Democrats unveil plan to end Thai southern insurgency that has killed 7,000
The Democrat Party on Monday promised peace talks with insurgent groups to end the deep South conflict once and for all if it wins power in the May 14 election.
Deputy leader Nipon Boonyamanee made the promise during an election debate held by Channel 7 HD at a public park in Songkhla’s Muang district on Monday night. The debate was joined by southern candidates from eight other parties.
Nipon noted that over 7,000 people had been killed in the three southern border provinces since the insurgency flared up in 2004 following the robbery of guns from an Army camp.
He said governments had spent over 500 billion baht to try to restore peace but to no avail.
“However much we pay, it won’t be enough to achieve security and order there,” Nipon said during the policy debate.
“This is because to bring order, we must first bring about peace. The Democrats are convinced that holding peace talks with dissident groups is necessary.
“No war with weapons can be won without negotiations. This is the path to peace in the southern border provinces.”
Successive Thai governments including the current Prayut Chan-o-cha administration have been accused of paying lip service to winning hearts and minds among the majority Malay Muslim population while ruling the deep South under the iron fist of martial law.
Nipon said a Democrat government would also try to achieve peace by doing away with poverty in the deep South.
“So, we must create jobs for them in their provinces. This is what the Democrats will do.”
As part of the job-creation plan, a Democrat government would lift legal restrictions on fishermen in Pattani and Narathiwat, permitting them to make their living, Nipon said.
A Democrat government would also distribute 100,000 baht per year to each local fishing association to develop their fisheries. Farmers in Yala would also receive financial aid to develop the border province into a durian-growing hub, he added.
The financial support would be part of the Democrat’s economic policy to inject one trillion baht from unspent state funds to boost the economy.
A Democrat government would also set up a bank in each community with 2 million baht to fund local businesses and guarantee crop prices, Nipon said.
