Coalition begins opening a path to deliver peace to the restive South
The Prachachart Party vowed on Sunday that it and its coalition partners will work to ensure that both Buddhist and Muslim residents of the South will be able to live in harmony.
The party’s stronghold is the Muslim-majority southern border provinces.
It made the promise at a public forum with representatives of Buddhist residents of the southern border provinces.
The luncheon forum was chaired by Prachachart secretary-general Thawee Sodsong at Wat Promniwas in Bang Nak tambon of Narathiwat’s Muang district.
Representatives of Buddhist residents from Pattani, Yala, Narathwat, and four districts of Songkhla – Chana, Thepha, Saba Yoi and Na Thawee – joined the hearing.
Muslim insurgents say the three provinces and four districts of Songkhla were once part of Pattani State and are demanding independence for the area. They have engaged in terror campaigns for decades to achieve independence.
During the public forum, representatives of Buddhist residents asked Prachachart to establish a working panel to ensure the safety of Buddhist residents in the deep South.
They also called on the next government to update its lists of Muslim insurgents by pooling intelligence from all security agencies.
Prachachart is one of eight partners in a coalition vying to form the next government. The coalition is led by the Move Forward Party.
Violence in the South is among its top agenda items.
Thawee told the hearing that each of the eight partners would send representatives to the region to study ways to restore lasting peace.
The working group on southern issues will hold a few more meetings before all of its members visit the region to listen to the views of local residents.
Thawee expressed confidence that the eight partners will be able to form a coalition government to implement their campaign policies, including economic and educational development for the region.
“Buddhists and monks must be able to stay. Temples must be able to stay … in southern border provinces and Muslims must be able to live anywhere they want in Thailand,” he said.
The abbot of Wat Yaring told the forum that violence was the biggest issue in the region and he believed that Prachachart realised this.
Thawee should become a Cabinet member in charge of southern issues, the abbot said.
“I would like to see all MPs work towards solving problems in the deep South without thinking which side they belong to. This is because southern issues are national problems, not specific to either Buddhists or Muslims. They are problems for all of us,” he said.
A political solution is the best way to deal with the southern insurgency, he said.
