Najmuddin Umar, a former Bhumjaithai Party MP for Narathiwat, on Wednesday denied any involvement in an alleged separatist move involving a group of student activists in the deep South, saying he was unaware his son had attended their controversial seminar.
The "National Student Movement" or "Pelajar Bangsa", a recently established youth group representing students from Thailand’s three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, gained attention due to a mock referendum held as part of its seminar stirred up controversy. The simulated referendum, which questioned whether there should be a Muslim "Pattani State" independent from Thailand, took place at Prince of Songkla University’s (PSU) Pattani campus on June 7.
