<p>Jakarta, <em><strong>NU Online</strong></em><br />In an effort to help Thailand quell insurgency in its Muslim-majority southern provinces, Indonesia has stepped in to provide scholarships for 50 Thai Muslims to study at Islamic universities in Indonesia, officials announced during a two-day visit by a delegation from southern Thailand to Yogyakarta, Central Java. <><br /><br />The 65-member group, led by Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) Secretary General Lertkiat Wongpotipun, consisted of government officials, local leaders and educators from Pattani, Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat and Satun provinces.<br /><br />The delegation visited state Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga and the Al-Munawwir boarding school, and met with Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, during their May 30-31st visit.<br /><br />"There is an established co-operation between the Indonesian government, through the Religious Affairs Ministry, and Thailand," Ali said.</p> <p>He expressed hope that the latest initiative would help quell the long-running Deep South insurgency.<br /><br />"We are expecting that education will improve the situation in Thailand and help to solve the long-lasting conflict in the region. We hope Indonesia can inspire the Deep South to overcome religious conflict," he told reporters in Yogyakarta.<br /><br />About 90 Thai students have already studied at Sunan Kalijaga, according to Lertkiat of SBPAC.<br /><br />"The university has played a role in increasing the richness of education and Islam," he said, according to Antara. "We think, through education, conflicts in the South Thailand border could be settled."<br /><br /><strong>Missionaries for Ramadan</strong><br /><br />Suryadharma also said he would send a mission of Islamic preachers to southern Thailand as early as July.<br /><br />Many students in Yogyakarta responded positively. Sidik Jaffar, a student at Sunan Kalijaga, said Indonesia can share its experiences.<br /><br />"We have been facing a lot of religious violence in Indonesia," he told Khabar Southeast Asia. "I believe preachers from Indonesia will contribute to create peace and encourage education improvements in southern Thailand."<br /><br />July is an appropriate time to launch the programme, he added.<br /><br />"It will be Ramadan coming up. For Muslims, it is a good time to reflect. I hope Indonesian Muslims in the mission will be able to share what is important to increase tolerance and to improve peace in the region," Sidik told Khabar.<br /><br />Zainudin Malik, an Islamic cleric from Sleman, Yogyakarta, said that similar initiatives could be extended to other countries such as Malaysia, Burma and the Philippines.<br /><br />"The most important thing in the co-operation is to assure that Islam is spreading the word of peace and not violence. I hope our preachers will be able to deliver the message of the Qur'an. It is a message of peace and tolerance," he said.<br /><br />According to the Head of the Religious Ministry office in Yogyakarta, Maskul Haji, the missionaries "will foster religious life in Thailand".<br /><br />He assured that the mission would send a positive message of Islam and peace.<br /><br />"I am sure this mission will encourage everyone to appreciate that Islam is only teaching peace and not violence," Maskul said.<br /><br /><strong>Need for dialogue</strong><br /><br />At a dinner he hosted for the Thai delegation on May 30th, Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X expressed his belief that the Deep South conflict can be settled through dialogue and just leadership.<br /><br />"To conduct a dialogue indeed takes a long time. But it is better than never having dared to try, and having people become victims," he told the gathering, according to Antara.<br /><br />"I understand and I hear the problems of Thailand. I have confidence that the leaders of Thailand are also religious. Leaders must have a sense of justice," he said. He said that as leader of Yogyakarta and a Muslim, he has a duty to build unity among followers of different religions.<br /><br />"Indeed, it is not an easy task, but it is the duty of a leader," he said. <br /><br /><strong>Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq</strong></p>

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