Article Added On: December 07, 2004 - over 3 years ago
Title: Media's tendency: over eager to view disputes and conflicts as religious problems
Author: Mayumi Futamura
Publication Date: January 01, 2004 - over 4 years ago
Faith Groups: Muslim
Themes: religion in the media

Abstract: Violence returned to southern Thailand shortly after the army planes dropped a "peace offering" of 100 million origami birds into soothe the troubled region, where more than 500 people have been killed this year in religion-related violence between Muslim 'rebels' and the Buddhist.

The Revealer, a daily review of religion in the news, reported that violence returned to southern Thailand shortly after the army planes dropped a "peace offering" of 100 million origami birds into soothe the troubled region, where more than 500 people have been killed this year in religion-related violence between Muslim 'rebels' and the Buddhist majority.

The Revealer portrayed the event as if it were a conflict between Buddhists and Muslims. However, not only does the BBC News report (which was the source of the article that appeared in the Revealer) not mention of any Buddhist sects or organizations, but also the BBC News merely reported that it is a "suspected" Muslim militant who killed a former prosecutor.

According to BBC News, the campaign to drop the origami cranes in the southern provinces of Thailand was devised by the country's prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

On Sunday, Dec. 5, the 50 army planes made their drop of 100 million paper birds, on which ordinary Thais across the country wrote messages as they folded the cranes.

As the birds fell, school children in the provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani rushed out to collect the origami birds to seek the notes inside.

However, according to local police, just hours after the drop in Narathiwat, a bomb exploded and injured at least one soldier. Also a former prosecutor in Pattani was shot dead by 'suspected' Muslim militants.

There is a conflict in Thailand and the majority of population is Buddhists, but it does not mean Buddhists are in conflict with Muslims.