Deep South from blasts to boom
Although the spectre of insurgency hangs over the region, farmers and housewives are banding together to boost the local economy, writes Onnucha Hutasingh
Years of blasts and shootings may have shaken up the peace process in the far South but the flare-ups have done nothing to chisel away at the region’s two most prized assets — its natural resources and economic potential.
The deep South was plunged into an insurgency crisis on Jan 4, 2004 when militants overran the 4th Development Battalion at the Kromluang Narathiwat Ratchanakarin military camp in Narathiwat’s Cho Airong district and made off with a large cache of firearms.
The theft preceded a wave of attacks across the southernmost provinces. At some points, random shootings and blasts became a daily occurrence, intensifying over time in both frequency and gravity.
The violence appears to have dissipated in recent months and, as the unrest subsides, locals have witnessed the re-emergence of opportunities to put the local economy back on track.
Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and adjacent districts in Songkhla may have suffered a security setback but most locals have refused to move out of homes or neighbourhoods where their families have lived for generations.
“We never thought about leaving,” said Wandee Thongkleang, 54, whose husband, a civil servant, was gunned down in an attack in 2006. “This is arable land with sweet and friendly people.”
Ms Wandee lives in Ban Tha Dan of tambon Don Rak of Pattani’s Nong Chik district. Apart from her husband’s relatives, who live close by, she said her neighbours often lend a hand whenever she needs help with household tasks.
Her in-laws gave her 30 rai of land to grow crops and raise poultry. They also helped teach her about organic farming, as prescribed in the sufficiency economy theory championed by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Yields from the farm have been favourable, she said.
Locals share their knowledge on productive farming with one another, regardless of whether they are Buddhist or Muslim, as they attend classes at a learning centre nearby.
More than 5,000 residents in tambon Don Rak have hopped on the organic farming bandwagon, with over 1,300 rai of land
there now designated for organic crops.
Last year, the group picked up an award for its outstanding management of irrigation water. They managed to combine local wisdom and knowledge to fend off salt water intrusion into farmland. The method uses fresh water to push out saltwater.
The group also pursues collaborative farming, with neighbours banding together and sharing costs. They say this has lowered their rice-farming expenses from 5,000 baht a rai to 3,000 baht.
“Our rice is also high quality. We mill and sell it to cut out the middleman, then we contact purchasers directly through Facebook,” said Ms Wandee.
The group sells its rice for 80 baht a kilogramme, earning Ms Wandee hundreds of thousands of baht a year.
“We don’t need the government’s help to shore up [crop] prices,” she said.
The group also has a coconut farm and supplies factories that make coconut juice. The farm generates 20,000-25,000 baht a month for each of its members, they claim.
Local farmers also sell cow manure and cow casting materials in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district, a commercial hub of the lower South.
Nong Chik district serves as the one of the legs of the so-called “economic triangle”, a development model that also includes
Betong district of Yala and Sungai Kolok district of Narathiwat. Nong Chik is positioned as an agro-industrial district, Betong as a tourist model district, and Sungai Kolok as a border trade district served by a solid transport network.
The three districts help stimulate privatesector investment, which spurs employment and income for the broader region.
The model provides an answer to security problems by increasing safety areas designated for special economic zones. Once it is put into practice, the quality of life of locals is expected to improve, officials say.
The government considers the three districts safe enough to move ahead with its economic advancement plan. The administration has also set a goal of assisting locals in farming, irrigation, production planning and collective farming to improve their lot.
“I get asked whether it is scary here. I don’t think so,” said Jaepido Useng, a 39-year-old resident in tambon Bangtawa of Nong Chick district. “Okay, during the night we don’t venture out of our homes. But in the daytime it’s business as usual.”
Ms Jaepido serves as the secretary of a group of housewives who produce dried salted threadfin under the product name Sri Baru Bangtawa.
Even though the fish sells for a steep 1,800 baht a kg, demand outstrips supply, she said. “No matter how many we make, they all sell out.”
In the past, residents caught fish mainly for consumption with any surplus sold off to a wholesale fish market in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat.
One day the market was hit with a massive oversupply and turned away fish stocks, however, prompting local fishermen in Nong Chik to seek an alternative.
Their neighbours suggest they preserve the fish by salting them, which proved a turning point for the group and the local economy.
Ms Jaepido said local authorities offered their expertise and advised the families on such things are product label design and marketing.
She said the group has since been overwhelmed with orders.
“Some of our customers make their way here twice a month from Bangkok to buy our products,” said Ms Jaepido. “We also have customers in Pattani. We can’t keep up with demand.”
To enjoy the fish at its best, it should be sliced into a reasonable width and fried on both sides. After that, half a lime should be squeezed over it and garnish added in the form of sliced red onions and chopped chillies. A bit of fish is mashed on a bed of steamed rice before eating. Only a small bit will do because the fish is quite salty, Ms Jaepido said.
She said members of the group receive earnings of about 10,000 baht every three months.
“It’s really a delight to be making some
money so we can buy things for our kids during the Hari Raya festival, which marks the end of Ramadan,” Ms Jaepido said.
Preeyanan Kamransuek, a 40-year-old native of Ban Bangtawa, also decided to get involved after returning home from years spent working at a factory in Songkhla.
She formed a group of more than 20 local housewives to produce multicoloured baskets woven from plastic strands. She said merchants from Hat Yai come to buy them in bulk and her products are even exported to Malaysia.
Ms Preeyanan said her group has to produce a thousand baskets a month to feed the market. Each member receives 3,000-4,000 baht in earnings each month, she added.
Meanwhile, the government is encouraging investors to set up factories to manufacture processed food by using local produce such as palm oil as well as seafood.
Boonpat Korkiatphitak, managing director of Pattani Food Industries Co, a producer of canned fish and animal feed in Pattani’s Muang district, said the company’s factory was set up 30 years ago.
Its business, which creates 1,200 jobs, is impervious to the security woes.
“One potential drawback is the shortage of raw materials,” said Mr Boonpat, adding the company has the capacity to increase production if fish supply grows.
Today, the company sources most of its fish from England and Japan, he noted.
Amid all this economic progress, forging closer ties between the military and local residents remains a priority.
Col Hanpol Petmuang, commander of Special Ranger Task Force 43 in Nong Chik district, conceded it is challenging to win the trust of people who have been told for years by insurgents to resist the authorities.
“In a pluralistic society like this that is made up of Buddhists and Muslims, we must get to know and understand them deeply in terms of their livelihood and culture,” said Col Hanpol. “We must not create conditions [that can breed violence].”
He said he always tells his subordinates to be careful not to violate people’s rights.
Jehabdulloh Jehsorhoh, a fine arts lecturer at Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, said to solve the problem of the insurgency-led violence in the far South, priority should be given to dispelling any prejudices harboured by Buddhists and Muslims in the area.
Government officials must also stifle any attempts to capitalise on this violence, he noted.
“Building a better understanding among local people will bring about real peace,” said Mr Jehabdulloh, who set up a gallery and coffee shop close to his rice field in tambon Dong Rak.
He said everyone is welcome to go and enjoy the arts there, which focus on subjects close to the hearts of local people — for example, security.
I get asked whether it is scary here. I don’t think so.
JAEPIDO USENG, 39 RESIDENT IN TAMBON BANGTAWA OF NONG CHIK DISTRICT, PATTANI