Saving the infamous Krue Se Mosque
>> PATTANI: The Krue Se Mosque has been famously associated with a bloody insurgency crackdown. On 28 April 2004, 32 insurgents were killed by soldiers after they took refuge inside the mosque.
But long before the notorious crackdown, the mosque was cherished for its architectural value. The Fine Arts Department (FAD) had enlisted the site as a national heritage site since 1935.
The mosque was built around four centuries ago when the southern peninsula was an independent Pattani State. The Krue Se mosque was the only mosque in the region constructed by red bricks with a mixture of an architectural style that blended eastern archaeology with traditional Islamic style.
In 1983, FAD issued a regulation indicating the historic site area of Krue Se Mosque would be 10.5 rai of land, according to the announcement published on Mar 26, 1983, in the Royal Gazette.
But in reality, the landscape of Krue Se Mosque was not well maintained. Local villagers had complained the land around the mosque has been misused and was being taken away. They said the actual size of the mosque was only 2 rai.
Local villagers had asked the FAD to inspect the site. Previously, there has been an attempt by a group of local people who enquired in a letter to the 11th Fine Arts Office in Songkhla province as to whether the rest of the land really existed.
The 11th Fine Arts Office in Songkhla province in June inspected the area and conducted a land survey. It later confirmed that space does exist. The office, however, admitted the metal fence erected around the mosque is barring any plans to further develop the mosque’s actual land.
Local villagers proposed ideas to FAD to develop the land around the Krue Se.
For instance, they suggested that the current toilet to be moved far away from the mosque so the toilet block can be expanded to accommodate the rising number of visitors and prevent its unpleasant smell from disturbing other visitors.
This was enough for local leaders on July 27 to call the Fine Arts Department which owns the mosque to develop its land currently not being used.
Following a three-hour long meeting that day, they vowed to cooperate with the FAD in protecting the mosque for later generations. A team was formed to represent them in further discussing their intention with the branch office of the Interior Ministry’s Damrongdhama Centre in Pattani.
That was a major movement in years regarding the mosque’s land matter.
“We want to preserve Krue Se Mosque because the site is not only for Krue Se local natives. It belongs the Muslims around and it is a national heritage site,” said Abdulroning Late, president of a group calling itself “Rak Krue Se” (Preserving Krue Se).
He said several problems have arisen with the mosque and left unsolved because of lack of certainty as to who is the authority for managing the mosque.
An example is the flooding during the rainy season because of making the ground at a nearby cemetery higher.