Amid continuing violence in Thailand’s deep South, a village in Thailand’s restive southern province of Narathiwat stands out with its strong defence of its members. It has become a model for other communities in the region to beat the insurgency through peaceful means.
A 30-strong village protection unit is undergoing weapons training by army rangers as they are assigned to ensure the safety of their fellow villagers around the clock.
Kadeng village, located in Kalusa tambon of Rangae district, has become a model of violence-free village in the insurgency-torn southern border provinces.
“The full cooperation of villagers strengthens our village. Everyone tries their best and now our subdistrict is strong,” said Mahama Jehmae, chief of Kalisha subdistrict.
Apart from the men’s security duties, a group of some 40 housewives play an important role to support their families. After their daily work in the rubber plantation in the morning, they spend the rest of the day together to cook desserts for sale.
The project boosts family incomes and builds stronger ties among the village’s women.
As everybody takes part in building a stronger community, young men have been persuaded to spend their free time after rubber tapping by making a variety of furniture to generate additional income.
We encourage young men to work at the furniture factory in their free time for about 2-3 hours everyday,” said Mahamaasmin Salae, a village head.
Kadeng village is home to 1,935 Muslims from 349 families. With villagers joining hands, insurgency groups hardly penetrate into the village. Its initiative has been dubbed the “Kadeng Model”.
“I admire our leaders, especially the village head. He is a man of action. Here we can discuss and share everything with our leaders. There’s nothing to hide. That’s why our village is strong,” said Yahari Utong, the Imam (or Muslim religious leader) of Tanyongkadeng Mosque.
Despite violence continuing unabated in deep South, Kadeng village has been spared armed attacks, reflecting the value and spirit of cooperation among local residents to build a strong defence for their own community.
