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Pattani United Liberation Organization (Thailand)

PULO

by António Martins

Introduction
Description
Greater Patani State (Negara Patani Raya)
Islamic Republic of Patani
Pattani Empire

See also:

Pattani Province (Thailand)
Thailand

Introduction

A paper by Shawn W. Crispin, originally published in Far Eastern Economic Review, Hong-Kong, and translated in Courrier International no. 574, 31 October 2001, gives an update of the situation in Southern Thailand. Until recently, the official doctrine of the Thai government was to establish a Buddhist nation, and Islamic traditions were repressed in the extreme South of the country, where Muslims are the majority (even if they represent only 4% of the total population of Thailand). Consequently, the Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) has been fighting for years for the proclamation of an independent Muslim state, causing the militarization of the area.

In 1997, a new Constitution conferred political and religious rights to the Muslims, and the liberation movements more or less extincted. There seems to be now no more than 50 separatists still fighting in the mountains. Violent events which recently took place in the area seem to have been caused by rivalry between factions of the local police rather than by Muslim separatists. Several Muslims, who had been accusated to have burned down 37 schools in the area in the mid-90's were acquited because of lack of evidence against them, and the role of the local police in these events has also been questioned.

Ivan Sache, 17 November 2001

Description

I read that the flag attributed to the Pattani United Liberation Movement is blue with two red stripes in the top and bottom. In the upper red strip, near the hoist, is a yellow five-pointed star; in the center of the blue is a half-moon and a star or sun of 15 points (similar to Malaysia) — symbolising the movement's demand for the separation of Pattani from Thailand and its union with Malaysia. The Pattani state had a flag after [sic — "before"?] its annexation by Thailand — can anyone describe it?

Jaume Ollé, 6 November 1996

The Pattani flag can be seen at the Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) website.

Wisarut Bholsithi, 29 October 1999

Considering that the Pattani United Liberation Organization wants to dettach the Pattani inhabited area from Thailand to Malaysia, and that the current