Bahasa Melayu to be promoted widely in Thai Far South

PATTANI, THAILAND, November 27 (TNA) - The Bahasa Melayu dialect will be promoted more widely among people in the Muslim-predominant Thai Far South through a popular Malaysian television cartoon series, Upin-Ipin. Malaysian Minister of Education Dr. Maszlee bin Malik made the announcement while presiding over a ceremony to open an international seminar on November 26 at Fatoni University, the first private Muslim university that promotes and develops Islamic studies and other sciences, located in Yarang area of Pattani Province in the Thai Deep South. Delivering a speech at Monday's seminar, the Malaysian minister said that the Upin-Ipin television cartoon series has been selected for the purpose because it is popular in Malaysia, Indonesia and even in the southernmost Thai region, especially among the youth. The Malaysian minister expressed his appreciation to the Malaysian and the Thai Royal Institutions for promoting and supporting the Muslim Melayu dialect by taking the Fatoni University under the Royal Patronage. The Malaysian minister also praised late Muslim ASEAN Secretary and former Thai foreign minister Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, veteran Thai Muslim politician Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, who is also a former Thai Muslim deputy prime minister and parliament president, and Fatoni University Rector Syeikh Dr. Ismail Lutfi Bin Abdul Rahman Japakiya for their significant support of the Melayu dialect and culture in the southern Thai border region. The Malaysian minister stated that the Melayu dialect, used by a number of population in the AC, should be a language widely used in the region and even in the world community, expressing his hope that his view should be realized through Fatoni University. Monday's international seminar, the 4th of its kind, was jointly organized by Fatoni University, Malaysia's language and cultural institute and Indonesia's Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), aimed to support and publicize the Bahasa Melayu more widely in the AC and in the world community. (TNA)