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Operation Nasi Kerabu: Finding Patani in an Islamic Insurgency
The news from Patani is like a movie: smoke, bombs, a near civil war. Yet just over our northern border, the people are Muslim, Bahasa-speaking, baju-wearing Malays, just like us. With this in mind, documentary-maker Zan Azlee set off to find the real Patani, trying to separate the kedai kopi from the Humvees, the gunfights from the nasi kerabu. It's hard to make new friends and man a camera while looking over your shoulder for suicide bombers. But he was determined to ask the question: how do people live their lives in a warzone?
With his resulting film banned for political reasons, this is Azlee’s first chance to share what he found.
With his resulting film banned for political reasons, this is Azlee’s first chance to share what he found.
116 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 17, 2020
1.
Buku ini terbit selepas dokumentari tentang "pemberontakan" Patani untuk tayangan TV tidak dilepaskan oleh kerajaan Malaysia (zaman PM6).
2.
Zan Azlee berkelana ke Patani, bumi selatan Thailand yang sering diwar-warkan dengan pemberontakan rakyat tempatan melawan kerajaan Thailand. Beliau ditemani seorang journalist tempatan, jadi beliau mendapat sumber cerita yang lebih mantap.
3.
Isu yang dikupas menjurus kepada apa yang rakyat Patani (Melayu Islam) tempuhi, juga apa yang mereka mahu.
4.
Kehidupan di Patani berlaku seperti biasa, walaupun tentera ada di sana sini. Namun, ada aura yang mengepung tak kelihatan, tentang perasaan marah, sedih, takut, kecewa dan lain-lain.
5.
Sudah tentu, peristiwa-peristiwa yang berlaku antara golongan yang dikatakan pemberontak dan tentera kerajaan, membekas sangat dalam pada setiap jiwa Patani.
6.
Pembunuhan beramai-ramai, atas apa jua justifikasi, di dalam sebuah masjid, adalah satu sejarah hitam yang tak akan pernah dilupakan.
7.
Zan Azlee membawa perasaan orang Patani dalam buku beliau, sedikit sebanyak memberi kefahaman tentang apa yang berlaku dan apa yang mereka mahu. Tentang bahasa, tentang budaya Melayu, tentang ekonomi.
8.
Sebuah buku yang saya kira memadai untuk pengetahuan "Patani 101".
9.
Dokumentari beliau yang tak dapat ditayangkan di TV, ada dikongsikan di Youtube. Ada 15 video, dan ini yang pertama; https://youtu.be/2FjbDOwbmaE
Buku ini terbit selepas dokumentari tentang "pemberontakan" Patani untuk tayangan TV tidak dilepaskan oleh kerajaan Malaysia (zaman PM6).
2.
Zan Azlee berkelana ke Patani, bumi selatan Thailand yang sering diwar-warkan dengan pemberontakan rakyat tempatan melawan kerajaan Thailand. Beliau ditemani seorang journalist tempatan, jadi beliau mendapat sumber cerita yang lebih mantap.
3.
Isu yang dikupas menjurus kepada apa yang rakyat Patani (Melayu Islam) tempuhi, juga apa yang mereka mahu.
4.
Kehidupan di Patani berlaku seperti biasa, walaupun tentera ada di sana sini. Namun, ada aura yang mengepung tak kelihatan, tentang perasaan marah, sedih, takut, kecewa dan lain-lain.
5.
Sudah tentu, peristiwa-peristiwa yang berlaku antara golongan yang dikatakan pemberontak dan tentera kerajaan, membekas sangat dalam pada setiap jiwa Patani.
6.
Pembunuhan beramai-ramai, atas apa jua justifikasi, di dalam sebuah masjid, adalah satu sejarah hitam yang tak akan pernah dilupakan.
7.
Zan Azlee membawa perasaan orang Patani dalam buku beliau, sedikit sebanyak memberi kefahaman tentang apa yang berlaku dan apa yang mereka mahu. Tentang bahasa, tentang budaya Melayu, tentang ekonomi.
8.
Sebuah buku yang saya kira memadai untuk pengetahuan "Patani 101".
9.
Dokumentari beliau yang tak dapat ditayangkan di TV, ada dikongsikan di Youtube. Ada 15 video, dan ini yang pertama; https://youtu.be/2FjbDOwbmaE
July 25, 2011
Following review first appeared in my blog: Operation Nasi Kerabu Review @ The Malaysian Reader
About 100 years ago, the British colonials in the Malay States wanted as much distance as possible from the French in Indochina so they sought to create a buffer zone between their two empires. The British made a pact with the Siamese king who agreed to act as a buffer and to sweeten the deal, the northern parts of Malaya were carved out to become what is today the Malay/Muslim majority provinces of southern Thailand (comprising of Patani, Yala and Narathiwat). Apparently that pissed off the Patani Malays and they have engaged in an on-again, off-again violent uprising against Bangkok ever since.
Or have they? Malaysian broadcaster and journalist Zan Azlee travels to southern Thailand with a smile and “a big ass camera” in order to interview the people of Patani on what they think of the insurgency and how they cope with it while keeping an eye out for suicide bombers. It was to his surprise that what Zan Azlee saw there was not a bombed out war zone with a scared populace eking out a living whenever it was safe for them to leave their homes but a vibrant albeit under developed region where the locals are just as busy with their daily chores as anybody else in the world. Sure, there have been shootings and ambushes. In fact, his guide Daniya informs him that the hotel he was booked in was bombed not two months prior but things seemed to have cooled down overall. Two bomb-less months. Well, that’s nice.
A ‘warzone’ Patani may be, with the ubiquitous Thai soldiers patrolling the streets and motorcycles parked in the middle of the street with their seats unlocked and pointing up to the sky (because an opened seat means there are no bombs hidden underneath it and parking the bikes in the middle of the street places them away from the pedestrians), but it is a complicated ‘warzone’. Interviewing the locals like restaurant owner Ku Souh Ku Hasan, Zan Azlee learns that no one knows for sure anymore which group is behind which attacks. Unlike in the Middle East, the Patani insurgents never take credit for any attacks on government officials and assets and the Thai authorities aren’t exactly paragons of virtue either. The police are allegedly corrupt and the army are heavy handed when dealing with suspects. The Krue Se Mosque massacre, where over 30 young men with no weapons were allegedly shot execution style by the Thai army, is cited as an example. Then there are the drug dealers and smugglers, who take advantage of the troubles by engaging in their own turf wars and letting the insurgents take the blame. As usual, the local population are stuck in the middle with their heads bowed to avoid the bullets. It’s complicated. Nevertheless, life goes on as usual. Patani children are enrolled in privately funded schools where they learn Malay and Islam, two subjects that are not given much emphasis in government funded schools, marriage courses for about-to-be-wed Muslims are regularly held and even da’wah (preaching Islam) classes are not banned.
Zan starts off cautiously at first because like most outsiders he believed the news reports that Patani is an exceptionally ‘hot zone’ but is gradually more confident and curious as he travels around the place with his guide relatively unscathed while interviewing the locals whom he found to be very friendly and open. Operation Nasi Kerabu is an okay read especially as a primer on the situation in southern Thailand. It’s a quick read, just 111 pages not including a glossary at the back of the book, and it includes a DVD of his banned documentary on which the book is based. It was banned by the Malaysian government for what I thought was a spurious reason — they didn’t want to embarrass Bangkok. So why is it okay for it to be included for free with the book then? Sometimes I just don’t understand these bureaucrats.
About 100 years ago, the British colonials in the Malay States wanted as much distance as possible from the French in Indochina so they sought to create a buffer zone between their two empires. The British made a pact with the Siamese king who agreed to act as a buffer and to sweeten the deal, the northern parts of Malaya were carved out to become what is today the Malay/Muslim majority provinces of southern Thailand (comprising of Patani, Yala and Narathiwat). Apparently that pissed off the Patani Malays and they have engaged in an on-again, off-again violent uprising against Bangkok ever since.
Or have they? Malaysian broadcaster and journalist Zan Azlee travels to southern Thailand with a smile and “a big ass camera” in order to interview the people of Patani on what they think of the insurgency and how they cope with it while keeping an eye out for suicide bombers. It was to his surprise that what Zan Azlee saw there was not a bombed out war zone with a scared populace eking out a living whenever it was safe for them to leave their homes but a vibrant albeit under developed region where the locals are just as busy with their daily chores as anybody else in the world. Sure, there have been shootings and ambushes. In fact, his guide Daniya informs him that the hotel he was booked in was bombed not two months prior but things seemed to have cooled down overall. Two bomb-less months. Well, that’s nice.
A ‘warzone’ Patani may be, with the ubiquitous Thai soldiers patrolling the streets and motorcycles parked in the middle of the street with their seats unlocked and pointing up to the sky (because an opened seat means there are no bombs hidden underneath it and parking the bikes in the middle of the street places them away from the pedestrians), but it is a complicated ‘warzone’. Interviewing the locals like restaurant owner Ku Souh Ku Hasan, Zan Azlee learns that no one knows for sure anymore which group is behind which attacks. Unlike in the Middle East, the Patani insurgents never take credit for any attacks on government officials and assets and the Thai authorities aren’t exactly paragons of virtue either. The police are allegedly corrupt and the army are heavy handed when dealing with suspects. The Krue Se Mosque massacre, where over 30 young men with no weapons were allegedly shot execution style by the Thai army, is cited as an example. Then there are the drug dealers and smugglers, who take advantage of the troubles by engaging in their own turf wars and letting the insurgents take the blame. As usual, the local population are stuck in the middle with their heads bowed to avoid the bullets. It’s complicated. Nevertheless, life goes on as usual. Patani children are enrolled in privately funded schools where they learn Malay and Islam, two subjects that are not given much emphasis in government funded schools, marriage courses for about-to-be-wed Muslims are regularly held and even da’wah (preaching Islam) classes are not banned.
Zan starts off cautiously at first because like most outsiders he believed the news reports that Patani is an exceptionally ‘hot zone’ but is gradually more confident and curious as he travels around the place with his guide relatively unscathed while interviewing the locals whom he found to be very friendly and open. Operation Nasi Kerabu is an okay read especially as a primer on the situation in southern Thailand. It’s a quick read, just 111 pages not including a glossary at the back of the book, and it includes a DVD of his banned documentary on which the book is based. It was banned by the Malaysian government for what I thought was a spurious reason — they didn’t want to embarrass Bangkok. So why is it okay for it to be included for free with the book then? Sometimes I just don’t understand these bureaucrats.
August 31, 2021
I came to this book after previously read about the same issues from another books, Air Mata Islam Patani and Cerpen-cerpen Bangsa Patani. It helps me to get a better understanding regarding to the aforementioned issues when different angle of views tell different perspective of stories.
This book revolves around an independent documentary maker's story during his stay at Southern Thailand. In Patani to be precise. The author initial plan was to do an hour documentary about the life of the local peoples there throughout the conflict era, then to be aired on the mainstream Malaysian TV. But unfortunately, the documentary got banned by the government before it can make it way to the Malaysian viewer. Hence this book in the end.
But of course with the internet nowadays, you can enjoy this documentary on Youtube. So this review will be from both output, the documentary & the book.
I suggest if you interested to get into this issue, you better read the book first, then later jump into the documentary. It really complete each other.
The author just like ourselves, a normal Malay Muslim from Malaysia. So to be there in the Southern Thai, where the people with the same race same religion same language, we can feel much more or less the same. What the author do, what the author ask, what the author afraid of, its all us actually. So to read & to understand his point of view is not a great deal of work to begin with.
A wide range of local peoples being interviewed by the author that made this 'bookumentary' more special. A breakfast stall & tomyum restaurant owners, the wet market ladies, a 'Tok Kadi' ustaz, madrasah teachers, Malay language professor, universiti students and of course, his journalist colleague. A wider scope of perspectives from the local, normal people regarding to the issue of the insurgency in their homeland. From the lowest income citizens to some of the highest paid profesionals over there. Are they afraid or not? Are they supporting the Muslim insurgent or the Thai government? Are they want to live together with Thailand or demand a liberty for their state? Will it ends? And many more questions.
Some important historical (and tragedy) site such as Kreu Se Mosque (Masjid Krisek) & the big parties and group involves in Patani issue such as Patani United Liberation Organization, Barisan Revolusi Nasional Patani & Gerakan Mujahidin Islam Patani & Majlis Syura Patani also being mentioned in this book. Eventhough the author did not discuss each parties heavily in this book, at least we can get the bigger pictures regarding to the big problem there. It is not only 1 party or group that against the Thai government. Plus got some criminal cartel who love to manipulate the situation for their own benefits. Its a complicated situations.
It is interesting also to know how the journalist works. How they cooperate with each others, especially if the workfield situated in the conflict zone. The peace journalism term also catch the eyes about how important an unbiased works by the journalist can change the tide of the situations. Small part but can make a big impart.
A good book & documentary to understand it better the situation up there. Because they just the same as us Malaysian, only divided by the border. We can only pray for them for a better life in the future .
This book revolves around an independent documentary maker's story during his stay at Southern Thailand. In Patani to be precise. The author initial plan was to do an hour documentary about the life of the local peoples there throughout the conflict era, then to be aired on the mainstream Malaysian TV. But unfortunately, the documentary got banned by the government before it can make it way to the Malaysian viewer. Hence this book in the end.
But of course with the internet nowadays, you can enjoy this documentary on Youtube. So this review will be from both output, the documentary & the book.
I suggest if you interested to get into this issue, you better read the book first, then later jump into the documentary. It really complete each other.
The author just like ourselves, a normal Malay Muslim from Malaysia. So to be there in the Southern Thai, where the people with the same race same religion same language, we can feel much more or less the same. What the author do, what the author ask, what the author afraid of, its all us actually. So to read & to understand his point of view is not a great deal of work to begin with.
A wide range of local peoples being interviewed by the author that made this 'bookumentary' more special. A breakfast stall & tomyum restaurant owners, the wet market ladies, a 'Tok Kadi' ustaz, madrasah teachers, Malay language professor, universiti students and of course, his journalist colleague. A wider scope of perspectives from the local, normal people regarding to the issue of the insurgency in their homeland. From the lowest income citizens to some of the highest paid profesionals over there. Are they afraid or not? Are they supporting the Muslim insurgent or the Thai government? Are they want to live together with Thailand or demand a liberty for their state? Will it ends? And many more questions.
Some important historical (and tragedy) site such as Kreu Se Mosque (Masjid Krisek) & the big parties and group involves in Patani issue such as Patani United Liberation Organization, Barisan Revolusi Nasional Patani & Gerakan Mujahidin Islam Patani & Majlis Syura Patani also being mentioned in this book. Eventhough the author did not discuss each parties heavily in this book, at least we can get the bigger pictures regarding to the big problem there. It is not only 1 party or group that against the Thai government. Plus got some criminal cartel who love to manipulate the situation for their own benefits. Its a complicated situations.
It is interesting also to know how the journalist works. How they cooperate with each others, especially if the workfield situated in the conflict zone. The peace journalism term also catch the eyes about how important an unbiased works by the journalist can change the tide of the situations. Small part but can make a big impart.
A good book & documentary to understand it better the situation up there. Because they just the same as us Malaysian, only divided by the border. We can only pray for them for a better life in the future .
March 8, 2012
Operation Nasi Kerabu. Now how can a title like that *not* catch a Malaysian's attention?
I highly recommend this book to all Malaysians, Muslims especially. We live so close to Patani, and yet how many of us really know about the people there, or what it's like living there? That was the main reason I decided to buy the book, other than the cleverly thought-up title.
The author, Zan Azlee, basically went to Patani for a few days and interviewed the locals about their life, so it's sort of a travelogue. Patani, as he described it, is just like Malaysia (And very much like Kelantan). The people are mostly Thai Malays, they speak Bahasa Melayu Pattani (They call it Jawi), which is very similar to Bahasa Melayu Kelantan, they have Muslim names, their women wear Tudung, and their kids go to Sekolah Agama. I didn't know this before!
Unfortunately, the author didn't try to uncover the party responsible behind the violent attacks in the region, so that's a bit of a letdown. From the news reports of bombings and shootings over the years (2001-2012), I am under the impression that the violence was mostly perpetrated by "Muslim insurgents." But of course, being a biased Muslim, I don't really believe that. After all, how can real Muslims kill people indiscriminately? Naive, I know, but I still don't believe that now. The author reveals that it's not easy pinpointing the culprits, as sometimes no particular group claimed responsibility for the attacks. He further explained that it could be the work of shady criminal syndicates or gangs who thrive in the chaos. Now that's something which I can believe in.
My only complaint is that the book is too thin!
I highly recommend this book to all Malaysians, Muslims especially. We live so close to Patani, and yet how many of us really know about the people there, or what it's like living there? That was the main reason I decided to buy the book, other than the cleverly thought-up title.
The author, Zan Azlee, basically went to Patani for a few days and interviewed the locals about their life, so it's sort of a travelogue. Patani, as he described it, is just like Malaysia (And very much like Kelantan). The people are mostly Thai Malays, they speak Bahasa Melayu Pattani (They call it Jawi), which is very similar to Bahasa Melayu Kelantan, they have Muslim names, their women wear Tudung, and their kids go to Sekolah Agama. I didn't know this before!
Unfortunately, the author didn't try to uncover the party responsible behind the violent attacks in the region, so that's a bit of a letdown. From the news reports of bombings and shootings over the years (2001-2012), I am under the impression that the violence was mostly perpetrated by "Muslim insurgents." But of course, being a biased Muslim, I don't really believe that. After all, how can real Muslims kill people indiscriminately? Naive, I know, but I still don't believe that now. The author reveals that it's not easy pinpointing the culprits, as sometimes no particular group claimed responsibility for the attacks. He further explained that it could be the work of shady criminal syndicates or gangs who thrive in the chaos. Now that's something which I can believe in.
My only complaint is that the book is too thin!
May 14, 2022
Buku ini macam pengenalan / asas/ 101 kepada sesiapa yang mahu kenal dengan Patani. Aku suka gaya penulisan penulis, terasa dekat dan pager turner buku ini. Mungkin sebab aku terlalu ingin tahu apa yang sebenarnya terjadi di selatan Thailand itu.
Buku ini menceritakan pengalaman penulis ketika dia sedang melakukan video untuk gambarkan keadaan di Patani ketika itu. Pandai penulis selitkan lawak jenaka di dalam buku ini. 😂
Terima kasih buat Zan Azlee. Mungkin aku akan melawat Patani suatu hari nanti.
Buku ini menceritakan pengalaman penulis ketika dia sedang melakukan video untuk gambarkan keadaan di Patani ketika itu. Pandai penulis selitkan lawak jenaka di dalam buku ini. 😂
Terima kasih buat Zan Azlee. Mungkin aku akan melawat Patani suatu hari nanti.
August 19, 2019
This documentary book is elaborated with simple words, santai2. Senang nak faham. Citer pasal nasik kerabu nya seperenggan je hehe. Recommended for those yg nak discover pasal kehidupan di zon perang. Tambah2 perang sekarang ni slalu dikaitkan dengan Islam. I am going to read more books from this author, keep it up!
October 6, 2018
Apart of bombing events here and there in Pattani, i knew less about this province and it other stories. Although the story is short, it triggered me to know more and i might make my own visit there.
June 22, 2026
Illuminating.
February 10, 2014
a quick (barely 100 pgs) and enjoyable read, Zan Azlee is refreshingly upbeat, and tells a story few westerners have the opportunity to experience. The book came with a DVD documentary that brought to life some of Mr. Azlee's reporting.
Azlee provides the ground-view of the Islamic insurgency in southern Thailand, humanizing what is often told only in statistics….stats that can be quite horrifying, when we look at the per-capita casualty rates. The reality is far more nuanced, and generally far less dramatic, as Azlee portrays, and as most combat veterans will tell you. Heck, as most who have lived in a large city will tell their mothers, who think the news and the blotter tells the story for the entire city!
A very quick, insightful read, I recommend for anyone interested in Southeast Asian security, ethnic and religious issues. This should not be your only source, but it is second only to traveling there firsthand, yourself. That was the value of this book for me…and, I really enjoyed the positive approach taken by Azlee. Is he biased? Who isn't? I do find him honest, and that counts for a lot. The rest is up to you.
Azlee provides the ground-view of the Islamic insurgency in southern Thailand, humanizing what is often told only in statistics….stats that can be quite horrifying, when we look at the per-capita casualty rates. The reality is far more nuanced, and generally far less dramatic, as Azlee portrays, and as most combat veterans will tell you. Heck, as most who have lived in a large city will tell their mothers, who think the news and the blotter tells the story for the entire city!
A very quick, insightful read, I recommend for anyone interested in Southeast Asian security, ethnic and religious issues. This should not be your only source, but it is second only to traveling there firsthand, yourself. That was the value of this book for me…and, I really enjoyed the positive approach taken by Azlee. Is he biased? Who isn't? I do find him honest, and that counts for a lot. The rest is up to you.
May 3, 2013
This is a really short read. Interesting and eye-opening though. I like Zan Azlee's way of writing and his candid narration (coloured by his own biases, which he admits) during his journey in tense Southern Thailand.
Read
February 9, 2012The movie is a great tie-in to the original documentary!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews