Peace Dialogue in Thailand’s Deep South: Prospects and Pitfalls

THAILAND STUDIES PROGRAMME

About the Webinar

The Deep South Watch’s records showed 21,328 incidents of violence in Thailand’s southernmost provinces from 2004 – 2021, with 7,314 deaths. Amidst continuing violence, peace dialogue has been convened off and on over the past ten years between the Thai government and Patani-Malay nationalist groups waging an armed campaign against Thai rule. Progress has been slow, but Bangkok and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Patani Melayu (BRN) have agreed on general principles for dialogue, and the BRN has issued recent statements affirming commitment to a political solution under the Thai constitution. At the same time, some in each camp question the wisdom and utility of these talks, complicating efforts to reach agreement. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has appointed a new facilitator for the dialogue, with consequences yet to be seen. Matt Wheeler shall unpack the complicated security situation in Thailand’s Deep South in a webinar on 31 January 2023, organised by the Thailand Studies Programme of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

About the Speaker

Matt Wheeler is a Senior Analyst, Southeast Asia, at the International Crisis Group, which he joined in 2012. He researched terrorism and Asian security issues at the RAND Corporation and as Visiting Researcher at the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. He is a member of the Mansfield-Luce Asia Scholars Network and has held fellowships from the Blakemore Foundation, the Institute of Current World Affairs, and the Smith Richardson Foundation. He holds an MA in Asian Studies from Harvard University. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Matt has lived in Thailand for more than 20 years.
Registration

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