Free Preview of Members-Only Content
To view the requested intelligence, you must be a Stratfor.com member.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has asked Malaysia to turn over alleged militant leader Doramae Kuteh -- better known as Chae Kumae Kuteh -- claiming that Chae masterminded the January 2004 assault against a Thai army barracks that ignited ethnic violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the southern Thai provinces. Malaysian authorities announced the arrest Jan. 26, but so far have ignored Thaksin's request. The case is just one more example of the tensions between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur caused by the ongoing violence in Thailand's south.
Although Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, Muslims make up the majority in the country's southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani. The always-restive region has witnessed resurgent violence since 78 Muslim men died in the Thai army's custody following their October 2004 arrests during a riot.
In recent months, Thaksin has claimed that militants in Thailand have received training abroad from foreign Islamists with ties to Indonesia and Malaysia -- Thailand's two predominantly Muslim neighbors -- and that elements in Malaysia are providing support to the militants. In December 2004, in fact, the Thai government said it had photographic proof that militants in southern Thailand were being trained in Malaysia's Kelantan province on Thailand's southern border. Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi denied the charge.
| Stratfor Members, please log in at the top left hand corner |
