Local women and Peacebuilding in Thailand’s Deep South: Perspectives from the Peace Survey

Fareeda Panjor

Researcher and Lecturer, Center for Conflict Studies & Cultural Diversity, Institute for Peace Studies, Prince of Songkla Univerrsity

Nurainee Jangoh

Assistant Researcher, DeepSouthWatch

References : ASEAN-IPR Working Paper Series on Peace and Conflict Resolution Issue 2021 No. 4 

Peace Survey is a systematic random sampling survey to explore the well-being and opinions of people in the Southern Border Provinces (including the provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and four districts of Songkhla (Chana, Thepha, Nathawi, and Sabayoy) regarding the restiveness, peacebuilding and other issues which are relevant to the local area as well as to explore causes of the problems and develop recommendations per peace process in the Southern Border Provinces.

While attempting to put to rest problems in the Southern Border Provinces over the past 16 years, concerned parties including the government, public officials, civil society organizations, and dissenting groups have claimed and reiterated that the “answers lie with the people”. Peace Survey, therefore, intends to adopt academic and scientific research methods which are transparent, accountable, and based on research ethics on human subjects to conduct a survey that explores the voice of the people, impartially, to come to terms with the voice that is most reflective of the voice of the people. Such input is key to solving the problems in the long run.  

Peace Survey#5 has been conducted from 11 September – 15 October 2019.  

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Data on this report is copyright of Peace Survey Academic Network

Yasmin Sattar

The Faculty of Political Science, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, Pattani 94000, Thailand

Imron Sahoh

Center for Conflict Studies and Cultural Diversity (CSCD) Institute for Peace Studies, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, Pattani 94000, Thailand

Abstract

The qualitative research titled “Dynamics of Melayu Muslim Politicians’ Movements amidst the Violence in the Southern Border Provinces” has applied the concept of identity politics to attempt to discover the connections between identity politics, representatives, and Melayu Muslims in the movement of Melayu-Muslim politicians in the Deep South of Thailand. This article is part of the research paper that brought up the idea of identity politics in connection with the movements in the Deep South. It argued that the access to the power structure of identity representation is one of the approaches to aid in the preservation of an individual’s own identity. The research argues that if the identities are respected equally, it is likely that the motivation to ignite oppressive violence could be reduced. On the one hand, identity politics may further lead to the construction of “others” versus “us”. On the other hand, it could lead to the reduction of violent conditions if identity is protected in the political space.  In relation to Muslim identity, the concepts of ‘political Islam’, ‘post-Islamism’ or ‘post-secularism’ have been brought up to explain the visibility of Muslim identity in the political domain. The Melayu Muslims in the Deep South of Thailand have a unique identity and one of the main causes of the ongoing conflict in the area is the historical invisibility and suppression of their identity. The solution to the conflict of identity politics and marginalization is to revive and create legitimate power of the people living there by supporting conflict management authority at local, national and international levels. Therefore, it could be stated that the parliamentary system is the hope that people can attempt to build political bargaining space to promote the full representation of Muslim or Melayu identity which will, eventually, reduce the conditions leading to violence.

Keywords: Identity politics, Melayu, Muslim, Politicians, Deep South

References : Walailak Journal of Social Science, 14(2), Article 244002

Conducted from May 18 to June 4, 2020, this survey is a collaborative effort of two academic institutes, the Center for Conflict Studies and Cultural Diversities (CSCD) Prince of Songkla University and Peace Resource Collaborative (PRC), to understand the opinions that young people aged 18-25 in major cities in Thailand’s four regions have on the conflict in the southern border provinces.

The survey was designed to explore specifically the opinions of the new generations because the century-long conflict in the southern region will take at least a decade to find a solution and until that time, the younger generations are the key stakeholder in the decision-making process. In addition, the problem in the southern border provinces affects and involves not only the local but also the government which, in principle, needs to consider opinions and sentiments of citizens in other provinces as well as those in the area in order to find common ground and a solution. Therefore, the young generations living outside the area were chosen as respondents of this survey.

The survey result informs readers of the perspectives of the younger generations living outside the area and compares them with the results of five peace surveys4 about the perspectives of the people in the southern border provinces on the peace process. The results of both surveys should reflect the direction for the solution most people deem appropriate, and yield beneficial information for stakeholders for further consideration in policy decisions.

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"Peacebuilding in Thailand’s Deep South and in Myanmar/Burma: the dynamic roles of Muslim minorities in conflict societies"

Srisompob Jitpiromsri, Md Mahbubul Haque & Paul Chambers

Abstract

There are few if any comparative studies of Thailand’s Deep South and Burma/Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis. Both cases are intriguing as they have similar characteristics, while nuanced by distinctive contexts and political consequences. In this article, the comparative analysis of crisis issues in the two countries concentrates on history, policy responses of governments, and peace processes. Burma/Myanmar and Thailand are Buddhist majority countries with different approaches of national integration. Based on a long history of independence, Malay Muslims of Thailand’s Deep South have always been disturbed by intensive assimilation policies, but their right to Thai citizenship has never been legally compromised. On the contrary, Rohingya people have been excluded from Burma/Myanmar’s national integration. The Thai state uses both violence and persuasion, but the peace process tends to integrate into the hierarchy and power of military domination. On the other hand, Burma/Myanmar’s conflict management is highly suppressive and exclusive. Thailand’s southern peacebuilding involves expanding state-building and illiberal peace, while Burma/Myanmar’s conflict management policy in Rakhine State is much higher on the scale of authoritarian “peace.”

Keywords: Peacebuilding, state-building, counterinsurgency, Malay Muslims, Rohingya

References : Asian Affairs: An American Review

Asst.Prof.Dr.Srisompob Jitpiromsri

Center for Conflict Studies and Cultural Diversity (CSCD) Institute for Peace Studies, Prince of Songkla University

งานศึกษาเปรียบเทียบระหว่างสถานการณ์ในจังหวัดชายแดนภาคใต้ของไทยกับวิกฤติโรฮิงยาของพม่า/เมียนม่ามีอยู่ไม่มากนักในปัจจุบัน แต่ทั้งสองกรณีมีความน่าสนใจเนื่องจากมีลักษณะร่วมกันหลายประการ ในขณะเดียวกันก็แตกต่างกันในลักษณะพิเศษของบริบทและผลที่ตามมา ในงานชิ้นนี้ การวิเคราะห์เปรียบเทียบประเด็นวิกฤติของทั้งสองประเทศมีจุดเน้นที่ประวัติศาสตร์ การตอบสนองทางนโยบายของรัฐบาลและกระบวนการสันติภาพ พม่า/เมียนม่าและประเทศไทยต่างเป็นประเทศที่คนส่วนข้างมากเป็นชาวพุทธและมีวิถีการสร้างบูรณาการแห่งชาติที่แตกต่างกัน จากการที่มีพื้นฐานของความเป็นอิสระมายาวนานในประวัติศาสตร์ ชาวมลายูมุสลิมในจังหวัดชายแดนภาคใต้ของประเทศไทยมักจะไม่พอใจกับนโยบายการผสมกลมกลืนที่เข้มข้น แต่สิทธิความเป็นพลเมืองไทยของพวกเขาก็ไม่เคยถูกปฏิเสธหรือผ่อนปรนในทางนิตินัยจากรัฐไทย (แม้จะรู้สึกเหมือนกับเป็นพลเมืองชั้นสอง) ตรงกันข้าม ชาวโรฮิงยาถูกตัดออกจากการสร้างบูรณาการแห่งชาติของพม่า/เมียนม่า ฝ่ายรัฐไทยใช้ทั้งความรุนแรงและการโน้มน้าวจูงใจแต่กระบวนการสันติภาพก็มีแนวโน้มที่จะถูกบูรณาการเข้าไปในโครงสร้างอำนาจและการครอบงำโดยฝ่ายทหาร ในอีกด้านหนึ่ง การจัดการความขัดแย้งของรัฐบาลพม่า/เมียนม่าก็เน้นที่การปราบปรามและตัดแยกกีดกัน การสร้างสันติภาพในจังหวัดชายแดนภาคใต้ของไทยจึงเป็นเรื่องของการสร้างอำนาจรัฐให้เข้มแข็งและสันติภาพแบบไร้เสรี ในขณะที่การจัดการความขัดแย้งของรัฐบาลพม่า/เมียนม่าในรัฐยะไข่มีลักษณะของการสร้างสันติภาพแบบอำนาจนิยมในระดับที่สูงมาก

นิติศาสตร์สังหารประชาธิปไตยในจังหวัดชายแดนภาคใต้ โดย ดร.ดวงยิหวา อุตรสินธุ์ ตีพิมพ์ในวารสาร Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia

Duangyewa Utarasint

Center for Conflict Studies and Cultural Diversity, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus

Douwnload here อ่านบทความฉบับเต็มคลิ๊ก https://kyotoreview.org/issue-27/the-legal-weapon-killing-democracy-in-thailands-deep-south/?fbclid=IwAR1ubqfwZOlHFUeNh85zRcLcSEzHOTKLMUBDjetpFoaTXp_f_Z6PPJ-nJpM

Publication: Conflict in the Deep South of Thailand: Never-ending Stalemate?

Journal:

• Asian International Studies Review
• Vol. 20 Special Issue (June 2019): 1-23

Year:

• 2019

Authors:

• Paul Chambers
• Srisompob Jitpiromsri
• Napisa Waitoolkiat

Abstract:

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Link:

• http://www.asianisr.org/sub/archives.asp

Download:

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Publication: The Deep South of Thailand: 15 Years in Fields of Open Conflict,Violence and Peace Narratives.

Journal:

• Asian International Studies Review
• Vol. 20 Special Issue (June 2019): 79-108

Year:

• 2019

Author:

• Srisompob Jitpiromsri

Abstract:

-

Link:

• http://www.asianisr.org/sub/archives.asp

Download:

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