NAN — The governor of Nan province has suggested the local Muslim community strike a compromise with Buddhists who have publicly opposed their plan to build a mosque in the province.

Governor Ukrit Puengsopha said that instead of constructing a permanent mosque, local Muslims can start by building a balasah, which is a smaller, temporary place of worship. The community can then upgrade to a larger mosque when there are more Muslims in the region, Ukrit said.

"When there is a plan to build a Buddhist temple, they start by building a monks' residence first. If the community sees benefits from it and accepts it, they develop it into a monastery. After that, if the community wants, and there is land, the residents will request to upgrade it into a temple," Ukrit said. "The same goes for a mosque. They can start with balasah. If there are more Muslims, and if the neighboring society becomes more accepting, it can eventually become a mosque."

The governor suggested the compromise at yesterday's meeting between local officials, military officers, representatives from the Muslim community, and monks who organized the recent anti-mosque protest. 

On 2 March, around 1,000 Buddhists, including some monks and novices, marched in protest of the mosque construction despite the current ban on protests imposed by the ruling military junta. 

In a letter submitted to the governor on the day of the protest, the campaign's leaders insisted that opposition to the mosque was not motivated by "religious persecution," but rather dissatisfaction with a lack of transparency and public consultation over the construction project.

The letter also cited other concerns, such as "noise pollution," "differences in lifestyle and culture" between Buddhists and Muslims, and possible "unrest and violence" that could follow the construction of the mosque. 

According to local Muslims, the nearest mosque is currently 130km away in a neighboring province.

At yesterday's meeting, Ukrit said opposition to the mosque was caused by a misunderstanding among Buddhists about the religion of Islam, and stressed that Nan is a multicultural province that welcomes people of all nations and faiths. 

"Nan is a province of diversity in term of ethnicity. We have been co-existing peacefully for the last 700 years. But we never had an active Muslim community before, so it leads to a situation of panic and misunderstanding today," Ukrit said. "There is also news and information from the media about the situation in the world that perpetuates the image of violence, so there is misunderstanding and concern."

He continued, "Acceptance of religious beliefs takes time. There has to be building of understanding and positive feeling. I believe the situation of Nan brothers and sisters opposing the plan to build the mosque is caused by a lack of knowledge among people who still don't understand and feel familiar [with the Muslim community]. If we give it time and understanding, there wouldn't be this problem … I insist that Nan is a place for all religions." 

For comments, or corrections to this article please contact:[email protected]

You can also find Khaosod English on Twitter and Facebook
http://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish
http://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish

BANGKOK — The sister of former Princess Srirasmi Suwadee has been sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for encroaching on public land in Ratchaburi province.

Sudathip Muangnuan and her husband, Pol.Col. Kowit Muangnuan, were found of guilty of violating the 1941 Forest Act for using a piece of public wooded land in Suan Pueng district for their own purposes between April 2013 – November 2014. They caused 495,878 baht in damges to the state, prosecutors said. 

A Criminal Court in Bangkok sentenced the pair to 3 years in prison yesterday, but cut the term in half because Sudathip and Pol.Col. Kowit confessed. 

Sudathip is already facing two and a half years in prison for using her ties to the Thai Royal Family to benefit her foodstuff business. 

Sudathip is the sister of Srirasmi Suwadee, the former princess and wife of Thailand's Crown Prince who resigned from her royal status in December 2014. Her resignation came after several members of her family were arrested and accused of running a massive crime syndicate involved in extortion, illegal gambling dens, and oil smuggling, among other alleged crimes. 

Srirasmi's parents, Apiruj and Wantanee Suwadee, are also beingdetained at Bangkok Remand Prison while they await trial for charges of lese majeste, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Apiruj and Wantanee were charged with lese majeste after an employee of a royal charity foundation accused them of using their ties to the monarchy to have her jailed for 18 months on bogus fraud charges.

Srirasmi has not been seen in public since 13 December 2014, when she applied for a new national ID card as a commoner. 

It is unclear whether Srirasmi and the Crown Prince are formally divorced. The couple married in 2001 and have one 9-year-old son. 

For comments, or corrections to this article please contact:[email protected]

You can also find Khaosod English on Twitter and Facebook
http://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish
http://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish

PATTANI — Soldiers reportedly confiscated a cache of military weapons from the home of a Muslim cleric in the southern border province of Pattani yesterday.

The weapons were found inside the home of a local imam named Zechariah Satam in Khok Pho district, said Col. Pramote Prom-in, a spokesperson of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) in Pattani, at a press conference this morning.

The site where an IED exploded in Pattani on 3 March 2015.

According to Col. Pramote, soldiers confiscated one assault rifle, more than 1,200 bullets, one M79 grenade launcher, and six shells for the grenade launcher. Security officers also found bomb-making devices and 14 fake car licenses during the raid, he said.

"The officials have collected all of the items as evidence for tests in forensic science, in order to establish a link to perpetrators behind violence in the region," Col. Pramote said at the press conference. 

He also told reporters that suspected Islamic insurgents shot two civilians in Khok Pho district yesterday, and detonated an IED near the site when security officers were inspecting the crime scene, wounding one security officer and six more civilians.

"The ISOC would like to express condolence to relatives and families of those who were injured by such barbaric and inhumane actions that targeted innocent civilians – Buddhist and Muslim," Col. Pramote said. "It is a radical and intimidating act of a terrorist nature." 

The spokesperson added security forces have been instructed to implement tighter security measures to protect Buddhist communities in the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala, where local insurgents often target Buddhists and state officials. 

The militants are believed to be part of a network aiming to revive the independent sultanate of Pattani, which was incorporated into Thailand in early 20th century.

At least 6,000 people, mostly civilians, have died since the secessionist violence broke out in early 2004, rights groups estimate. 

Unlike the rest of Thailand, where Buddhism is the prevalent faith, a majority of population in the Deep South are Muslims who speak a distinct dialect and often consider themselves Malay.

For comments, or corrections to this article please contact:[email protected]

You can also find Khaosod English on Twitter and Facebook
http://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish
http://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish