Malaysia has often been accused in past by Thailand of interfering in its domestic affairs in the south. Can it then be trusted as a peace broker for Thailand? And given that a significant part of Malaysia's population are indigenous Malays who have the same religion, culture and language as the Muslims in southern Thailand, can its citizen be expected to remain neutral while resolving the rebellion of the Thai Muslims?
These questions were raised by many people when Malaysia launched major diplomatic measures on Thailand this week. On the other side of the coin, Malaysia has the capacity to mediate peace negotiations because its strong emotional relationship with the Thai Muslims will help it win their trust.
It will be a good opportunity for Malaysia to prove that it respects the territorial sovereignty of Thailand and that it is concerned merely from a humanitarian point of view. Of course, Malaysia also has national security interests in the region, because upheavals on its borders with Thailand also affect its domestic security.
While his predecessor and mentor Mahathir Mohamad clearly failed to make any progress in his effort to broker a peace deal between the Thai government and the Muslim rebels in southern Thailand, between October 2005 until late last year, the current Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi flew to Thailand on Sunday for a three-day visit and another attempt.
The prime minister offered to help end the bloody rebellion in the predominantly Muslim province that has been an issue since the 1960s. Badawi is scheduled to meet with army-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Thai junta leader army General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who toppled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from power in September last year, hopes to restore peace to the restive province, and not just because he is a Muslim. He hopes that it will salvage the junta's declining credibility among the Thai people. Violence in the province in 2004 has stayed at high levels ever since.
We support the Malaysian prime minister's peace initiative because prolonged instability in the territory will also affect the region, because international terrorists are likely to increase their presence there.
It is clear that the Thai government alone will not be able to end the armed resistance. It needs outside help reminiscent of the aid Indonesia gave to the Philippines in reaching a political consensus with Muslim rebels in Mindanao in the 1990s.
Indonesia itself only found peace in Aceh after the devastating tsunami of December 2004 forced both parties to accept international mediation.
The Aceh solution could probably be used as a conflict resolution model in Thailand, because while the situation in Aceh was different to that of southern Thailand, they also have many similarities. Poverty, injustice, human rights abuses and discrimination are and were key problems in the territories.
However as long as the Thai central government takes no major measures, such as wide-ranging autonomy and the enforcement of justice, Thai Muslims are unlikely to change their minds.
We do hope that Badawi will be able to achieve a breakthrough, but it is very clear that this long-lasting armed rebellion will not be defeated by Badawi alone. A long and tiring journey will be required to achieve the ultimate goal of peace.
