Agreement for Peace Dialogue to Ease Violence in the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand

(01/03/2013)

The Thai government has signed an agreement with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), or National Revolutionary Front, paving the way for a dialogue process for peace in the southern border provinces of Thailand. The signing of the “General Consensus on Peace Dialogue Process” took place in Kuala Lumpur on 28 February 2013, when Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited Malaysia for the Fifth Annual Consultation and a discussion on bilateral issues with Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib, Prime Minister of Malaysia. Representing Thailand at the signing ceremony was the Secretary-General of the National Security Council, Lieutenant General Paradorn Pattanatabut, while BRN was represented by the Chief of the BRN Liaison Office in Malaysia, Ustaz Hassan Taib. The signing was witnessed by Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab, Secretary of Malaysia's National Security Council. According to the general consensus, the Thai government has appointed Lieutenant General Paradorn to head the group supporting favorable environment creation for peace promotion in the southern border provinces of Thailand. It is willing to engage in peace dialogues with people who have different opinions and ideologies from the state as one of the stakeholders in solving the problem in the southern border provinces under the framework of the Thai Constitution. Malaysia would act as facilitator. All members of the Joint Working Group would be provided with safety measures throughout the entire process. BRN is one of several groups blamed for violence in southern Thailand. Lieutenant General Paradorn said that the BRN group did not set any conditions for the peace dialogue. Talks with this group would start within two weeks and would be held on a continual basis. The Government would hold talks with several other groups, as well. He described the peace dialogue as the starting point for restoring peace in the southern border provinces, saying that Malaysia was ready to give support. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that she had told the Malaysian leader that Thailand wanted to tackle the problem in the deep South on a sustainable basis. Both Thailand and Malaysia called for the stop of violent acts against innocent people in the southern border provinces in order to create mutual trust. Security agencies of both countries would coordinate in dealing with the peace process issue. She said that the southern problem would be resolved based on a comprehensive approach covering socio-economic development. Thailand and Malaysia would continue to cooperate in confidence building measures under the “3Es approach,” comprising education, employment, and entrepreneurship, as a major mechanism to ease unrest in the South. The Prime Minister cited the peace dialogue as a way of easing the southern problem at its root causes.