The Thai Muslims: Some Aspects of Minority Integration

Abstract

N ATIONAL INTEGRATION of ethnic and regional minorities is fundamentally a result of increased functions planned or undertaken by the central government. Integration can be a response to an external threat, specific internal unrest, or-more generally-viewed as a necessary complement to a variety of new functions inherent in nation-building. The integration process itself raises more complex questions than the reasons for its origin. What is the relationship between ethnic and economic integration and how is this viewed in official policy? What is the role of the sociopolitical structure of a given minority in furthering or hampering its integration into the national fabric, and how does the central government use the local leadership structure? Under what circumstances has a policy of integration led to a policy of assimilation, or, to what extent does the government regard ethnic diversity as an impediment to economic interaction and political unity on the national level?1 The literature on integration of ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia is quite voluminous.2 This article is merely another micro-study which may throw further light on the above questions. It follows a historical-political approach rather than the usual anthropological one. The problem in this case-the Muslim population in Southern Thailand-has as yet been a relatively minor one and has consequently been somewhat neglected both by the central Thai government and by scholars. Potentially, however, this is a serious minority issue as shown by the underlying patterns of tension which sporadically burst into local unrest and revolts. Only last year (i969) the situation in the Southernmost provinces was described by an outside observer as something of a reign of terror.3 The high degree of ethnic homogenity in Thailand has obviated the need for a consistent policy of cultural integration to accompany regular