LOCAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE GOVERNMENT-BRN

PEACE INITIATIVE IN THE DEEP SOUTH

Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand
Thursday, October 31 at 7.00 – 9.00 PM.

For nearly a decade Thailand’s southern border provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani have faced the resurgence of an indigenous conflict that has claimed more than 5,000 lives and exposed the population of the Deep South to an environment of persistent tension and insecurity. On February 28, 2013, it was announced in Kuala Lumpur that the Government and representatives of the Barisan Revolusi Nacional (BRN) had signed a “General Consensus on the Peace Dialogue Process”—effectively, a prelude to formal peace negotiations, through which both sides committed to engage in dialogue facilitated by Malaysia. Despite the uncertainty surrounding this surprise initiative, the negotiations have stirred debate among a variety of stakeholders on the prospect of a successful outcome of the peace negotiations and the steps that may be taken to lay the groundwork for sustainable peace in southern Thailand.

The Asia Foundation, in a collaboration with the Patani Forum, is sponsoring a public event at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on October 31, 2013 at 7.00 – 9.00 PM. The event will provide an opportunity for three prominent community leaders from the Deep South—youth leader Artef Sohko; Media Selantan director Wan-Ahmad Wan-Kecik; and Network of Civic Women for Peace member Duangsuda Srangamphai—to share impressions of recent developments and their implications.

SPEAKERS

• Artef Sohko, a former Secretary-General of the Student Federation of Thailand, presently serves as the Director of Foreign Affairs of The Academy of Patani Raya for Peace and Development. A respected youth leader, Artef’s perspectives on the southern conflict are valued and respected by different stakeholders.
  

• Wan-Ahmad Wan-Kecik is the director of Media Selantan, a community radio station based in Pattani. Media Selantan’s popular radio programs include Dunia Hari Ini (World Today), which serves as a media forum for different stakeholders and community members to voice their views on the southern conflict and the peace process.

• Duangsuda Srangamphai is a member of the Network of Civic Women for Peace, which assists women victims of conflict-related violence to recover from the trauma experienced, overcome their grievances, and become change agents.

MODERATOR

• Don Pathan is a freelance consultant and member of the Patani Forum (www.pataniforum.com), a Pattani-based NGO that works to promote critical discussion on the ongoing conflict.

DETAILS

Venue: Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, the Penthouse, Maneeya Center, 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10300

Date and Time: Thursday, October 31 at 7.00 – 9.00 PM.