The International Islamic University (IIU) has not renewed the teaching contract of Wan Abdul Kadir Che Man, a political science lecturer who has also been leading a Thai-Muslim separatist umbrella group in southern Thailand.

IIU political science department head Prof Abdul Rashid told malaysiakini in an interview yesterday that Wan Abdul Kadir's contract had ended in June.

"We have not renewed it as he has not been seen at the university since May ... he has not been sacked," Abdul Rashid said in response to a question.

Wan Abdul Kadir, who obtained a PhD at the Australia National University, authored 'Muslim Separatism: The Moros of Southern Philippines and the Malays of Southern Thailand' in 1991. He taught political science at IIU.

The 62-year-old lecturer is a native of Narathiwat in southern Thailand, and leader of the separatist umbrella grouping Bersatu.

Set up in the late 1980s, Bersatu - also known as the United Front for the Independence of Pattani - aims at improving co-operation between Thai-Muslim separatists groups and to strengthen their ties with Muslims in other countries.

Among the groups that have led a low-key separatist war in southern Thailand since the 1970s and which are Bersatu members include Barasi Revolusi Nasional, Gerakan Mujahideen Islam Pattani and Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo).

Line disconnected

Abdul Rashid, who has headed the department for four months, said Wan Abdul Kadir's departure did not come as a surprise.

"In this university, people come and go. His contract expired and he did not show up so, legally speaking, he is not one of our staff any more," he said.

He declined comment on Wan Abdul Kadir's activities outside of the university, saying he did not know anything about this.

Abdul Rashid said he would only discuss Wan Abdul Kadir's position in the department, if the latter takes the initiative to contact him.

He also said the department has taken back the office assigned to Wan Abdul Kadir, but that the former lecturer has never kept many items in the room.

A department secretary said she had called Wan Abdul Kadir's house, but that the line had been disconnected.

Repeated attempts by malaysiakini to contact him for comments over the last few days did not succeed as his mobile phone has been on 'voice mail' mode.

Favourable impressions

Wan Abdul Kadir's office at the university was locked, although his name plate was still on the door. A board by the door displayed copies of three letters he had written to two local newspapers.

Two letters published by New Straits Times - 'Peace built on wisdom, maturity' (Dec 1, 2003) and 'Time for OIC to unite and flex its muscles' (Oct 14, 2003) - touched on the importance of religious tolerance.

The second letter called on the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) "to make an effort to formulate a concrete, acceptable definition of terrorism and to identify the real causes of it. This would help to remove the incorrect perception that associates Muslims with terrorism".

The most recent letter, published by The Star (March 13) was entitled 'Election are essential, they allow the people to choose their leaders'. It commented on the importance of voting in the general election, concluded on March 21.

Interviews with several students and members of the university staff revealed impressions of Wan Abdul Kadir as a gentle and soft-spoken person.

Abdul Rashid, asked his opinion, also said he found his former colleague to be quiet and soft-spoken.

A student in the Political Science department said she and her course-mates were shocked when they read about Wan Abdul Kadir's involvement in the separatist group.

"He is a good lecturer, who was lenient with students. He was very quiet and gentle so we can't relate him to a terrorist group. I still believe that he's a nice guy," she said, adding that he had not touched on any matters outside the syllabus.

Rumours rife

Wan Abdul Kadir's 'disappearance' has caused speculation in the university that he has sought exile in Sweden or Singapore. However, this could not be verified.

An AFP report yesterday quoted a defence source in Bangkok as saying that the Thai government has revived peace talks with Wan Abdul Kadir, after the government scrapped a plan for dialogue last month.

At a Universiti Malaya seminar in Kuala Lumpur in May, he had expressed willingness to hold talks with the Thai government to resolve unrest in the Muslim-dominated southern provinces.

Tensions had been building since Jan 4, when dozens of suspected militants raided an army camp and stole 400 guns.

The unrest exploded on April 28, when police and soldiers killed 108 Muslims who had allegedly launched orchestrated attacks on government offices and security outposts. Wan Abdul Kadir denied that his group had been involved.

Also in May, Bernama quoted Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as having cleared Wan Abdul Kadir of any involvement, saying the latter had not carried out activities that threatened the security of Thailand.

Najib said Wan Abdul Kadir was accepted as a lecturer at IIU on the basis of his qualifications alone.

Thai newspaper The Nation reported on May 25 that Thai security and intelligence agencies regard Wan Abdul Kadir as a symbolic figure who provides political direction and ideology for the separatist movement, but does not have direct control over armed insurgents on the ground.

Wan Abdul Kadir went into exile in 1989 after Thai authorities accused him of being a member of Pulo, an allegation that he has rejected.