Prachachat Leader Urges Peace Act for Deep South

Prachachat Party leader Pol. Col. Thawi Sodsong, in his capacity as advisor to the House Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice and Human Rights, gave an interview on the direction of the Southern border peace dialogue process, which included interesting observations and suggestions. He noted that the appointment of a facilitator is the right of the Malaysian government, but an important observation is that the public dialogue process began in 2013. What has been seen throughout is that the Malaysian facilitation team and the Thai negotiation team regularly change personnel, but what never changes is the situation on the ground, while the stakeholders who come to the table remain the same groups. Pol. Col. Thawi observed that it is time for the peace process to be structured permanently, not left to depend on feelings or the desire to appoint particular individuals to the role. The Prachachat Party leader suggested that the government should seriously review the structure and legal framework; if it can issue an Emergency Decree, it should also consider issuing a Peace Act. This would open space and create a dialogue mechanism with genuine public consultation, because currently having gun-holders talk to gun-holders cannot ignore the public; everyone must be a host, and the public must be hosts too. Additionally, there is the issue of mistrust and lack of confidence between the state and the people, especially information operations that create hatred, which are increasing alarmingly; therefore, this should be raised as a main agenda item at the peace dialogue table. These are the observations and suggestions of Pol. Col. Thawi, particularly the proposal for a Peace Act, which represents a new perspective. The Southern border situation has passed 22 years, but problem-solving to create peace in the area shows no sign of happening soon, raising the question of whether it is a failure of the Thai state. Although the current government has expressed intention to make the Southern border peaceful, the situation continues to see incidents, and the government itself lacks a clear policy strategy, leaving operational levels to handle most matters themselves. The stalled peace dialogue process also raises questions about how open it has been, especially how comprehensively various civil society networks have been allowed to participate. The push for a Peace Act, listening to local voices, and reforming the dialogue process are thus considered thought-provoking and interesting.