The Thai Malay Muslim Exodus of 1981: A Malaysian Dilemma

Abstract

In 1981, the Malaysian government was flabbergasted by the presence of Thai Malay Muslim refugees in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The presence of Thai Malay Muslim refugees was regarded by the Malaysian government as Thai internal affairs, with Malaysia preferring to stay out of the fray. However, the growing number of Thai Muslim refugees, combined with Muslim separatist issue and active red insurgents on the Malaysia-Thailand border, had put the Malaysian government under strain. With its low-key involvement, the Malaysian government began to deal with the issue thoroughly on humanitarian grounds. This study investigates the causes of the Thai Malay Muslim Exodus, the Malaysian government’s struggles in dealing with the issue, and the extent to which the Thai Malay Muslim Exodus affected Malaysia-Thailand relations. This study uses qualitative research to analyse the event in chronological order by referring to newspapers. Authoritative secondary sources, such as theses, books, and journal articles were also used in this study. Since the existing literature on the Thai Malay Muslim Exodus is very limited, the study is expected to fill a gap in the Thai Malay Muslim literature. This study discovers that, the Malaysian government was willing to help the refugees as they are of Islamic faith. Despite the burdening situation of dealing with the refugees, the Malaysian government strived to maintain a cordial relationship with the Thai government who was cooperating with them in suppressing the Communist insurgents at Malaysia-Thailand frontier.

Received: 18 August 2023

Reviewed: 22 August 2023

Accepted: 30 June 2024