Pattani Place promises to give locals in the violence-plagued region the learning opportunities they've missed for so long

PHOTO: Ibrorheng Cheali, head of the Pattani Place project, points to an artist’s impression of the completed project.

Pattani Place is being touted as a megaproject that will provide the violence-plagued region with what locals have missed out on since the insurgency flared up several years ago - opportunities.

The project is home to an array of educational facilities, including a tutorial centre, a foreign languages testing institute and foreign university campuses. In short, it is hoped to be an international education hub for the South.

Pattani Place will also have under its roof a shopping centre and a four-star hotel with 60 rooms, one seminar room, and two meeting rooms as well as a condominium project and home offices.

Outdoor space will be designated for events such as science, book and industrial fairs.

The project is located in central Pattani and construction is under way.

It is expected to be completed by the end of the year and about 200 new jobs will be created.

The question on everyone's lips was why DRS Development Co Ltd, the operator of the project, chose Pattani of all places to do business.

Ibrorheng Cheali is the company's chief executive officer and head of the Pattani Place project. He explained that a project to promote education and make the city come back to life was needed, notwithstanding the security or economic situations.

"It depends on how we manage it," says Mr Ibrorheng, who has turned his back on his business in Bangkok to devote all his time and efforts to the Pattani Place project.

He says he has with him a professional team who came from Bangkok and Phuket and who will manage the hotel and shopping centre businesses in the project.

Mr Ibrorheng graduated with an engineering degree from Prince of Songkla University 20 years ago. After that, he received a scholarship to study for a Master's degree in the US.

But due to the Gulf War in 1990, he decided to switch from studying abroad to applying for a job at Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction Plc.

After a number of years working with the company, Mr Ibrorheng was promoted to managing director, which gave him the chance to oversee projects overseas in the US and Europe.

While still with Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction, he led the establishment of DRS Development, which was responsible for building the roof of Suvarnabhumi airport.

His inspiration for developing the Pattani Place project came from local teachers who were deeply concerned about the educational development and future of southern students. Those teachers suggested that he start the project to include an international language institute, tutorial schools, and a centre of campuses for international universities, which he agreed to.

As much as 600 million baht is required to fund the project but this has never worried Mr Ibrorheng.

He is confident the project will interest the locals, especially Muslim parents who want to educate their children.

Mr Ibrorheng explains that the project will educate the local people and make them richer through jobs and providing economic prosperity.

At first, banks refused to lend money to the project because of the separatist strife. But the developer later convinced the banks that it had vast economic potential in turning the security woes into economic opportunities.

Many parents welcome the project because they do not have to drive to another province to take their children to tutorial schools.

As well, Mr Ibrorheng says, southern region cooperatives that have more than 200,000 members have committed to acquiring shares in Pattani Place.

The Islamic Bank of Thailand and other commercial banks are also ready to support it, he says.

Although the project follows Islamic rules strictly such as banning alcoholic drinks on its premises, Mr Ibrorheng, who is also a Muslim, insists his project is friendly to people of all faiths.

PHOTO: Muslim residents pray at the ground-breaking ceremony early last month.

The Halal food service is one of the project's highlights. Unlike other local Halal food centres, the one to be built at Pattani Place will be modern and run by a team described by Mr Ibrorheng as a world-classprofessional team.

"[Pattani Place] is ideal for creating opportunities, restoring the dignity of southern people, and changing the notorious reputation of southern Muslims for being violent," says Mr Ibrorheng.

He concedes that it is not easy to run a business in the South despite the government's commitment to facilitate investments in the violence-stricken region. Depressed real estate values, for instance, have resulted in the project not getting as much funds as first anticipated from financial institutions.

Imam Zopzao Yakop Raimani of the Pattani central mosque hailed the project, saying it deserves public support. Not many businesses have the courage and are willing to take the investment risks in the southernmost provinces.

"Children will no longer have to pay for dormitory rent elsewhere to attend a tutorial school if the Pattani Place exists.

"They will be able to study close to their homes and parents," he says.

Zulvinar Zide, a student with the Prince of Songkla University's Demonstration School in Pattani, also agrees with Imam Zopzao about the benefits of the Pattani Place in terms of educational opportunities but she also shares a personal concern over the shopping centre.

"Is it good? Yes, it is for recreation. But on the other hand, it could become a place where students hang out after skipping class," says the student.