Souriya Sunshine
Encyclopedia
Souriya Sunshine is a Thai
peace activist and musician who tries to mediate between the Muslim rebels in the south of Thailand
and the Thai government. He plays a guitar in the form of an AK-47
Kalashnikov machine gun.
In 2005 the Buddhist musician moved from his native Issan to the southern province Narathiwat
near the Malaysian border to act as an intermediary. He says that by playing nostalgic Thai songs to them with his guitar, he was able to convince over 200 insurgents to surrender to the police, providing a save environment where the insurgents can negotiate favorable terms with the government. In 2005 he negotiated along with an adviser to then Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
with a Muslim cleric living in Malaysia who had contacts with the insurgents. In a 2006 article he was quoted as saying "the problem is that the government does not understand Muslim ways of life in the south. We need more communication and understanding of each other."
Souriya raises money for his "Flowers 'n' Paperbirds for Peace Foundation" by selling merchandise.
Souriya's instrument is an AK-47 rifle stock and magazine attached to the neck of a regular 6 string electric guitar
, with an ammunition belt serving as guitar strap. Guns including AK-47's turned into guitars as peace symbols have also been used by Colombia
n musician and peace activist César López
with his escopetarra
s.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
peace activist and musician who tries to mediate between the Muslim rebels in the south of Thailand
South Thailand insurgency
An ethnic separatist insurgency is taking place in Southern Thailand, predominantly in the Malay Pattani region, made up of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand. Violence has increasingly spilling over into other provinces...
and the Thai government. He plays a guitar in the form of an AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
Kalashnikov machine gun.
In 2005 the Buddhist musician moved from his native Issan to the southern province Narathiwat
Narathiwat Province
Narathiwat is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Yala and Pattani. To the south it borders the Malaysian state of Kelantan. The southern railway line ends in this province that is one of the nation’s five provinces that borders Malaysia. The name of this...
near the Malaysian border to act as an intermediary. He says that by playing nostalgic Thai songs to them with his guitar, he was able to convince over 200 insurgents to surrender to the police, providing a save environment where the insurgents can negotiate favorable terms with the government. In 2005 he negotiated along with an adviser to then Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
with a Muslim cleric living in Malaysia who had contacts with the insurgents. In a 2006 article he was quoted as saying "the problem is that the government does not understand Muslim ways of life in the south. We need more communication and understanding of each other."
Souriya raises money for his "Flowers 'n' Paperbirds for Peace Foundation" by selling merchandise.
Souriya's instrument is an AK-47 rifle stock and magazine attached to the neck of a regular 6 string electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, with an ammunition belt serving as guitar strap. Guns including AK-47's turned into guitars as peace symbols have also been used by Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n musician and peace activist César López
Cesar Lopez
César López is a Colombian musician. For the past several years, López has been part of a group, the Battalion of Immediate Artistic Reaction, which consists of various other musicians and activists seeking alternatives to the ever-present violence that plagues Colombia and its capital of Bogotá...
with his escopetarra
Escopetarra
An escopetarra is a guitar made from a modified gun, used as a peace symbol. The name is derived from the Spanish words escopeta and guitarra...
s.
External links
- flowersandpaperbirds.org, Souriya's foundation
- Photos of Souriya Sunshine playing his guitar