering any further in order them to rebuild a new life, share the global prosperity and live as rights of a people among other peace loving one.
Thank you,
Yours faithfully,
Kasturi Mahkota
Chief of
The PULO Foreign Affairs Department
infopulo@gmail.com
