PATTANI, Feb 6 — The Southern Thailand Peace Dialogue Process resumed in Kuala Lumpur today after a year of hiatus.
National Security Council deputy secretary-general Chatchai Bangchuad is leading the Royal Thai Government’s Peace Dialogue Panel for the peace talks with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) delegation, led by Anas Abdulrahman.
The talks, set to take place over two days, will be facilitated by Malaysian chief facilitator Tan Sri Zulkifli Zainal Abidin.
The Fourth Army spokesperson Lieutenant-General Pramoth Prom-in said the Peace Dialogue Panel of the Royal Thai Government and the BRN — the most influential armed group in the south – are expected to discuss the Joint Comprehensive Plan towards Peace (JCPP).
That includes public consultations, reduced violence, and political solutions to bring sustainable peace to southern Thailand.
“We hope to reduce violence during the upcoming Ramadan and Songkran,” he said, referring to the Muslim holy month of fasting, which is expected to begin around March 10 and Songkran, the Thai traditional new year, from April 13 to April 15.
The peace talks were put on hold ahead of the general election on May 14 last year and the formation of a new government.
BRN has reportedly asserted that the Thai political situation needed stability before the process could proceed.
Meanwhile, Commander of the Fourth Army Region Lieutenant-General Santi Sakuntanark said the resumption of the talks brings a ray of hope to resolve the decades-long conflict and establish sustainable peace in the region.
“We hope this year’s Ramadan and Songkran will be violence-free to create a safe and prosperous atmosphere,” he said.
In 2022, both parties agreed to stop the violence throughout Ramadan. The government viewed this agreement as highly successful and sought to leverage its progress.
The peace negotiation process between the Thai government and the BRN aims to find a solution to end the conflict that flared up in January 1994 in the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani, and parts of Songkhla.
Malaysia is the facilitator for the peace negotiation process to end the decades-long conflict that culminated in January 2004 in the southern provinces.
Talks between the government and insurgent groups that began in 2013 to bring peace stalled following a military coup in Thailand a year later.
Negotiations subsequently continued without the main parties, including the BRN. However, consultations between the Thai government and the BRN resumed in 2019 with concrete and significant progress being made, raising hopes for an end to violence in Thailand’s southern region.
In February last year, the Peace Dialogue Panel of the Royal Thai Government and the BRN agreed to develop the JCPP as a road map for 2023–2024 in seeking a solution towards ending the armed conflict in southern Thailand.
— Bernama
