Muslim Thai Army Chief Vows Soft Approach
BANGKOK, September 9, 2005 – Thailand's first Muslim army chief vowed Friday, September 9, to employ a softer approach, not soldiers, in dealing with unrest in the predominantly Muslim South.
Thailand Thursday, September 8, named Sonthi as its new army chief, the first-ever such move in the overwhelmingly Buddhist country to have a Muslim assume the post.
Sonthi, a Vietnam War veteran, said military operations in the turbulent Muslim south had to change from combat to a focus on psychological and intelligence work.
"Mass psychology comes first for the work of special forces, therefore my philosophy is a victory without a combat."The Muslim commander, who will assume office in October 1, will have two years in office before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60.
The Muslim commander said he would approach Muslim civilians in the South to have their trust in an effort to help quell unrest in the area.
"In the future, our troops must be able to give them warmth and friendliness to give people confidence that they can trust us, then the situation will improve," he said.
Sonthi, however, ruled out the possibility of daily violence in the South would vanish in the near future.
The Thai government has declared emergency rule across the south, once an independent Muslim sultanate, under a decree rubber-stamped by a hastily convened cabinet meeting on July 15.
The controversial measure grants Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra the power to impose curfews, censor news, ban public meetings, tap phones and hold suspects without charge for up to 30 days.
Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist nation but Muslims make up about five percent of the population and mostly live in the five southern provinces bordering Malaysia.
Sonthi maintained that the Thai army needs to change military tactics in the south to deal with a kind of unrest the Thai army had not dealt with before."Our troop deployments in the south have been designed to fight in World War Two or communist guerrillas during the Cold War, but now we need many state agencies to help put all these jigsaw pieces together to solve the problem," Sonthi said.
Thai national rights watchdog has accused the army of "violent breaches of human rights" against Muslims in the south.The International Crisis Group (ICG) stressed on Thursday, May 19, that the Thai government's failure to address injustices and open a genuine dialogue with Muslim leaders in the south is the real reason behind unrest in the country.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Sunday, September 04, 2005
POPULATION GROWTH IN NORTHEAST INDIA
By Muhammad Hasibor Rahman
As per 2001 census while the proportion of the Hindu population of the northeastern states of India has shrunk, the share of the Christian and the Muslim population has increased. Relying on this census revelation, the saffron intellectuals of Assam are campaigning through a section of media that the Muslim population of the seven northeast states has increased due to continuous infiltration from Bangladesh, while maintaining silence over the increase of the Christian population. The seven northeastern states are Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
In Assam percentage of the Hindu population of the state’s total population has fallen from 67.1 in 1991 to 64.9 in 2001. The percentage of the Christians and the Muslims has gone up from 3.3 and 28.4 in 1991 to 3.7 and 30.9 respectively in 2001.
In Arunachal Pradesh while the share of the Hindu population has decreased to 34.6 percent in 2001 from 37.0 percent in 1991, the proportion of the Muslims and the Buddhists has increased to 1.9 percent and 13.0 percent respectively in 2001 from 1.38 percent and 12.9 percent in 1991. The Christians have become 18.7 percent of the state’s total population in 2001.
In Manipur percentage of the Hindus and the Christians has come down from 57.7 and 34.1 in 1991 to 46.0 and 34.0 respectively in 2001, while the percentage of the Muslims has increased from 7.3 in 1991 to 8.8 in 2001.
In Meghalaya the share of the Hindu population has decreased from 14.7 percent in 1991 to 13.3 percent in 2001. In the same period the percentage of the Muslims and the Christians has increased from 3.46 and 64.6 to 4.3 and 70.3 respectively.
In Mizoram while the percentage of the Hindu population has declined from 5.0 in 1991 to 3.6 in 2001, share of the Muslims and Christians has increased from .66 percent and 85.7 percent in 1991 to 1.1 percent and 87.0 percent respectively in 2001.
In Nagaland the percentage of the Hindu population has fallen from 10.1 in 1991 to 7.7 in 2001, while the percentage of the Muslims and the Christians has risen from 1.7 and 87.5 in1991 to 1.8 and 90.0 respectively in 2001.
In Tripura the proportion of the Hindu population has decreased from 86.5 percent in 1991 to 85.6 percent in 2001. The Percentage of the Muslims and the Christians has gone up from 7.1 and 1.68 in 1991 to 8.0 and 3.2 respectively in 2001.
In all northeastern states, except Assam and Manipur, the growth of the Christian population is higher than that of the Muslims during the decade, 1991 - 2001. The Hindu population has decreased in all the seven states of the region. If the increase in the Muslim population is due to infiltration from Bangladesh then increase in the population of the Christians must also be due to infiltration of people from Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. Similarly, decrease in the Hindu population is to be construed to be due to migration of Hindus to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. But the increase of the Muslim and Christian population and corresponding decrease of the Hindu population do not suggest movement of population across the international borders but conversion of people from one community to another.
If the reason of high population growth is considered to be due to socio-economic backwardness of people alone, then the rise of the Christian population had not been more than that of the Muslims because the socio-economic condition of the Christians is much better than that of the Muslims in northeast India.
The primary reason of growth of the Christian population in the northeastern region of India is due to conversion of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe to Christianity not infiltration. It is to be noted that Christianity has been the fastest growing religion in northeast India.
The increase in the Muslim population is due to their poor socio-economic status and conversion of non-Muslims to Islam not due to infiltration of Bangladeshis into the region as it is made out to be. Had there been illegal infiltration of Muslims from Bangladesh the rise in the Muslim population of northeast India had been more than the rise in the Christian population. But this is not happened.
The cause of decrease of Hindu Population in northeast India is due to the practice of large-scale female feticide among them because of their dislike to female children and migration of Hindi and Bengali speaking Hindu people to outside the region because of violence perpetrated against them from time to time. The anti Marwari violence of 1968, the anti-Bengali violence of 70th and 80th as well as anti-Bihari riots of 2003 in Assam caused migration of a large number of people from Assam to other Indian states. Another reason of fall of Hindu population is due to assertion of the Buddhists, the Jains and so on as the minority community distinct from Hindus. The conversion of members of lower caste Hindus to Christianity also contributes to the reduction in the Hindu population.
The census and other official statistics available do not indicate presence of Bangladeshi Muslims in Assam and other northeastern states but that of the non-Muslim illegal migrants. The issue of Muslim illegal migrants exists only in the media reports and in the propaganda of the communal forces. 0n 25th December 2004 while disclosing that Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has asked all states to identify and enlist the names of illegal migrants in its news broadcast at night, Doordarshan has shown a video footage showing some poor women engaged in repairing a PWD road and some poor men in work in a building construction site intending to create an impression in the mind of the viewers that these poor men and women are illegal migrants. The men and women labourers belonging to all religious and lingual communities are seen working in road and building construction sites in every nock and corner of India. It is not clear whether the DD news producer, editor etc. wanted to level all the poor labourers working in different construction sites in India as illegal migrants or the Muslim labourers alone to deprive them to earn their living by showing them as foreigners. But it is obvious that a section of print and electronic media of secular India are playing a vital role in recent years to keep the foreigners issue alive to divide the Indians on communal line to serve the vested interests of the chauvinistic and fascists forces.
It is now established fact that with the improvement of socio-economic status and standard of living the reproductive power of the people diminishes. Instead of removing illiteracy and poverty of the Indian Muslims, dropping their names from the voter list and deporting them from the country to Bangladesh branding them illegal migrants to reduce their number in India particularly in Assam to satisfy chauvinistic elements of our population would create a very unfortunate situation. The theory of the presence of a large number Bangladeshi Muslims in the northeastern region of India, particularly in Assam is nothing but figment of the saffron minds that breed and spread hatred, anger and ill-will against the Muslims and their religion through the media sympathetic to their cause.
As per 2001 census while the proportion of the Hindu population of the northeastern states of India has shrunk, the share of the Christian and the Muslim population has increased. Relying on this census revelation, the saffron intellectuals of Assam are campaigning through a section of media that the Muslim population of the seven northeast states has increased due to continuous infiltration from Bangladesh, while maintaining silence over the increase of the Christian population. The seven northeastern states are Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
In Assam percentage of the Hindu population of the state’s total population has fallen from 67.1 in 1991 to 64.9 in 2001. The percentage of the Christians and the Muslims has gone up from 3.3 and 28.4 in 1991 to 3.7 and 30.9 respectively in 2001.
In Arunachal Pradesh while the share of the Hindu population has decreased to 34.6 percent in 2001 from 37.0 percent in 1991, the proportion of the Muslims and the Buddhists has increased to 1.9 percent and 13.0 percent respectively in 2001 from 1.38 percent and 12.9 percent in 1991. The Christians have become 18.7 percent of the state’s total population in 2001.
In Manipur percentage of the Hindus and the Christians has come down from 57.7 and 34.1 in 1991 to 46.0 and 34.0 respectively in 2001, while the percentage of the Muslims has increased from 7.3 in 1991 to 8.8 in 2001.
In Meghalaya the share of the Hindu population has decreased from 14.7 percent in 1991 to 13.3 percent in 2001. In the same period the percentage of the Muslims and the Christians has increased from 3.46 and 64.6 to 4.3 and 70.3 respectively.
In Mizoram while the percentage of the Hindu population has declined from 5.0 in 1991 to 3.6 in 2001, share of the Muslims and Christians has increased from .66 percent and 85.7 percent in 1991 to 1.1 percent and 87.0 percent respectively in 2001.
In Nagaland the percentage of the Hindu population has fallen from 10.1 in 1991 to 7.7 in 2001, while the percentage of the Muslims and the Christians has risen from 1.7 and 87.5 in1991 to 1.8 and 90.0 respectively in 2001.
In Tripura the proportion of the Hindu population has decreased from 86.5 percent in 1991 to 85.6 percent in 2001. The Percentage of the Muslims and the Christians has gone up from 7.1 and 1.68 in 1991 to 8.0 and 3.2 respectively in 2001.
In all northeastern states, except Assam and Manipur, the growth of the Christian population is higher than that of the Muslims during the decade, 1991 - 2001. The Hindu population has decreased in all the seven states of the region. If the increase in the Muslim population is due to infiltration from Bangladesh then increase in the population of the Christians must also be due to infiltration of people from Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. Similarly, decrease in the Hindu population is to be construed to be due to migration of Hindus to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. But the increase of the Muslim and Christian population and corresponding decrease of the Hindu population do not suggest movement of population across the international borders but conversion of people from one community to another.
If the reason of high population growth is considered to be due to socio-economic backwardness of people alone, then the rise of the Christian population had not been more than that of the Muslims because the socio-economic condition of the Christians is much better than that of the Muslims in northeast India.
The primary reason of growth of the Christian population in the northeastern region of India is due to conversion of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe to Christianity not infiltration. It is to be noted that Christianity has been the fastest growing religion in northeast India.
The increase in the Muslim population is due to their poor socio-economic status and conversion of non-Muslims to Islam not due to infiltration of Bangladeshis into the region as it is made out to be. Had there been illegal infiltration of Muslims from Bangladesh the rise in the Muslim population of northeast India had been more than the rise in the Christian population. But this is not happened.
The cause of decrease of Hindu Population in northeast India is due to the practice of large-scale female feticide among them because of their dislike to female children and migration of Hindi and Bengali speaking Hindu people to outside the region because of violence perpetrated against them from time to time. The anti Marwari violence of 1968, the anti-Bengali violence of 70th and 80th as well as anti-Bihari riots of 2003 in Assam caused migration of a large number of people from Assam to other Indian states. Another reason of fall of Hindu population is due to assertion of the Buddhists, the Jains and so on as the minority community distinct from Hindus. The conversion of members of lower caste Hindus to Christianity also contributes to the reduction in the Hindu population.
The census and other official statistics available do not indicate presence of Bangladeshi Muslims in Assam and other northeastern states but that of the non-Muslim illegal migrants. The issue of Muslim illegal migrants exists only in the media reports and in the propaganda of the communal forces. 0n 25th December 2004 while disclosing that Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has asked all states to identify and enlist the names of illegal migrants in its news broadcast at night, Doordarshan has shown a video footage showing some poor women engaged in repairing a PWD road and some poor men in work in a building construction site intending to create an impression in the mind of the viewers that these poor men and women are illegal migrants. The men and women labourers belonging to all religious and lingual communities are seen working in road and building construction sites in every nock and corner of India. It is not clear whether the DD news producer, editor etc. wanted to level all the poor labourers working in different construction sites in India as illegal migrants or the Muslim labourers alone to deprive them to earn their living by showing them as foreigners. But it is obvious that a section of print and electronic media of secular India are playing a vital role in recent years to keep the foreigners issue alive to divide the Indians on communal line to serve the vested interests of the chauvinistic and fascists forces.
It is now established fact that with the improvement of socio-economic status and standard of living the reproductive power of the people diminishes. Instead of removing illiteracy and poverty of the Indian Muslims, dropping their names from the voter list and deporting them from the country to Bangladesh branding them illegal migrants to reduce their number in India particularly in Assam to satisfy chauvinistic elements of our population would create a very unfortunate situation. The theory of the presence of a large number Bangladeshi Muslims in the northeastern region of India, particularly in Assam is nothing but figment of the saffron minds that breed and spread hatred, anger and ill-will against the Muslims and their religion through the media sympathetic to their cause.
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