South Thailand province welcomes first female Muslim governor

One South Thailand province welcomed its first female Muslim governor yesterday. The new governor of Pattani, 57 year old Pateemoh Sadeeyamu, is the former deputy governor of Narathiwat, and Yala provinces.

Several prominent people in the community hailed the appointment of Pateemoh as the governor of Pattani. One former lecturer at Prince of Songkhla University said that Pateemoh has extensive experience and a good understanding of the problems in the southern region.

South Thailand is a region plagued by religious conflict, and one peace group, We Peace, also celebrated Pateemoh becoming governor. We Peace is a network of women working towards peace in the region.

Pateemoh previously worked in several other southern provinces, including Ranong, Yala, Narathiwat, and Phatthalung, in addition to Pattani. She also worked at the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre as the director of the central administration office, Thai PBS reported.

The roots of the Southern Thailand insurgency go far back in history.

Over 6,500 people died and almost 12,000 were injured between 2004 and 2015 in a formerly ethnic separatist insurgency, which has been taken over by hard-line jihadis and pitted them against both the Thai-speaking Buddhist minority and local Muslims who have a moderate approach or who support the Thai government.

Will Pateemoh, with her experience working in the region, be able to make significant steps toward peace? We’ll have to wait and see.