THE peace dialogue process in Southern Thailand has entered a new era as both parties – the Southern Border Provinces Peace Dialogue Panel (PEDP) and the Patani Malay National Revolutionary Front (BRN) – have sent representatives to discuss in detail the Joint Comprehensive Peace Plan (JCPP) towards reconciliation.

According to a report by the Southern News Center – a news agency driven by the Thai Journalists Association based in Bangkok – the PEDP and BRN Technical Teams are holding discussions in Kuala Lumpur starting yesterday (May 19, 2024) until tomorrow (Tuesday, May 21, 2024).

The PEDP is reportedly led by the Commander of the 4th Army Region, who is also the Deputy Director of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4, Lt. Gen. Pramote Phrom-in. However, the leader of the BRN Technical Team has not been disclosed.

The news agency also reported that both parties are conducting workshops to draft a work plan before joining forces to reduce violence in Southern Thailand, with hopes that the armed wing of the BRN will cooperate in halting their activities.

These workshops and discussions follow a series of shootings, bomb explosions, and acts of sabotage in the Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani provinces in recent times.

On May 7, Apa Khabar TV reported that two Malaysians were among eight individuals injured in a bomb explosion in Narathiwat city on the night of May 6, 2024.

This incident marked the first attack in several years involving a ‘strike’ in a major city. Previously, bomb explosions and attacks on security forces occurred only in rural areas and small towns in Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani.

Recently, Thai security forces found three bombs and several bullets hidden in an area within Pattani Municipality. Authorities believe certain parties were planning attacks around the city.

In recent times, it can be said that there are daily incidents of attacks, such as shootings and bombings, around Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani.

Commenting further on the meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the media agency reported that both Technical Teams discussed frameworks and work plans to prepare a ‘discussion scope’ or ‘discussion and agreement scope’ before further discussions to reduce violence in the three provinces.

The plan is expected to pave the way for a lasting peace agreement for the residents in Southern Thailand.

The work plan will also provide an important transitional period towards the signing of a peace agreement with the establishment of a joint working group between PEDP and BRN to monitor the current state of violence.

The discussions by the Technical Teams will be based on three elements of the JCPP, namely reducing tension, public discussions, and the opening of a forum for a peace agreement.

It will also highlight a model of power distribution, seeking a way out of the conflict, and possibly signing a peace agreement after the discussions.

Depending on the technical discussions, it is possible to reach a joint resolution on the details of all three elements. If the JCPP cannot be signed, the process of establishing peace in the first phase will begin by reducing violence in the southern provinces.

However, all these processes are expected to take between three to four months before any decisions are reached.

Previously, many parties claimed that the armed wing of the BRN did not agree with the discussions. This is based on the ongoing tension and violence in Southern Thailand.

The decision to establish the Technical Teams was reached in the seventh round of the Peace Dialogue Process Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur last February.

Malaysia continues to facilitate the peace process in Southern Thailand, led by former Armed Forces Commander, Tan Sri Zulkifli Zainal Abidin.

The Southern Thailand Peace Dialogue process between the Thai Government and armed groups is now in its 10th year. The process began when Yingluck Shinawatra, the then Prime Minister of Thailand, requested Malaysia to mediate in resolving the conflict in Southern Thailand.

Subsequently, a General Consensus between the Thai Government and BRN was signed on February 28, 2013.

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