Fair Party opposes separation in the South, supports free expression
Fair Party party-list MP Kannavee Suebsang said on Thursday that he will do all he can to defend student activists from southern border provinces against possible charges of supporting separation of the deep South.
Kannavee, who is the party secretary-general and only Fair MP, was referring to a seminar on June 7 held at the Prince of Songkla University’s Pattani campus where members of the Pelajar Bangsa (National Student Movement) simulated a referendum on whether the deep south should be separated from the Kingdom of Thailand.
The movement represents students from Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat and the four most southern districts of Songkhla.
Muslim insurgents regard the region as the old independent Patani state. They have been waging terror campaigns to demand the independence of “Patani State” since 2004 when firearms were stolen from an army barracks.
After the seminar, serial complainant Srisuwan Janya petitioned the Election Commission on Friday to probe whether the Fair, Move Forward and the Prachachart parties were involved in the alleged separatist push because the three parties supported the seminar.
Kannavee insisted on Thursday in a Facebook post that the simulated referendum was a form of free expression by the students and his party did not support separation for the region as it would violate Article 1 of the Constitution.
“I’m ready to use my MP post, which I received with support from Patani people to protect Patani students.”
The Fair Party will sue anyone that accuses it of supporting separatism, he said.
He views the move by Srisuwan as an attempt to prevent Move Forward and seven other parties from forming a government. The Fair Party is one of the eight parties in the Move Forward-led coalition.
