GlossaryBersatu: “Unity,” an umbrella organization set up to coordinate the activities of the various separatist groups and factions in 1989, largely ineffective since 1998.
BIPP: Barisan Islam Pembebasan Patani (Patani Islamic Liberation Front), the new name for BNPP after 1986.
BNPP: Barisan Nasional Pembebasan Patani (Patani National Liberation Front), established in 1959 to fight for the creation of an independent Islamic state in Patani.
BRN: Barisan Revolusi Nasional (National Revolution Front), established in the early 1960s to fight for an independent Patani state; ethno-nationalist with socialist leanings.
BRN-Coordinate: A faction of BRN that broke away in 1980, focused on political organizing in Islamic schools; also had armed units. It has since 2001 emerged as the backbone of the new generation of separatist militants.
Darul Harbi: Geographical area of religious conflict. Separatist militants have increasingly used this term to refer to Thailand’s southern border provinces to connote that they are not only seeking to liberate the provinces by armed struggle, but also intend to use violence and terror to push Buddhist Thais out.
GAMPAR: Gabungan Melayu Patani Raya (the Greater Patani Malay Association), established in 1948 to incorporate Thailand’s southern border provinces into Malaya; disbanded in 1953.
GMIP: Gerakan Mujahidin Islam Patani (Patani Islamic Mujahidin Movement), established in 1986 but essentially defunct by 1993.
Jawi: A local dialect of the Malay language, widely used by ethnic Malay Muslims in Thailand’s southern border provinces.
Jehku: Islamic religious teachers in tadika.
Haram: Forbidden sins, widely used by separatist militants to explain attacks on individuals who do not comply with their beliefs and regulations.
Kafir: Infidel, often used by separatist militants when they refer to Buddhist Thais as “Siamese kafir,” using the name for inhabitants of Siam, the official name of the country until the mid-2oth century. Munafig: Hypocrites, the term used by separatist militants to refer to ethnic Malay Muslims who have sided or collaborated with the Thai authorities; often used to justify attacks on ethnic Malay Muslims.
Patani Darulsalam: Islamic Land of Patani, the stated goal of many involved in the separatist insurgency in Thailand’s southern border provinces. The term is reflective of a combination of ethno-nationalist and Islamist ideology. In Arabic separatist groups refer to it as Fatoni Darulsalam.
Patani Merdeka: A slogan in Jawi for “Free Patani”, often used by separatist militants during or after armed attacks and commonly found painted on road signs or the road surface by separatist militants to mark what they claim as their territory.
Pejuang Kemerdekaan Patani: A Jawi term for Patani Freedom Fighters (often referred to in short by ethnic Malay Muslims as pejuang, or fighter), village-based separatist militants in the loose cell-like network of BRN-Coordinate.
Pemuda: Separatist youth movement associated with the BRN-Coordinate.
Ponoh: Islamic religious boarding school teaching Koranic studies and the Arabic language.
PULO: Patani United Liberation Organization, established in 1968 to fight for the creation of an independent Islamic state.
RKK: Well-trained separatist militants from Pejuang Kemerdekaan Patani, named after the title of their commando-style training course for small patrol unit (Runda Kumpulan Kecil).
Shahada: An Islamic profession of faith to reaffirm one’s conviction as a Muslim.
Syahid: Martyr.
Tadika: Elementary Koranic school attached to a village mosque, generally for young children.
Tok Guru: Head teacher (and usually owner) of a ponoh.
Ustadz: Islamic religious teacher. |