Separatist violence and the retention of public sector employees in Southern Thailand

1. Separatist violence and the retention of public sector employees in Southern Thailand Natt Pimpa School of Management

2. Thai soldiers examine a site of a shooting incident in which two Buddhist teachers were gunned down by rebels in Thailand's restive southern Narathiwat province (11 June 2007, AFP) School/Department/Area

3. “Nearly 100 public schools in the southernmost province of Yala and Narathiwat were closed yesterday after three teachers were brutally shot to death in Ra-ngae districts.”(The Nation, June 2007)“Over five hundred civil servants in southern Thailand have been the victims of terrorism in the South. Southern Thailand comprises of 5 provinces, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat” (MOE, 2008) School/Department/Area

4. The Consequences • Approximately 4,000 school teachers and government officers, who are also common targets of attack, demanded better protection and increased incentives to stay in their offices in the South. • Around 1000 teachers have lodged requests with the Education Ministry for a transfer to a more secure region.  Only 40 percent have had their requests granted. • Teachers have shown little interest in the economic incentives which include life insurance worth 500,000 baht and a 2,500 baht per month salary increase. School/Department/Area

5. Cause of the Insurgency • Some claim that the insurgency is based on historic causes including a 200 year occupation, the 1960s Thai cultural and economic imperialism in Pattani, including allegations of police brutality, criminal activity, disrespect of Islam, the presence of culturally in-sensitive businesses such as bars, drug trafficking, and corruption. • Poor Leadership: Thaksin’s approach to the Southern Insurgency. School/Department/Area

6. Links with Poverty and Economic Development • The performance of the deep South’s economy actually improved markedly in the past few decades. BUT, • Jobs in the Thai public (and some private) sector are difficult to obtain for those Muslim students who did not ever fully accept the Thai education system or learn the Thai language.  School/Department/Area

7. Tactics Assassination Bombing Arson Kidnapping School/Department/Area

8. Research Problems • What factors motivate government officers working in the deep-south Thailand to remain in the public sector? School/Department/Area

9. Methods Data collection with: Phase I: 2006 • Local government Officers and teachers from the education service officer and schools (Ministry of Education). (Questionnaire + Interview) • The local community administrative centres (Ministry of Interior). (Interview) • Staff from the community health centres (Ministry of Public Health). (Questionnaire + Interview) Phase II: 2008 (ongoing) • Round table discussions and personal interviews with leaders from the Ministries of Education, Interior, and Public Health School/Department/Area

10. Framework (Vroom(1964), Locke and Latham (1990), Wagner and Hollenbeck’s (1995), Dinham and Scott (1998), Suwannapirom (2006) School/Department/Area

11. Profiles of the Samples School/Department/Area

12. Findings (I) School/Department/Area

13. Findings (II): Local Community Inclusion “It makes me feel safe if the school is seen as a part of the community. My principal has done a lot of community relationship-building for years” “When I know the head of village and the villagers, I know I will be safe” “We need to bring religious leader (IMAM) to be part of the school community, otherwise we will end up like other schools in Pattani and Yala” School/Department/Area

14. Findings (II): Shared Vision “I do not feel like risking my life working in my department. There is no clear direction in our work. What is the point of working here for me?” “We hardly talk about accomplishing a task at work. It’s only a matter of surviving each day. We are lucky if we don’t get shoot by the separatists” “We only discuss FEAR as a part of our working life! It made us feel like we have nothing left to do at work” School/Department/Area

15. Findings (II): Leadership “Leadership that support people-oriented activity must be implemented in all government organisations here “ “We want a benevolent strong (autocrat) leader in our department” “Decentralisation must be done, not said by the leaders in Bangkok” “I need leader who empowers me to participate in decisions about how the policy will be implemented” School/Department/Area

16. Findings (II): Flexibility in Management “They (the terrorists) watch us and know our pattern of work. I think the government should be more flexible with working hours” “We should be more progressive in going to work with the Muslim community in the village. NO Bangkok command please!” “Why don’t we have more Muslim or local in the leading or managing positions in our departments?” School/Department/Area

17. What has been done? • In March 2005, the National Reconciliation Commission (N.R.C.) was created to recommend steps to end the conflict. The N.R.C. has had some success in convincing the government that it needs to focus on the sources from which the separatist movement draws strength, instead of only on military responses. • In 2006, the government declared economic package for both civil servants and civic, in order to create employment and improve the economic condition of the Southern people. • Decentralisation of the local government structure. • Job rotation scheme to support flexibility School/Department/Area

18. Possibilities of overcoming present crises • The situation is definitely complex. There is no easy way out. The Thai government and the people want to find solution maintaining the integrity of the nation state. • Government strategy to improve economic condition of the southern people is a good initiative but not enough. There is a need to address the issue of bilingual education, to be sensitive to Malay cultures and consider and offering option of integrating Islamic education. • More local to be part of the public sector system. Empower local community and integrate government officers to the community. School/Department/Area

19. Possibilities of overcoming present crises • Possibly there is need to evolve a political and administrative frame-work within the Thai nation state under which southern provinces will have Muslim administration and enjoy autonomy towards developing program to address the region specific needs and aspirations of the Southern  people. • People to people communication  at horizontal level could be the starting point in all government organisations. • For evolving political framework there is a need to identify Muslim representatives who would in a position communicate with the government sector. • At the same time could negotiate the genuine demands of the Southern people in a peaceful environment. School/Department/Area