November 16, 2004

At the urging of Malaysia, and some Thai politicians, the government is considering giving the three southern Moslem provinces some autonomy. This would involve allowing local leaders to be elected, rather than appointed by the central government. This is risky, because autonomy could lead to a movement for returning the provinces to Malaysia. Thailand got the three provinces (and their Moslem Malay inhabitant) a century ago, when Britain ran what is now Malaysia as a colony.