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Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 13 October 2010 ;-

Living down a troubled past - Violence-free Betong district is now ready to welcome back tourists


A former Betong district chief describes this southernmost township as "a place where people are afraid to come but don't want to leave".

Betong is about 1,600 kilometres from Bangkok. The distance, however, does nothing to keep people away from this exquisite town on the Thai-Malaysian border.

The fact that it is one of eight districts of insurgent-infiltrated Yala province cannot hide its many beauties.

The easiest way to get there is via Highway No. 410, which snakes through mountainous areas, passing Krong Pinang, Bannang Sata and Than To districts, where deadly attacks have taken place since the southern unrest flared up six years ago.

Traces of bomb craters and holes dotting the 140 kilometre-long highway linking Muang district with Betong are evidence of years of unrest. They are in stark contrast to the splendid scenery of lush tropical forest, wild flowers, rock cliffs, natural creeks and small villages.

"Outsiders fear death when they hear the names of Yala districts," Yala governor Grisada Boonrach told about 60 Thai and Malaysian journalists during a tourism promotion trip to Betong last month.

From January 2004 until January this year, there were about 9,500 separatism-related violent incidents in the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, plus the four districts of Songkhla. At least 4,100 people have died and more than 6,500 have been injured.

Yala suffered the second-highest number of attacks after Narathiwat.

"In fact, Yala is not as scary as people thought, especially Betong, which has the lowest number of violent incidents of districts in the deep South," Mr Grisada said.

Betong municipality had zero reports of violent incidents over the past couple of years, he added.

The last major incident in Betong municipality was on June 15, 2006, when militants set off 50 bombs in the three southernmost provinces, killing at least three people and injuring scores of state workers and civilians. Six bank branches in the municipality were hit. There were no casualties.

After that attack, Betong residents joined hands to safeguard their communities and successfully blocked insurgents from causing unrest in the district.

"We have been trying to promote the Betong model to violence-ridden districts. Betong villagers have proved that strength and unity among residents are the key to warding off insurgent attacks," said the governor.

Betong is a closed town with only one main road, making security operations easier than in other districts. Its security situation has prompted Yala provincial office to promote Betong as the selling point for Yala tourism.

Mr Grisada said Betong had "everything a town needs to become a popular tourist destination" - from the fine annual average temperature of 18C, cultural diversity, delicious food and tourism venues such as the famous Piyamit Tunnel, built by members of the now-defunct Communist Party of Malaya, royally initiated highland flower orchards and natural hot springs.

The district also links with tourist destinations in the Malaysian states of Penang and Perak via a Malaysian highway.

Yala province has been working on two megaprojects that will raise Betong's profile on the tourism map.

One is the construction of a bridge crossing Bang Lang Dam's reservoir in Bannang Sata district. The bridge would shorten the distance from Muang district to Betong to 110km and cut travelling time by 40 minutes. It currently takes about two hours by car.

The other project is Betong airport, which is to be built on a 920-rai plot. The government has allocated the first batch of a 200 million baht budget for land purchase.

The airport will serve small aircraft and be similar in size and capacity to Mae Hong Son airport.

According to Betong municipal mayor Khunawut Mongkhonprajak, the road project, supervised by military engineers, is due to be completed within two years, while the airport project is expected to be completed in 2014 at the earliest.

He believes the projects will boost Betong tourism. Security is no longer a problem, he said, thanks to strong defence operations by Betong villagers, especially in the municipal area. The mayor feels the district is now ready to welcome visitors.

"The 2006 bombings were a wake-up call for Betong residents. We never lowered our guard [against violent attacks]," said Mr Khunawut. "We have installed surveillance cameras in the centre and everyone - from food vendors to bell boys - is working as security guards for the town."

The mayor was referring to the famous Ta Sapparot (pineapple's eyes) and Red Radio projects in which residents are trained to keep watch for unusual incidents and suspicious characters.

Some 350 walkie-talkies were distributed to Betong residents by the 4th Army earlier this year for peace-keeping operations. Members of the Ta Sapparot and Red Radio networks can be seen almost on every corner in the municipality of 78 square kilometres.

"Betong is a multicultural community, but people can live in harmony because local authorities ensure that all groups of people receive equal treatment in all aspects, from education and health care to roles in local administrations," Mr Khunawut said.

Jeerawan Tang-opaswilaisakul, 55, a noodle vendor near Betong Mongkollit Tunnel, a town landmark, said tourism development could make a difference to the livelihoods of residents.

She admitted the atmosphere was quite unpleasant in this town in the aftermath of the 2006 bombings, but said the situation has improved a great deal now.

"We have a strong team of security volunteers. You will feel safe and fall in love with this peaceful town," she said.

Link : http://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/travelnews/200475/living-down-a-troubled-past

--- KatoeyNewsNetwork